<p>Welcome, threed! Some great, thoughtful questions. I totally agree that BFA auditioned programs are almost never ‘safeties,’ so that is something to consider. Also, you don’t say your financial status, but we had two types of hurdles—getting in, and affording it. The price and potential for scholarships/grants were two very large considerations for us, and we did certainly always have financial safeties.</p>
<p>About a gap year—This is very personal. My own D turned 20 in September, but is a Freshman at NU. And my older D is at Williams and also turned 20 in the fall as a Freshman. Both D’s have benefited from taking the gap year. My D at NU feels she has the maturity she lacked a few years ago and can multitask far easier than before. Many of her classmates have commented to her how they wish they’d postponed a year. That’s just her own take on it, of course. I’m only saying that in her case, it has worked to her benefit. </p>
<p>We did nothing special for the gap years. Both my daughters worked in ‘real’ jobs about 20-30 hours/week (hostess at a diner, children’s librarian) and just that alone REALLY helped them mature. I do have to say that both my D’s were a pleasure to have at home. Not sure I would have said the same about my older S at that age… 
So it depends on your own tolerance too. Besides working, both D’s spent the year adding experiences to their resume depending on their interests (theatre and art). That was great too.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take a gap year, though, purely out of a negative (not getting into your top school). I’d have a positive reason to take the gap year too–building your resume, gaining more experience and maturity, etc. As you can see from my kids’ experiences, gap years don’t have to be anything fancy or expensive. Finally, I have to add that colleges really liked that my D’s had ‘real’ work experience earning money over a period of time, in a job they stuck with for several years–several commented on it. </p>
<p>So far for all three of my kids, the college acceptance decisions were all over the place–schools we considered a safety they were rejected from; others that we thought of as far reaches, they were admitted. And then others were just as we expected. Financial safeties sometimes ended up costing much more than expensive private schools that offered scholarships. My personal advice is to apply to at least 10 schools (we did 13, a tradition started by my son, and continued with my daughters!). It can be expensive but I viewed it as a business investment. If you have a range of applications-- safety, matches and reaches, financial safeties – then you increase your chances of ‘scoring.’ </p>
<p>About your question on ‘safeties’ - they’re important because you have a higher chance of getting in, and you just never know how much you’ll fall in love with a school. Sometimes a school you think you’ll love, you end up really not liking; and other schools can be unexpected pleasures. A ‘safety’ can end up being perfect for you. You just dont’ know. Kids grow quite a bit over their senior year and can change; and after they are accepted, it’s always a good idea to visit the colleges they’re serious about, and spend time there in classes and talking to students.
Best of luck with this process. It’s pretty overwhelming.</p>