A gap year can be very helpful despite what some of your peers might think because it can really allow you to find yourself and reconcile your own reasons for going to college rather than just committing to a college early on because that’s what society expects of you. And I know a number of people who- despite all the criticism and peer pressure- have taken a gap year and gone on to do very big things like ultimately attending Ivy League graduate schools. Lose yourself to find yourself…honestly.