Gap Year Before Junior Year - Fall Internship & Spring Travel

Hi Guys,

My goal, like most of the young guys here, is to land interviews and ultimately a SA intern role at a bb. Lately I have been considering taking a gap year before my junior year to help me get there.

I'm coming from a non-target where I was undecided for a semester. On top of that I had no idea about the importance of networking. Everything I have done over the last six months has been a learn as you go sprint, a I figured out all the basics. Most recently I wound up here, which is where I should have been all along.

Taking off a year would effectively push back those critical SA internships a year. Over the course of the gap year I would find a place to intern for 3-4 months, allowing me to gain more industry experience and build my resume. While interning I would also be using my time to expand my network, and make connections that can grant me a first round interview.

After a Fall internship I would hopefully get to travel for another 3 months, either to South America or Europe. It would mostly be a backpacking experience, but it has been something I've always wanted to do. I understand the responsibilities of a job on Wall Street, especially the high level of commitment required, which is why I want to do this trip before I need to focus on my career.

The Big Picture is this:

One year from now, I will have completed another internship (I'm currently interning as an Analyst in corporate finance) and traveled for three months. Once I'm back in late April/early May my 6-9 months of additional networking will have hopefully paid off, and i'll have an Internship on Wall Street (Probably not bb or a big reputable name, but something). In the end that's two internships to add to the resume before heading into Junior Year of college.

This is definitely not the typical route to Wall Street, but it's a possibility that I have given a lot of thought to. I'm wondering if anyone has done something similar to this. And are there any reasons that this would be a bad thing? Pros/Cons?

Thanks