<p>I don’t think you’re allowed to apply to other schools if you’re taking off a year prior to attending the school you accepted.</p>
<p>Also, I wanted to bring up a very important point regarding finances. You said all the students you’ve talked to about Grinnell’s FA has been happy with their packages. That is a self-selected pool. People who weren’t happy with their aid are now students elsewhere. I think you should talk to the FA office sometime this summer and get an estimated aid package before applying ED. (But I still think you should go to a WA school instead of waiting a year, or should do something instead of a regular job. Mothers! We just can’t help ourselves…)</p>