Defer! I did it and can confirm it was easy to reinstate the application. If April rolls around and you aren't excited to start a program, then taking a year off to refocus and think about your priorities is a good thing.
Wisconsin, Penn State, Georgia Tech, WashU, Harvard, MIT, Toronto, Virginia
Hey Jub.jub,
Like GettingDemReactions said, the time to email them was right after you met with them, or back in August or September (something like: "Hi, we met previously, I was impressed, I am beginning the process of applying for next fall, please look out for my application.") Emailing them now probably isn't a good look.