If the COVID-19 pandemic shakeup in higher education was any indication, the students who take gap years at their convenience tend to be wealthier than those who do not. This was certainly true during the 2020-21 admissions cycle, in which elite schools admitted far more low-income students than usual to compensate for the mass exodus of gap-yearning wealthy students dissatisfied with Zoom University, and it remains true today.

Don’t get us wrong; gap year students usually do not just take the year off to watch Netflix and let their brains turn to mush. They often have exciting opportunities to enhance their lives personally and professionally. Wealthy students have access to the best of these opportunities, making the opportunity cost of deferring their education by a year lower than their less fortunate counterparts. Over time, this simple fact has made taking a gap year a signal of socioeconomic status, and admissions officers take note!

Why Do Gap-Yearers Tend to Be Wealthy?

Lining up worthwhile gap year experiences takes immense money and resources, not to mention a healthy amount of reassurance that you’re taking the right path and that your future school will wait for you. You must understand college as a time to self-actualize, not professionalize, to feel comfortable deferring your education for a year. The average low-income student typically doesn’t have this kind of access to resources or this laid-back relationship with an elite education. After all, a degree from Princeton is a key to socioeconomic mobility for some and a country home decoration for others!

Admissions officers, in turn, must curate socioeconomically diverse cohorts of students, so a gap year on your resume may raise a red flag or two. This is not to say that we at Ivy Coach discourage this practice of gap yearing altogether. However, it must be done strategically so as not to give the impression of a time of aristocratic relaxation but instead of meaningful personal growth that has made the world a better place in the process.

Ivy Coach’s Advice to Gap Year Students

Sometimes, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would pass you by if you didn’t defer your education to take advantage of it. And sometimes (although hopefully never again!), a global pandemic forces classes online, and you choose not to waste your tuition dollars on an attenuated college experience. But remember that not everyone has this privilege, and it’s not always advisable to remove yourself from an academic curriculum for an entire year to engage in other pursuits. You run the risk of entering your first year of college at a remove from your peers, one year older and with a taste of the natural world beckoning you to explore other horizons.

That’s why we do not advise students to take a gap year before securing acceptance to an elite university. Admissions officers will see the move for what it is: a fancy schmancy escape from the drudgeries of academics. Admissions officers at highly selective schools are duty-bound to admit socioeconomically diverse cohorts of students. Showing off your privilege with a gap year under your belt makes you less admissible.

Even if you’re spending that year helping the less fortunate or conducting cutting-edge research into your field of choice, admissions officers will not shake off the idea that you’re squandering a year of your life by lying around and letting your brain go to mush. Don’t let them make this assumption! Apply to your top school during the Early Decision/Action round, secure an acceptance as soon as possible, and then contact your future school about deferring your education for a year. Be sure to come prepared with a comprehensive outline of all the enriching things you’ll do to make your case for a gap year, such as developing your singular hook.

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Make the Most of Their Gap Year

Sometimes, taking a gap year is inevitable. Family emergencies, illnesses, and global conflicts can disrupt the tidy educational timeline we set out for ourselves. If you took a gap year before applying to a highly selective university, fear not! Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers will work with you to craft a compelling narrative that shows why the gap year was necessary and how it has made you a more competitive applicant.

If you would like to optimize your odds of admission to a highly selective college, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.