consider CC if freshman

As Raoul said, for sophomores on up, most have leases or some other housing commitment. We are sending ours away in that situation, with plans to quarantine him on return if it seems needed. He'll be interacting with other kids his age there, even if a good part of campus will likely feel weird. For what it is worth, it is why the new controversial Cornell study says bringing students on campus is better than not, because. they figure most will come to Ithaca even if class is online, and better to have more control over what they do (not saying I buy all of it).

If I had a soon to be freshman, I'd seriously consider taking some online CC classes, and applying again next year if I couldn't get a formal gap year. This is biased some by good in state options that can't really dismiss you for CCs. I also think all but the most elite privates will be desperate for full pay students next year. As noted this breaks down if you are either rich enough that tuition doesn't matter or poor enough that you aren't paying. I just think the freshman experience will be particularly negatively effected.