Lots of people will be 17 at the start of the year in schools that draw heavily from NY (which is most top schools).

Anonymous wrote:We have been advised gap years are a really hard platform to apply to college (very hard to get good teacher recs for one). Most kids we know who took a gap year deferred admission.

A kid would apply regularly and when admitted then ask for deferred admission. I think almost any school would say OK. Also some schools encourage it. (2 examples from friends/family)

An Ivy League recognized as top in a specific sport, offered admission to a player but no roster spot at that position for this year. School could only guaranteed they would be on the team if they enter the following fall. Student gladly accepted and will play and train on their sport in the meantime.

UNC Chapel Hill has a flagship scholarship program that includes lots of perks, including a gap year before freshman year, where the student is given a grant and other resources to travel internationally. They will enter the following fall.

Anonymous wrote:My college freshman is currently 17 she won't turn 18 til the end of the year (December).

She always skewed older with friends, academically etc.

Unless your kid is younger in other ways, no gap necessary.

I was 17 my entire freshman year. And I barely ever noticed an age difference. It helped that I had always been with that age group (I started school in 1st grade vs K-so sort of skipping but also starting school early?)

If I had a kid that could handle going abroad right now, I would be pushing that option.

Anonymous wrote:I'm discussing with my DS now. He's on the younger side for his class. I always thought he could use more time prior to college rather than entering at 17, and in light of all this volatility around Trump's meddling in universities and withholding funds and the economic volatility, I'm wondering if we're better off waiting a year and then deciding if the US is even the right place to attend college in?

What's he going to do during the gap year? Unless my DD will be doing something substantial (ex. travel, working, internship, apprenticeship, sport), I think a gap year would be depressing for her.

My college freshman is currently 17 she won't turn 18 til the end of the year (December).

She always skewed older with friends, academically etc.

Unless your kid is younger in other ways, no gap necessary.

My 17 y.o. is a freshman at a T10, turns 18 next spring. Got in off the waitlist, so a gap year wasn't an option. Not that he'd have taken it, but there were some moments of cold feet just before school started. Seems to be swimming along fine now.

Two of mine graduated a year early and went to college young. Now one is 19 and interviewing for med school. We are glad to get out before trump messes more things up.
I’d plan to go to college next year and graduate as soon as possible.

My youngest is a 17 year old freshman. We didn’t suggest and she didn’t seem to want or need a gap year. OTOH, one of my older kids wasn’t ready for college until 21. It’s really not about age so much as readiness. Both are doing well.

I had one who needed it psychosocially but not academically. We all knew it going into junior year, and had already discussed an alternative plan for the year, a prestigious arts-focused program away, but COVID intervened and necessitated the extra year during high school. DC is now thriving and a bit older than college classmates but noone seems to think that odd.

Anonymous wrote:I did one between college and law school - best decision I ever made!

That’s not a gap year.

^its auto, before you ask.

It’s nothing to do with Trump, but our kid wants to work and then go to college. So he is enrolling in a trade program, think of something that is a year certification where it’s a high rate of employment and he will make more than a fast food job. He tells us his plan is to go to college later in life.

He has close to a 4.0 UW GPA and could definitely be applying to competitive schools but is very excited over this. I’m thinking of it as a gap year, or years. But we aren’t pushing him into college if he doesn’t want to go right now.

No, completely bizarre reasons. Mine will be 17 for a few weeks. They are going.