<p>Northstarmom:</p>
<p>Have you ever seen an applicant take a gap year and then come back with much higher SAT scores and get accepted?</p>
<p>Interesting updates on this thread. I applaud any student who decides to take a gap year and truly broaden his perspective on the world, whether he or she is happy with their college choices or not. What a wonderful opportunity to help others at a time in life when such experience can really change a person's entire outlook.
At this point, my son isn't considering a gap and he isn't expecting a disappointing outcome from admissions. He has applied to several UCs, all of which he would be happy to attend, and he will be sure to get into at least one - possibly a couple with Regents.</p>
<p>It's me who is questioning the viability of the UCs, not my son. I'd be disappointed that he wouldn't have the opportunity to attend a smaller school where I think he'd get a more personal education and overall experience. It's my prejudice, I know, but I attended a UC and I know how impersonal they can be. Two of my friend's son's just recently dropped out of Santa Cruz and San Diego. Another friend's daughter tranferred from San Diego to a small eastern LAC - all reasons relating to the size of the institutions. 20,000 students is a lot when you're used to a high school of 300.
Maybe this is just the normal dread that parents go through when their kids get ready to leave the nest, I don't know. Maybe I'm more concerned because he seems so unconcerned. More safeties aren't the answer - he feels happy with what he's picked. I guess as his mom, I want to send him off to a place that will nurture and guide while he makes this transition. I think I just need to relax and trust that he will make the most out of what comes his way. My D says I don't give him enough credit and that he'll do well anywhere, and she's probably right.</p>
<p>"Have you ever seen an applicant take a gap year and then come back with much higher SAT scores and get accepted?"</p>
<p>No, but in my area, gap years are rare. S's GC, who is very experienced, could only think of a few students who have taken gap years.</p>
<p>If SAT scores were the reason that a student were considering a gap year, my advice to the student would be to go to whatever college they could, do a fabulous job there both in terms of academics and ECs, and after achieving those things, if they still want a higher quality school, I think they should transfer.</p>
<p>Of course, places like HPYS are even more difficult to gain entrance to as transfers than as freshman admits, so if that is the kind of place that one is aspiring to, it's important to recognize that such colleges always are longshots. I honestly doubt that simply gapping and raising SAT scores would get a rejected applicant into such a college. If all that the student did during the gap year was significantly raise their SATs, I doubt that would be impressive enough to gain entrance to the top colleges, which would also want to see some impressive ECs or nonSAT-related activities done during the gap year.</p>
<p>my daughter took a GAP year- but didn't retake SAT
Since she wasn't in school during her gap year- I don't think that she would have gotten higher scores
but then- improved college admissions wasn't the reason why she took a year off- she had already been accepted at all the schools she applied.</p>
<p>Thanks Northstarmom.</p>
<p>I was also considering on taking a gap year should I get rejected from all 5 schools to where I am applying. I would then reapply to at least 3 of the 5 schools (the lesser competitive ones on my list). However, during my gap year I would not be doing anything I haven't already done before, just doing more of it. Therefore, I wouldn't be showing the schools anything they haven't already seen with the exception of perhaps higher SAT scores and better written essays. That is why I asked the question. Please note that my activities I plan to do during my gap year, should I take one have everything to do with my No. 2 EC and my intended major.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4: What did your daughter do during her gap year? Should I get accepted into my 5th choice (match/sort of safety school), I am definitely doing a gap year but will return a year later and attend that school w/o applying to the other schools on my list.</p>
<p>" That is why I asked the question. Please note that my activities I plan to do during my gap year, should I take one have everything to do with my No. 2 EC and my intended major."</p>
<p>During a gap year, however, the extra time that you'd have should allow you to go much more deeply into those activities. For instance, someone whose main EC and academic interest was language, could use a gap year to do a long immersion program abroad (which might mean that the student might need to spend a few months working fulltime in the US to earn money for that program), to volunteer intensely with immigrants who speak that language, to act as an assistant advisor to high school clubs related to the language, to start after school or weekend programs for kids who wish to learn the language, but lack programs at their schools.</p>
<p>Doing things like this during a gap would allow one to delve into one's area of passion, to develop new skills, etc. -- the kind of things that will help one throughout a lifetime, not just in terms of college admissions.</p>
