<p>So I need some advice as to what I should do next year. I applied to four Ivy League schools (Harvard, Princeton, UPenn/Wharton, and Columbia) and was waitlisted at all except Columbia, where I was rejected. Princeton didn't take anyone off the waitlist and I was just rejected at Harvard, so I need to start thinking of my options. I realize now that I didn't apply to enough reach schools, and my only viable options ended up being BC and Vassar College. Due to poor financial aid, BC was out of the question, leaving me kinda stuck with Vassar. I'm not saying Vassar is bad. It's a great school and the academics are stellar, but it just isn't the kind of school I want to be at and I really didn't like it when I visited for accepted student's day.
I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to take a year off, do an internship program in a field I'm interested in, and then reapply to a bunch of elite universities. I feel like I came so close to admission three times that I can't just give up now and settle on a college that I don't really like. Harvard is definitely my first choice, so I would probably try to apply early action in the fall with my improved application. Do you think it would give me a better chance of admission next year?</p>
<p>It is quite unusual that a re-application will change much-- think about ti-- they have 35,000 applications they have already decide on yours once before–you are asking them to change their mind when the easy answer is “we already said no”. Win Intel then yes-- but other than something incredible --quite unlikely-- now you can take the year and apply to colleges you haven’t yet applied to–and thus they haven’t already made a decision you are asking to be reversed. There are a great number of great universities and LACs that you probably haven’t seriously considered. </p>
<p>Obviously don’t go to a school just to go to a school–but are you sure you have given Vassar a fair chance?-- or are you looking at it through Crimson or Orange glasses?</p>
<p>I am sorry for your disappointment.</p>
<p>I am also sorry to say that reapplying to any of the Ivies you named is highly unlikely to yield a different result next time. Your error, as you probably realize, was not having a couple of viable safety schools: colleges or universities that you knew you could get into, that you knew your family could afford, where you were reasonably sure you could be successful and happy.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether you should go to Vassar or not. That’s a very personal decision. (But mustn’t there have been something you liked about it when you decided to apply?)</p>
<p>If you do take a gap year and reapply, you’d be an idiot to apply only to “a bunch of elite universities.” If you do that, and you get shut out again, frankly you’ll deserve what you get. If you decide to take a gap year, you should do two things: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do something valuable and productive with your year.</p></li>
<li><p>Cast a much wider net. By which, I don’t mean “more elite universities.” I mean a mix of safeties and matches, and reaches if you choose to reach.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Well I understand now that I didn’t apply to enough match schools. I really did like BC, but was misinformed that it gave good financial aid. Sikorsky, I didn’t mean that I would just apply to reaches. Obviously I would choose more safeties and matches, but I wanted to apply to some reaches that I didn’t apply to yet (MIT, Stanford, Brown, Cornell, etc.). But if I’m doing that, I feel like I might as well try again at the schools I applied to with a slightly improved application. I thought about retaking my SAT’s ( my verbal score could use work) as well, and there would be some awards and developments which have taken place since I applied (announced valedictorian, took three ap tests which I’m fairly confident I did well on) to add to my application. I understand that the process is holistic and they already made a decision, but if I improve my application in several different fields, isn’t it possible that I could get a better result a second time? Anyway part of my motivation is to have more of a choice as to where I’m going to college since I messed up with the number and type of schools I applied to the first time…</p>
<p>Well I think there is no harm in applying to more reach schools, I mean if you are taking a Gap year for that very reason you might as well. Just make sure you have stronger safety schools. Hmm I really agree with Sikorsky in that you should do something really productive in your time. I don’t think AP test scores, retaking the SAT, and Valedictorian will necessarily cut it. Winning Intel like he said would so wonders, starting a non-profit, discovering yourself through travels. All those would seem like you did something very productive with your year away from school. Otherwise I would accept Vassars offer, do amazing there and either transfer out or go to an Ivy for grad school.</p>