<p>Some colleges like gap years (Big in Europe). My students friend went to Princeton and he was one of the 1st students that had a gap year, but they may have provided some backing (Kosovo or something). Depends on your situation, but DC may have many options to do a part time work / part time volunteering for an organization. Remember to keep in mind, you may want them to write a letter later to confirm you worked well, etc. while there. There are opportunities possibly to teach English in some countries, where they pay some of your expenses. I would probably take a break for a week or so to absorb it and then look at all the opportunities. </p>
<p>Some people go to working farms in other countries to help, etc.</p>
<p>You never know, perhaps Dartmouth could tell you opportunities that may be available and/or places to help you connect with good opportunities. </p>
<p>Princeton gap years are not the same, Princeton has a sponsored gap year program that is only for selected students. Im sure others take gap years as well but Princeton’s sponsored gap year is only for the chosen students.</p>
<p>Glad to see you are obviously perking up! Why did you not say earlier that you had had a hard time with family? We asked and you didn’t mention this, hence some of the earlier judgements (at least on my part, when you didn’t mention anything of the sort, it was hard not to assume the worst.)</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your high school marks, for jobs they are interested in your college transcript. </p>
<p>Enjoy your gap year and the many discoveries you will make outside the academic world!</p>
<p>Not sure what your family situation was, but they may have given the gap year to allow that to “settle” as well. A freshman who is distracted by serious problems at home could have a rough year.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think they did make me defer enrollment to adjust to my family situation. They expect me to write a report on my gap year after Jan 1, 2015. I am having some difficulty finding internships/jobs atm. Do you think it would be a good idea to go on a Rustic Pathways program to Costa Rica from October to November? I love travel and am very fluent in Spanish but my parents might not be able to afford it. I obviously would start working/interning as soon as possible in the spring but I would probably only have that travel experience to write back to Dartmouth about. Any advice regarding this or finding an internship? I am at my wit’s end.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the Idealist website? It has options all over the world. If you need to stay home,try Craiglist or the United Way for volunteer opportunities. Americorps may have openings, too.</p>
<p>This has to be one of the most interesting threads I have ever followed (and I have followed a lot as a lurker before I actually joined.) Know that we are all rooting for you behind the scenes! </p>
<p>Internships can be indeed hard to find. Surely there are some local charities that are always in need of volunteers though? Animals, homeless, children/highschoolers from disadvantaged backgrounds that need tutoring but can’t afford to pay? Maybe you would be able to tutor kids from your own old schools?</p>
<p>What state are you in? Might be able to find some things online in your area. </p>
<p>I am in NYC, there’s an abundance of internships for enrolled college students… I wonder what Dartmouth is expecting in their report. Would they be disappointed if I just tutored for a living in my neighborhood because that seems the only option beneficial to my financial situation. My parents have put their feet down for a travel program as they think I am not yet ready and do not deserve it. I cannot help but agree with them. If I do only just tutor for the fall and do an internship in the spring and (hopefully) travel abroad next summer, will Dartmouth turn me down again? They expect me to report on my experiences by January 1. If my experiences will be limited to tutoring, is that sufficient or should I beg my parents to let me travel (even if they are staunchly against shelling out 6k)?</p>
<p>IMHO, the only thing that your parents shelling out 6k is going to do is show then that they can use money to purchase you an experience. In NYC, where there are vast opportunities, it would seem that you did not attempt to stretch yourself (Dartmouth is big on serving others and giving back). You could volunteer at a hospital, the shelter, soup kitchens and a host of other places. you could try your local church, NY Cares, pre-school to see if you can come in and help young children read (you may have to pay for fingerprinting if you are at a NYC_DOE school, but we are talking about $110)</p>
<p>perhaps you can start here to find opportunities where you can even have a leadership role</p>
<p>“We will retain your complete application file and classify you as an admitted student of the Class of 2019. Accordingly, it will not be necessary for you to reapply to Dartmouth, nor will you have to complete any new admissions forms. Implicit in all of this is your agreement that you will not initiate applications to any other colleges or universities, and that you will matriculate at Dartmouth in September, 2015. It is also understood that any policies that are in place for the Class of 2019 will apply to you as a member of that class.
Additionally, we require that you write to our office as soon as possible after January 1, 2015, to reaffirm your commitment to join the Class of 2019 and to describe your experiences and endeavors.<br>
Please let us know if you have any questions, and don’t forget to keep us informed of your activities and whereabouts. I trust that you will use this next year in a productive and enriching manner. I am confident that you will enroll at Dartmouth in the fall of 2015 with additional maturity and perspective that will allow you to realize your potential, both in and out of the classroom.”</p>
<p>It seems as if they want me to be productive during this year and keep them updated on what I am doing but I really don’t know what would count as sufficient productivity.</p>
<p>Seeing as how they are requiring you to agree not to apply elsewhere, I would think that all they want is a good faith effort to do something useful. </p>
<p>I think that working a <em>fast food</em> job to supplement tutoring income–assuming that you can actually get paid tutoring work–while volunteering somewhere in NYC would be productive. You do not have to have a fancy internship. Working at any legal job to make money to help pay for college next year or to fund your own experience abroad is a worthwhile endeavor. Having your parents buy it for you is not.</p>
<p>I suggest you look at an organization like Safe Passage. (I spent 3 wks in Guatemala volunteering for them about 10 yrs ago.) This is an excellent group, and they aren’t going to charge you $6K to be there! You are a real volunteer, not an ecotourist. Their minimum time for a volunteer is now 5 weeks. Working to make enough money to cover your airfare and living expenses there, along wit a little tourism on the weekends, would be completely realistic.</p>
<p>If you write D a letter in January and say that you have been working to save money for something specific, whether it be something like this or just next year at school, as well as volunteering, I think they will like that. I doubt they would be impressed by the Bank of Mom and Dad buying you an experience, or shadowing your cousin the doctor or doing a make-work job you clearly got through connections.</p>
<p>There must be infinite opportunities in NYC to volunteer in a way that makes good use of your excellent Spanish. Sybbie has given you some great leads.</p>
<p>I agree with sybbie719 and the opportunities and list they posted. NYC? You have almost more possible things to do than anywhere else in the country. How many charities and disadvantaged are there in NYC? I dread to think. Many would be very grateful for your time. </p>
<p>How about finding a part-time job and volunteering the rest of the time? Your job could be tutoring or something else. Any sort of work is experience that you didn’t have before. I can’t see how there aren’t endless opps in NYC to do a wide variety of things. What causes do you care about? Where would you like to make a difference? With children? With woman? With homeless? With animals? With kids in poor schools? There is definitely no need to travel anywhere to do something worth writing about when there is already so much on your doorstep!</p>
<p>As for the internships that require being an enrolled college student, you are technically aren’t you? You are an admitted student of the class of 2019. Would you need to say on any application that you were told to delay matriculation and didn’t choose it?</p>
<p>The NYC service website linked to above under volunteers lets you choose an interest area, location, skillsets, etc. I can’t see how you wouldn’t find something interesting.</p>
<p>I am keeping my fingers crossed for City Year because it seems too good to be true. I will discuss with my parents and try to work out a schedule where I can both volunteer and tutor. Since I have had no “real” job as of yet, I am really excited to devote my time to something that can further my maturity instead of relying on my parents’ network to land an internship. Will keep everyone posted to see how this goes but I do realise I need to move quickly.</p>