<p>Has anybody had personal experience as a student or a parent of student who participated in Elon's Gap Semester program? What was his/her experience? How was it transitioning/coming in as a freshman in 2nd semester? Were you able to take an extra course or summer courses so that you could graduate in 4 years?</p>
<p>^^It’s brand new with the incoming class in September so there won’t be anyone who has done it already…</p>
<p>I do know that the schedule is such that the students are returning to campus during the Winter Term and that there will be an orientation for them…the semester is designed so that the students do graduate in four years…along with a winter term class during freshman year…</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a brand new program, a girl from our town did it last year. She started in January, I think. I don’t know her well so I don’t know how it worked out.</p>
<p>Lafalum: the organized program run by Elon officially started with the application class of 2016. It is possible that earlier students took a “gap semester” but it was not an Elon run program…or it is possible it was offered to some students as a trial run? (without the official application change)</p>
<p>We also know someone at Elon who chose to do one of these on their own; spent the fall semester in Germany in some outside program…</p>
<p>The current one is designed so that students can apply directly into it by November 1st of senior year; application is different, essays are different, and they are looked at in a “different pile” from other applicants.</p>
<p>Last year, if my memory serves me correctly, they received 45 said applications, offered the program to 20 students and had 10 alternates. The idea is that when the 15 kids (the goal yield) return to campus over winter term, they are a self-contained Elon 101 section that can be held Spring semester (rather than fall when the rest of the freshman take it)</p>
<p>Hope this helps the OP! Also, if you have further questions, I’m sure the admissions would have answers; they were very forthcoming last year</p>
<p>I don’t believe the girl from my town chose to do this on her own, but I don’t know her personally. She’s a friend of one of my friend’s sons. That friend & son came to Elon to tour this spring and met up with both D (a soph) and the girl who started in January. Perhaps there was a special circumstance of which I am unaware, but the mom who met with her implied she was admitted as a January-start, not by choice.</p>
<p>It seems like it’s a very small number of freshmen, just one Elon 101 (or maybe they’ll expand to 2 classes worth?) I some colleges who have a high percentage of juniors go abroad in the spring do this, because they have extra empty beds in the spring. But at Elon it seems fall is also a very popular time to go abroad, and most juniors are living off-campus anyway. Also the number of students who attend in fall and chose not to return in the spring is quite small.</p>
<p>The follow-up question I would have, if my child were considering this, is graduation. Do they finish in December 4 years from now? Are they expected to finish in 3 1/2 years? Or are they paying for 4 1/2 years?</p>
<p>I hear that you get 8 credits for the Elon sponsored gap semester and then participate in the Jan term which enables the student to get the balance of the first semester credits. Because it is a Elon sponsored program, it enables the student to finish in 4 years.</p>
<p>Would be interested in hearing from any parent or student who will be participating in this year’s gap semester. Eventually, I would love if somebody would post about their experiences in the program.</p>
<p>Not sure how the 8 Gap semester credits plus the winter term adds up to the usual 16-19 credits per semester. You can only take 4 credits during winter term. (plus 1 credit for the Elon 101 course ) But is you have AP credits it may not matter.</p>
<p>Scoutmom9, they can make up the other 8 credits from freshman fall if they do all 4 winter terms. </p>
<p>In order to graduate, Elon students need 136 credits, which translates to 16 credits per semester for 8 semesters plus two January terms at 4 credits each. Most kids do 4 January terms anyway, and some choose to take a lighter load in the fall or spring of senior year because they have enough credits already. </p>
<p>So taking 16 credits for 7 semesters, plus 4 winter terms at 4 credits each, plus the 8 credit gap semester (I wasn’t aware it was a for-credit program), would total 136 credits and you could graduate on time.</p>