Anybody who took a gap year and then got into the top colleges???

Applying to College
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<p>“He now knew that he could do much better.”</p>

<p>No, he now THINKS or HOPES or IMAGINES that he could do much better.</p>

<p>McGill is fully as good as the US top 15, and depending on the department arguably BETTER than any given university that is in the US top 15. Your son has been infected by what in the boat-owners’ universe is called “two-foot-itis”. Just as there is always a boat that is two feet longer (and so presumably better), there always is a university that is a bit more famous (and so presumably better). This year he got into McGill, so he thinks that the US top 15 would be better. Well, what is to stop him from deciding next year that Oxford/Cambridge would be better than the US top 15, and the year after that from deciding that the Sorbonne would be better than Oxford/Cambridge?</p>

<p>Look at the money. He can go to McGill for a fraction of what it would cost in the US. He doesn’t have to find out if he 1) can get in in the first place, or 2) gets enough financial aid to be able to afford to go. I understand that you want your child to be happy, I want mine to be happy too. But the parental checkbook has its limits - as does our patience. Sometimes we just have to say “Stop obsessing over this should have, could have, would have business. This is a fine university. One of the very, very best in the world. You are extremely fortunate to be admitted. Go to this university for at least one year, and then we will talk about doing something different if you are unhappy there.”</p>

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<p>Your son has fantastic SAT/SAT II scores, and I imagine his GPA is fairly high as well. He would stand an good chance transferring into Cornell/Hopkins/Penn from McGill, as long as he makes certain to do extremely well.
This might prove more convenient than taking a gap year, too, because you would only have to pay for 3 years of the expensive tuition!
I think your son would stand a far better chance as a transfer, especially if he excels. If he rewrites his essays, impresses his professors for good recommendations, and comes up with a compelling reason to transfer, he stands a good chance.</p>

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<p>Did I mention that he stands a good chance?</p>

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<p>What? I thought University of Toronto was Canadian Harvard.</p>

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<p>OK, so maybe McGill is Yale?</p>