My DS19 will probably apply ED next year to a small LAC (right now, Gettysburg in the lead, but we still have more schools to visit), but we have all agreed for many years that he will take a gap year before he starts college. We don’t know yet what he will do, but it will definitely be international and definitely be focused on language acquisition. He currently takes Mandarin and Spanish, and would like to add one or two more - possibly adding in Arabic - during this year. He is considering both organized programs as well as charting his own course (and would explain).
He is a decent student (3.6 or so/1300 SAT) with some good ECs/leadership, so by no means a sure thing, but hopefully a compelling app. He loves Gettysburg in part for their globalization studies major, so this would fit right in.
So my question: Will it hurt his app to be upfront with the admissions officer about his plans if he is applying ED, or will they be okay with it, especially considering the fit between the major and his likely plans?
He has ADHD, and while pretty well managed, we all agree that an extra year of maturity can’t hurt him. I have been afraid to have him mention a Gap Year in case it is just an excuse to reject him, but I also want to be honest about his plans. On that note, if he doesn’t mention it and then gets in ED, what are most private schools’ policies on taking a Gap Year and then starting with the following year’s class?
Any advice/knowledge greatly appreciated! I actually used to do college counseling in a previous life, but never encountered this scenario, so not sure what to do!
Here is a really good link with tons of great advice; the common thought and advice is, apply, get accepted, pay deposit then disclose and apply for gap
“Best Practices in Working with a Gapper
Being an educator who relates to gap years, whether as an Independent Educational Counselor, an Admissions Counselor for a college or university, or being a high school educational or college counselor, there’s much to know about gap years. In general, the best practice still remains simply to encourage your student to apply to college, get accepted and pay their deposit, then ask for a deferral to do their gap year.”
Thanks all. That is about what I assumed. My concern is just that they they don’t approve the deferral and he ends up going to college right out of high school which would definitely be a bummer for him. Will have him call this week. Thanks for the advice.
@emilys29 I saw mention of ADHD in your posting regarding Gettysburg College, ED application and a GAP year and just wanted to make you aware that Gettysburg doesn’t have a Disability Office should your son need support in managing his ADHD. He may be fine self disclosing to his professors and advocating for himself but please just be aware before applying. Best of luck to you!
Thank you @beenthereanddone and @intparent. Very helpful. While he was diagnosed with ADHD in the 3rd grade, he has not received accommodations. He went to a very small school through middle school where they were able to accommodate w/o an IEP or 504, and he has been mostly ok through high school - he is very good about taking his meds, and that helped him manage his time in the classroom. His teachers are actually fairly surprised if I mention it to them, although if you mention it to anyone outside of the classroom (once his pill has worn off), they are not surprised at all. He is getting better about advocating for himself, so I think we will have to look more into the Advising they do offer. Appreciate the link, @intparent.
And to the topic at hand, I will probably call for the reason above - not mentioning his name. Thank you!
For anyone else who might follow this later: called and spoke to an Admissions Officer at Gettysburg. Her response - it is fine to apply ED and then take a gap year - they are typically granted if they give a good reason for wanting to take one. If he doesn’t have a specific program that he is planning to attend on his Gap Year, he probably shouldn’t mention it. If he has a specific plan that works with his application, then he can mention it or not - but wouldn’t be considered a negative in that scenario.
Hi Emily. I’m 99% sure I know you in real life and it looks like you got your question answered, but if you want to know more generally about whether schools allow gap years, you can look on their common data set questionnaires. Google ‘college name common data set’ and then scroll down to question C18. -Anita
@intparent, yes you are correct, Academic Advising is supposed to cover the support of any students with a disability. I’m guessing this works just fine if there aren’t many students who require assistance or who don’t require a more in-depth level of assistance. I wasn’t sure if emilys29 was aware of this or even if her son would require this but I just wanted to her to understand the situation that exists on campus should they need or expect a Disabilities Office to help him.
and it looks like you got your question answered, but if you want to know more generally about whether schools allow gap years, you can look on their common data set questionnaires. Google ‘college name common data set’ and then scroll down to question C18. -Anita