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To any undergrads that need to hear this: 1) you do not have to go to grad school immediately after undergrad, 2) you do not have to have a publication to apply to grad school, and 3) it is entirely ok to take this year off.
I would actually discourage people from assuming that you need to go to grad school right after undergrad. There are many soft skills that you learn at a job that will be useful in grad school.
You will probably have a 40-50 year career after undergrad. 1 year off will not matter. 2 years will not matter. In fact, 5 years will probably also not matter (unless you are a miserable grad student and then it'll seem like a long time)
You are also much less likely to have a miserable time as a grad student if you have a bit of a nest egg/cushion built up, so that you can live in a decent apartment, and have developed some outside work hobbies and friends.
Despite the idea of the monastic grad student, it is better to treat grad school like a job, be able to cheer yourself up with little luxuries (like take-out!) and have enough money to travel to conferences and do some sightseeing.
