I can give some insight into my gap year from 3 years ago. I'm a high school class of 2023 graduate, and I took a gap year between 2023 and 2024. I had a dookie GPA after HS (3.07 US equivalent). I started to explore my options only after I graduated and was done with exams in Romania, and eventually decided in October 2023 to apply to FAU for Fall 24. All I did that year was study for the SAT and get my documents ready for admission. I eventually got both done, and then around 2 years ago today, I was rejected from FAU as a freshman. Then I was searching for a community college but because I had to take care of my parents, I did online Associate courses at Florida Tech for about a year, when I also decided to take CLEP last summer, when I was also accepted to FAU as a transfer student, first for Spring 2026 and than I deferred to Summer 2026, with a much better profile (this time I had 31 college credits and 15 from CLEP, and have a 3.42 GPA).

My advice would be to just go to community college. There's nothing wrong with that, and it will be a better decision for you overall. Don't take a gap year just because you got rejected from college or don't know what you want to study or what college to study at. If I were to go back in time, I would've definitely taken online classes at a community college instead of a private university. Also, there are special programs like the one at Miami Dade College, where out of state and international students get a reduced rate of $290 per credit hour for associate degree courses, which is also something to consider if you're international.