<p>Hi, I am a senior that is graduating in June of this year, I was accepted into a Disney internship program next year that would give me the chance to save some money before I enter school, my question is this, if I take a year off and apply to new schools this fall for Fall 2011 admission, will my applications be negatively affected because I took a year off to work and gain experience outside of the state of Utah?
I have a 3.7 GPA overall, I scored a 30 on the ACT: English 30, Reading 35, Math 25, and Science 28, and my writing score was a 9.
I have also taken the necessary course requirements: 4 years English, 4 years Math, 3 years Science, 2 Language.
Anyone who took a gap year have any advice or knowledge of how this will affect my applications? or anyone with advice at all, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!!! :)</p>
<p>OP, living and experiencing life outside the state of Utah can only have a POSITIVE effect on your application process.
it’ll broaden your horizons, help you experience real life and gain independence, and if you can incorporate that into your application, i’m sure the adcoms can sense it.</p>
<p>@OP, I would recommend enrolling at whatever school and telling them you want to take a gap year then. This is comparatively easier to do.</p>
<p>As disgradius said, generally the best route is to commit to the school you have been accepted to and wish to attend, requesting deferred matriculation (a gap year).
However, this changes if you think you want to use this experience as leverage to attempt admission at a “more selective” (or just different set of) school(s) that you hadn’t applied to or was rejected/waitlisted from this year. If that’s your intention, well, yes, in fact, an internship is a brilliant thing to take a gap year for and yes, it will likely boost your prospects.
The application process is a bit less streamlined once you’re out of school, and you may need to contact individual school’s admission departments for your special circumstances, but on the whole, it’s doable.
Good luck! 
And gotta say, pretty jealous that you’ll be at Disney. Dang.</p>
<p>I would also recommend contacting school(s) you’re interested in applying to next year and asking about your eligibility in applying outside of high school. I don’t think it’ll be an issue at many schools, but I think it’s better to confirm you’ll still be able to apply, just in case. Situations may be different at privates and state schools.</p>