I was accepted to NYU regular decision for the fall of 2016. Thinking that my dad could afford tuition, I missed the date for the CSS profile. I called multiple people and visited the school itself to ask wether or not I could attain scholarships after a semester or if I deferred my admission/enrollment, and I was informed that their school based scholarships were a one time deal. They do not offer substantial scholarships to transfers either. You get one shot and that is all. This is my absolute dream school and I do not want one mistake to define my future. I am determined to find a way to make it work. I am currently considering taking a year off, working full time to save up money for college and also doing a service project that lasts about two months in order to be productive during my gap year. Do you think my application will be looked down upon or perhaps completely discarded? Will it look bad for me to apply to colleges after taking a year off from school?
PS: I do have a backup school but I am really just refusing to settle for a subpar southern SEC school