I think the equation is very different if you major in STEM rather than humanities or social sciences. An internship at Surfer would probably help you if you'r

I think the equation is very different if you major in STEM rather than humanities or social sciences. An internship at Surfer would probably help you if you're an English major hoping to break into publishing or magazines, and I don't think a year off really harms your writing or reading skills the same way your math skills can atrophy if left unused. My only basis for this assertion is that I was a double math and English major, and I'd definitely say this is the case in my life, but I don't have any study to back it up. A gap year between high school AP calculus and the much faster science and engineering track "Calc through Differential Equations" sequence at a rigorous university, on the other hand, could be very risky. Especially in schools like the UC system where many popular STEM majors are "impacted" and you may get bounced from the major if your grades are low (I consider this loathsome, failing out kids who might be bright but struggle a bit in their first year, but it's a reality). I did read that the "eliteness" of your college doesn't really matter if you study STEM, but it makes a big difference if you major in humanities. That may also account for some of the class difference we see in this gap year issue. People who attend expensive, private schools, especially elite ones, and who major in humanities are probably not harmed by a gap year at all. Lower income people who attend state schools and major in STEM probably don't benefit much, and may watch their math get rusty just before they enter a challenging program with minimum GPA cutoffs.