Monday, April 21, 2008; B02

After working long and hard to win acceptance to Cornell University this fall, D.C. high school senior Isabela Guimaraes thought she could finally take a breath. Then she decided to enjoy an entire year of them.

The 18-year-old, who will graduate from Georgetown Day School, is taking a gap year to travel to her native Brazil and to work in hospitality management.

"This coming year will be a way of learning and guiding my professional interest outside a classroom setting," Guimaraes said.

Common in England, gap years have become more mainstream in the United States during the past decade as "students consider jumping off the hamster wheel of high school for a bit," said Jennifer Desjarlais, dean of admission at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where in recent years the number of students taking a gap year has gone from about 10 to 20 out of a freshman class of less than 600.

More students are seeking a gap year because opportunities for travel, work and social engagement have proliferated, officials said. Some students need a gap year to save up money for college.

Several admissions directors said they support most students who seek gap years and think many return with new maturity and vigor.

Some schools, such as George Mason University, don't ask for a reason, according to admissions director Andrew Flagel. GMU grants about "a handful" of requests a year, he said.

But other schools insist on a plan to engage students' brains in some fashion. "Sitting around and watching television is not a plan," said Gregory Pyke, senior associate dean of admission at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Admissions directors said they urge students considering a gap year to go ahead and apply. Whether they're looking to enter college this year or the next, the competition for admission will still be stiff.

-- Valerie Strauss