I know one person who got in this way. This student told them he would be willing to take a gap year. As far as I can tell, the only requirement was that you not enroll in any college. Other than that, you could pound sand if that is what you wanted to do. Most students of course will want to make good use of the year, but I think the College doesn’t really judge your gap year. You could go on a mediation retreat to discover yourself, if that is what interests you.
Remember, it is a great way for them to prefill the next year’s class. I have a feeling given the 10% drop in apps this year, there will be a lot of gap years offered to juice next year’s numbers, but that is just my speculation. I could be totally off.