<p>I'm currently finishing my senior year. I ended up with a 3.2 GPA, with an upward trend (this year I consistently had above a 3.8). I scored a 740 on critical reading, 540 math and 690 writing on my SAT's. I was rejected from Hamilton (obivously), but I desperately want to go there. I've been really sick this year and I have a chronic intestinal disease which can only be treated by the removal of my colon and parts of my small bowel. I am having this done on June 19. The surgery is pretty major and I will need many months to recover. I am planning to spend freshman year living at home and recovering. I am planning on taking classes at a local private college and attempting to transfer to Hamilton as a Sophmore. However, I've recently been told to take the year off and apply to Hamilton next year as a freshman. Does anybody have any opinions on this? Also does anyone know the acceptance rate of transfer students at Hamilton. What are some important things a student attempting to transfer should know? Should I retake the SAT's?</p>
<p>Also, does anybody know if Hamilton accepts applications for freshman for the spring semester?</p>
<p>I'm not sure which Hamilton you're referring too. But if you look on the collegeboard website, you will likely find its transfer acceptance rates. If you feel as though the recovery process will be detrimental to your first-year work, I would suggest taking the year off as has been suggested to you. But I disagree with the advice to apply again after the gap year. My reasoning for this is that, in my mind, it seems as though you're likely to get rejected again because your statistics will be exactly the same. Assuming you do take the SAT again, that score may increase, but I doubt that's a sufficient indicator of academic improvement without some actual college grades to accompany it. So, I suppose it's a choice between possibly struggling to maintain a GPA while dealing with your recovery, or waiting for a year, then taking a year's worth of courses at your local private college, then applying for the next year. My advice is to start college this fall, as long as you can handle it with the healing process. I would imagine that they expect all applications in at the same time, but give opportunities for either a fall or spring transfer.</p>
<p>I had that surgery junior year (of high school) and it was pretty brutal. However, everyone's experience is different and it depends on how many steps you do the surgery in (1, 2, or 3). As someone who was accepted to a few top liberal arts colleges as a freshman and then denied (from the same schools) as a transfer, I would recommend trying to preserve your freshman eligibility. Take a few college courses (definitely not a full load), and prove yourself by earning good grades in those classes.</p>