I am a rising senior in undergrad, and I recently signed a full-time Associate return offer with BCG in SF for 2021. Because of Covid, however, my school's policy for the 2020-21 year is really restrictive, so I'm considering taking a gap year, hence deferring my 2021 BCG offer to 2022. I talked to HR who said my offer would stand for 2022, and the deferral would be "no problem," but I'm afraid that because of this uncertainty we're living through, the first person BCG would let go of (if things go poorly economically) is someone in my position. The offer I've signed is "at will," meaning they can pull it at any time, for any reason.
Am I safe to take this gap year? Should I be worried? Or should I trust HR's word?