<p>I seem to remember that our oldest son had classmates that were shipped overseas for their first semester due to a high yield. Heard similar rumors this year. Has anyone else heard from accepted students being admitted, contingent on them going abroad first semester?</p>
<p>Hamilton send a group of incoming abroad every September. I know plenty of kids who experienced it, all of them sid they loved it and valued it as a positive experience.</p>
<p>When you apply, you are asked whether you would be willing to spend the first semester of your studies in London studying at the NYU campus. And there are students who indeed take advantage of this excellent opportunity.</p>
<p>They’re called Jan-admits, or Jans. Usually about 20-30 kids go abroad through this program and arrive on campus in the spring. They have a mini-orientation and then merge with the rest of the class when classes start. They’re still able to participate in Adirondack Adventure in the summer, so many make friends on campus before they arrive in January.</p>
<p>In my experience, Jans tend to be some of the most active kids on campus. They’re always attending special events, leading clubs, winning awards, writing for newspapers, etc. I think it’s in large part because the kind of person who likes the idea of jump-starting college with an intimidating (albeit enriching) semester abroad is also the kind of person who’s going to be more of a mover and shaker on campus. Just one opinion, but it was pretty remarkable how present Jans are for a group of only 30 kids.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. Great comments. For the right student this option could be a great experience. I guess I was looking at it more as a penalty.</p>
<p>I did not see this option on the application. I saw something that asked if I would prefer August admit or January, but it mentioned nothing about going abroad… Is it something that they ask you if you are admitted, or did aI somehow miss something on the application?</p>
<p>It is true that about 20-30 students are enrolled in this program. Many small LAC’s have programs like this. First, it is an opportunity for the school to boost enrollment beyond the finite capacity of on-campus housing. However, it also serves the school in two ways - (a) boosts statistics of incoming class, and (b) increases number of full-tuition paying students. The students who are offered admission contingent on the Jan program do not have their SAT/GPA reported in the official incoming class statistics and do not receive financial aid from the college. For better or worse, this is a mutually beneficial program for the student and the college which allows those candidates with slightly lower scores and the money to pay to be admitted to a great school.</p>
<p>Last I heard, going abroad is not offered on the application. If it offers January vs. August admission, that makes much more sense. Not all Jan admits go to London with the program; there are a handful who decide to spend the time doing other gap year activities (some academic, some travel, etc.). You can think of it as an extra study abroad semester, but it could also be used for work if you weren’t worried about credits.</p>
<p>If I applied for Fall Semester admission, is it possible that I could be placed in the London abroad program? I know my stats really aren’t the greatest, but I am confident in the rest of my application and this could be a great opportunity for me.</p>