<p>Thanks a lot ctmomof3. I just got an offer from the London School of Economics so i actually might end up going there now.</p>
<p>Or maybe a gap year, if i really feel like doing liberal arts by the end of july. Thank you all, you all are wonderful people :)</p>
<p>Congratulations! LSE is really awesome :D even more highly-regarded than a lot of the US ones you applied to. Wonderful to see that you've gotten yourself out of this situation :)</p>
<p>go to LSE...</p>
<p>^ agreed .</p>
<p>wait... did you say you were from pakistan? it's a LOT harder for international applicants, though I'm surprised you didn't get in to at least one of your schools
(if you didn't say that... ignore this post :D)</p>
<p>LSE is like THE top business school in the world....well one of the top</p>
<p>hey elastine.... I am from Pak too and I am in a pretty similar situation...</p>
<p>Got rejected from Harvard, Yale, Williams, Vassar and Colgate..
Got Wait listed from Amherst, Middlebury, Carleton and Hamilton</p>
<p>So don't know what to do... my stats were like
GPA 80/100
SAT 1: 2200
SAT 2: 800+800+790
EC: Council member(head boy, Sports secretary), football team, NSTC(this selects the national team for the Int. Physics Olympiad), Social work and all....</p>
<p>Don't know how this happened... :( I asked for full FA from everywhere though... thinking about a gap year too, cuz I never applied to the UK.. don't want to go to LUMS (the Harvard of Pakistan)</p>
<p>You were too cocky -- that was the problem. From your list, I see no real safeties, and it's clear that you relied too heavily on your scores. A 2150 to a top school is what middle-class is to financial aid. Besides, you're an international applying to top schools in the US during a record-breaking year. If you had done your research, you would have known that and applied to more schools.</p>
<p>When you apply to match/reach colleges, you should apply with a mindset that there are NO entitlements -- no 'should's or 'would's. That's why there's such a thing called "safeties." </p>
<p>Take a gap year. Do an internship. Get a job, etc. Take some courses at a local college. Work hard now, so you may compete against the next class.</p>
<p>SAT score is overplayed on CC. A friend of mine got into Princeton with 2150 :)
Its luck that counts more than SAT scores.</p>
<p>@ insaneabd: Which school are you from? I don't want to go to LSE either. Don't worry, we'll make use of the gap year.</p>
<p>There is a list of schools with late deadlines or rolling admissions</p>
<p>USNews.com:</a> America's Best Colleges 2008: Getting a late start? All is not lost</p>
<p>I think you are a shoo in for admissions at all of them. How much FinAid do you need? </p>
<p>There are some very good schools on that list that are not that expensive, just over $20K, for example, </p>
<p>SUNY Stony Brook
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Binghamton</p>
<p>University of Pittsburgh has a massive endowment and an honors program. You may still be able to get aid. </p>
<p>You need to consider the opportunity costs of delaying your education for a year, and there is no guarantee of a better result next year. There is an admissions rep from Stony Brook on the Stony Brook board, why not send him a message and see if they are still accepting applications.</p>
<p>Can someone please tell me how is a gap year perceived in the US? I know in my country and in the UK it makes no difference, might even be beneficial to an extent. Whats it like in the US?</p>
<p>@ classicrockerdad: What opportunity costs are you referring to?</p>
<p>If you start college a year late, you start working and earning a salary a year later. It's costing you a whole year of your starting salary after you get your degree.</p>
<p>Elastine: Taking a gap year has traditionally been frowned upon in the United States. While it is commonplace in other countries, Americans typically expect their children to go directly from secondary school to university. Taking time off is most often seen as a lack of academic ability or motivation. However, if you present your gap year as a time for work or volunteer experience rather than the stereotypical drunken backpack through Europe (the image most frequently conjured by Americans), you are far more likely to garner respect for your decision. The idea of taking a gap year is gaining momentum here in the United States, and in recent years many elite schools have begun to openly encourage students to take a year off before enrollment. This recommendation is with the expectation that the gap year will be productive in some way, usually through philanthropy or work experience. I recently read an article regarding Princeton's new endeavor to create a "bridge" program for accepted students. The program would send Princeton acceptees to international destinations for volunteer work for the year following secondary school, just prior to matriculating to university.</p>
<p>Taking a gap year can be a highly respectable decision if you occupy your time with something very worthwhile--something that will better you as a person and improve upon your previous profile. Consider finding volunteer opportunities and/or a work placement. A work placement could show responsibility and secure a few very good recommendation letters for your next application attempts.</p>
<p>Let me explain further why I don't think a gap year is a great idea for someone with serious financial need, especially someone as talented in math and science as the OP. If the OP went to a SUNY or to a school in Pakistan for example, majored in something like engineering, and was near the top of his class, he could get into a top rate graduate school for which there is funding. When he finally finishes his education, he could be earning upwards of $70K with very bright prospects. Let's say the whole process takes 5 years. Discounting that by about 5% inflation, it would be costing him at least $55K in today's US dollars to take that gap year. That's $55K that he would never see. If you're rich, that's not so bad, but if you need substantial financial aid, that's a ton of money to go into the hole for the chance of a full ride next year.</p>
<p>I am in the same predicament as Elastine : I was rejected everywhere I applied to in the US (I didnt know the safety stuff :()
I was admitted at KCL (King's College London) though. Should I take a gap year or should I go there ?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Try a community college and then transfer. In applying to schools, one should always have safeties and ones that you would like to go in case you don't get in anywhere else.</p>
<p>I'm an applicant from Canada and am in a similar position as the OP. I probably overestimated my application (especially the essay) by having only applied to 5 very selective American universities.</p>
<p>My stats are not stellar:
GPA 95/100 (ranked in the top 3~5% for a class of 430)
SAT 1: 2290
SAT 2: 800(World History)+800(Math II)+790(Physics)
AP: got four 5's and one 4 last year; am taking 7 AP's this year
EC: various math awards at the provincial and national level; some community service; interned at the office of a Member of the Provincial Legislature; invited to and attended regional honour band; served as president and executives in some other clubs at school.</p>
<p>I am seriously considering taking a gap year because I skipped a grade when I immigrated to Canada so I am not really overage even if I reapply next year; I also just got invited to a prestigious summer camp in Canada and probably would have many other chance to strengthen my resume and get recommendation letters there.</p>
<p>Though I did get accepted to Queen's University and McGill University (two top choices in Canada)...</p>
<p>Should I take a gap year?</p>
<p>Holypegasus :
You are pretty lucky to get into McGill... Id maybe advise you to not waste your chance.
I doubt that your prestigious summer camp could change the stuff but if its really prestigious take a gap year.</p>