<p>IMHO, your gap year could be an asset. I know two people here at Stanford who did something similar to you (one traveled in Europe and the other India). From the admins POV, the world perspective they gained allows them to enrich the Stanford environment. Also, as was said above, since you graduated early, your gap year may be seen as making you mature enough to handle college (not that you weren’t before, but the admins might worry). Good luck!</p>