<p>Exactly Northstarmom!</p>
<p>My daughter did CityYear/Americorps
it was a full year- 40 hours a week
She lived at home during that year- but other volunteers from elsewhere pooled their stipends and rented apts.( they were from Boston- they weren't too happy to find out that Seattle is just as expensive)
One girl lived at a hostel- where her part time manager position covered her room</p>
<p>"I have a question about these gap years that kids do. Who pays for their living/traveling expenses during that year?"</p>
<p>I am mostly paying for my own travel expenses (except some of my equipment...backpack and such...which my parents paid for as a graduation present) from funds I have saved over the years and gifts from relatives. I am currently home for a few months to work, and I will live with my parents for this period of time, so living expenses aren't really an issue (as it has been for a while, though, my parents don't provide spending money).</p>
<p>"If they are "volunteering" does that mean there are no living expenses included?"</p>
<p>It depends on the program one volunteers through. Some provide housing and a stipend. Some you pay a good chunk of money for your housing and placement.</p>
<p>"And one more thing: When they finally do enroll in college, are they living with a kid who is a year younger than them?"</p>
<p>It all depends. Even if one doesn't take a year off, it's not unusual to end up with a roommate a year or two older or younger. For example, a friend of mine is a 17 year old freshman who wanted to switch rooms and ended up with a 19 year old junior. Some students start college after their junior year in high school. Once one gets to college, I don't think it really matters if there is a year or two difference in age.</p>
<p>I paid for mine (not gap years, but 2 summers in Central America) with money I earned from my part-time jobs. I used frequent flyer miles (not mine) for my transportation. I did not go through a volunteer organization or student exchange program so my expenses were really minimal. The cost was $20 a day including 5 hours of Spanish instruction, 2 meals and accomodations. I taught English to little kids from 8 to 12 and from 1 to 7 I went to school to learn English. The volunteer work was not a trade off for my Spanish instruction, the fee for tuition would have been the same if I had not volunteered.</p>
<p>The funny part about it is that my mom actually saved money while I was gone, as her utility and food bills were slashed almost in half.</p>
<p>Opps...I meant "to learn Spanish", not English.</p>
<p>weenie; I'd say the majority of Gappers are self-funding. Cetainly <a href="http://www.gapyear.com%5B/url%5D">www.gapyear.com</a> programs have a whole -'fundraising' component.</p>
<p>When my S1 went to Africa as a volunteer, part of his fee was used to buy building materials for the building his group built for a lcoal Tanzanian school. He donated his sweat equity and a local farmer put him up for a small fee. His spending money was minimal.</p>
<p>He learned quite a bit of Swahili but that wasn't part of the arrangement. He went as a 17 year old so he was not older than the majority of freshman when he arrived--but so many boys start school late, a year shouldn't be a problem for boys.</p>
<p>Another part of S1's Gap Year was an accredited immersive language program. The course cost half of what it would have cost at US university.</p>
<p>My brother self-funded all of his world travels with odd jobs. We know a current Gap Year student (taking a year break between freshman and sophomore year) who travelled to the host country and got a great eight week job paying $14 per hour. He's off on a three week bike trip with the money he earned. </p>
<p>Many countries, inlcuding Australia and New Zealand, have 'Working Holiday' visa schemes that allow kids to get a short term working visa. It can be as simple as an instant online process.</p>
<p>Another traditional Gap Year is offered by Commonwelath boarding schools who take on Gap Year tutors and coaches. A student can get room and board and a small stipend. We've known several boys who have done this in the UK, Scotland and Africa and loved it.</p>
<p>I have a question, specifically for the people currently doing gap years, or who have kids who have done gap years: What were the reactions of others when you decided to do a gap year and How did you deal them? And, do you think it will be difficult to now get back into schoolwork after a gap year?</p>
<p>carolyn: "And, do you think it will be difficult to now get back into schoolwork after a gap year?"</p>
<p>I was wondering that too, until I got thinking about adult learners (you know, the ones who go back to school later on in life). You won't find a harder studying bunch anywhere! Maybe that applies to gap year kids too. (Which would make it a REALLY good argument for a gap year, although I suspect it has more to do with the fact that adults tend to be footing the bill themselves.)</p>
<p>well i am going through the college app process after a three year gap, so i will report back once ive actually heard from anywhere. i will say that some places, ie Oberlin, have been very receptive but that also has a lot to do with being a recruited athlete. anyway, i originally had applied early to American but changed it to RD.
My Stats
White male, urban public hs
Old SAT 750v/650m
New 750v/700m/650w
2 APs/rest honors, college math and language
3.3UW
good recs, unfortunately the great one from my first app cycle didnt survive to be resent
rank:10-20%
senior year i took two classes while also interning at a professional theatre full time</p>
<p>All- Conference varsity athlete: Soccer, XCountry, Track
Office Manager for Dean for America in Des Moines, IA
EMT certified
Worked in theatrical lighting
Named one of 50 or so Emerging Progressive Leaders nationwide</p>
<p>I won't paste my whole resume in here but I've been doing professional theatre since fourth grade. If you want to hear me or watch young me sing and dance, its available on amazon.</p>
<p>Anyway, I really have no idea how schools are going to react to my situation. I do think I am coming off as a more serious applicant this time around, which I am.</p>
<p>Last time around I applied to:
American--Out
Drew--In
Ithaca--Wait
GW--Out
Earlham--In
Manhattanville--In
Geneseo--Out then In
New Paltz--In
Sarah Lawrence--Out
Ursinus--In
Oberlin--Wait
Emerson--Wait
Hampshire--Wait</p>
<p>The results are a little skewed because I applied as an acting major, but I skipped auditions at GW, American, Ithaca, and Emerson because I realized half way through the process I hated acting. At Geneseo, I was rejected but then accepted based on my audition.
This time around I am applying for International Relations</p>
<p>Schools I've applied to so far:
American
Franklin College Switzerland</p>
<p>On the list to possibly apply to:
Goucher
Redlands
Miami
Pitzer
Chapman</p>
<p>As for the gap, whenever I interview now for jobs or at colleges, the person interviewing me is always shocked at all the places I've been on my own and worked to support myself. I can convince anyone on a one on one basis, but we'll see how I come across on paper.</p>
<p>Speaking for S1, I'd say the reaction was mainly envy. My friends said they wanted to die and be reborn as S1.</p>
<p>Hoever, where we live, Gap Year students traditionally spend a year as a tutor at a UK or SA boarding school. Parents are quite bothered about which boarding schools, (Eton, Harrow et al). One gent was actually sniffy about S1's 'untraditional' Gap Year. In his opinion, S1 wasn't entitled to use the words: Gap Year. </p>
<p>As for studying...several of the UK girls who 'gapped' with S1 went on to Trinity and Cambridge. I doubt they had trouble cracking university. That's a nice way of saying S1 was destined to have a bit of the rollercoaster during his first semester. However, as a sophomore, he's well and truly recovered, topping the class on some papers and exams. All in all, the Gap Year was a wonderful experience and, like formal education, those learning experiences are his forever. </p>
<p>That said, my brother did a number of Gap Years, back in the day. He fell in love with the lifestyle. He never rejoined mainstream life, preferring to live as a wanderer--though he did eventually get a degree. With that as my reference point, it's a wonder I let my boys go off--but they are different. They are perfectly happy with mainstream life, I suppose. </p>
<p>So far anyway. ;)</p>
<p>Have any students ever experienced a gutting acceptance season where they were accepted to schools, but were not offered enough financial aid to the point where they could not go anywhere except community college? I'm asking because I could potentially find myself in that situation. What do you do when you can't go to a school that has your major, your sport, your club interests, the college experience of dorms, etc.? I'm fourth in my class, but due to financial reasons, I may not be able to go anywhere except community college, which no offense to anyone who goes to them, but I don't hold community colleges in high esteem for young people straight out of high school who do have a goal in mind for the future. Is this situation ripe for a Gap Year? Try applying over again and hope for better fin aid? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>"Have any students ever experienced a gutting acceptance season where they were accepted to schools, but were not offered enough financial aid to the point where they could not go anywhere except community college?:</p>
<p>Sure, this happens. What can prevent this from happening is applying to colleges where you definitely know that you can afford to go. In many cases, this is a local 4-year college where a student could live at home and commute or where a student is guaranteed merit-based aid, and can take out loans to cover the rest.</p>
<p>if this isn't possible, many students do go to community colleges for the reasons that you describe. They excel and then transfer to 4-year colleges after getting their associates.</p>
<p>Unless they made major mistakes in applying (such as applying to colleges that are stingy with aid), taking a gap year isn't likely to help except for allowing them to earn $ toward college.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, you need to take a very careful look at where you applied and see what your chances are of getting accepted -- and the aid that you need. If you need a lot of financial aid, then at most colleges, you are not likely to get what you need. In general, it's only places like HPYS, Amherst, and similar colleges that guarantee to meet 100% of students' documented financial need. </p>
<p>Many colleges will reject students who need lots of money or will gap their aid, offering them things like $20,000 less a year than the student needs or offering things like $20,000 a year in loans.</p>
<p>You can get even more help by posting your stats and where you applied.</p>