Gap year-before applying to colleges or after applying to colleges?

Parents Forum
21

<p>If you know where he’d like to apply, you might want to check on gap year policies ahead of time. Our state U’s don’t allow students to defer until after they’ve been enrolled for a semester. I can’t remember if that’s for admission or just for scholarships, but it’s worth finding out ahead of time how the school views these things.</p>

22

<p>Meh, mine is more passive aggressive-says he’ll do things but doesn’t. I have butted mostly out, but sometimes, he is just plain forgetful and needs a reminder.</p>

<p>You must be very, very proud of your son! He sounds wonderful!</p>

23

<p>I guess I should go through the list of schools that are possibles. I wondered about the state schools, too. Do most schools have that on their websites somewhere? I assume I can use their search engines.</p>

24

<p>

</p>

<p>I would not be surprised if the most common gap years involved working to earn money for college and/or explore career options that exist without needing any college (this includes enlisted military service, which would obviously be multiple gap years). Of course, someone who enlists in the military may travel as part of his/her job in the military.</p>

<p>The gap year programs that cost money are probably mainly done by those from wealthier demographics, since middle and lower income families probably want their high school graduate kids either in employment or in school to get better employment.</p>

25

<p>

</p>

<p>The admissions tab on the college’s entry at <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com”>http://www.collegedata.com</a> has a section on whether a student can defer admission. Examples:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1091”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1091&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“San Diego State University Acceptance Rate | CollegeData”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=956&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

26

<p>Both my kids took a gap year. Both applied during senior year.
At the time oldest applied, public schools didnt hold on to applications, so when she informed them when she decided to take a gap year, they asked her to reapply.
She spent a CityYear and added a private LAC to her previous choices, where she attended.</p>

<p>Youngest applied 8 years later, by that time schools expected more students to take a gap year, so they just gave her info to let them know when she would be back in the country.
( she worked two jobs for 5 months to earn money for a volunteer vacation in India for almost six months.)</p>

<p>We are a blue collar family, both choices were inexpensive.
Youngest actually was accepted to the NCCC program as she wanted to travel, but we decided it would have been more intense than needed.
Traveling to India alone at 18, was intense enough!
Both CityYear & NCCC are Americorps programs that earn a living stipend as well as an educational voucher.</p>

27

<p>Thank you, ucb. Very helpful posts.</p>

<p>emeraldkity4, could you clarify what you meant by, “…added a private LAC to her previous choices”?</p>

<p>I thought, if one applied in the fall, got one’s acceptances, chose <em>one</em> school, and told that school about the gap year plans. Are you saying she had chosen a public school to attend, but they made her reapply, so she reapplied to this LAC, as well? And then ended up attending?</p>

28

<p>Yes, all the public schools ( 3 in & one out of state) wanted her to reapply, so she did not commit to any of them.
Then the next fall, as the public schools did not seem like such great fits any more, she added a private school to her other choices, although it was a bit of a reach, not just financially but academically.
All RD by the way.
We did make a housing deposit to her first choice public lac.
The private school met full need, otherwise she would not have applied.
This was 14 years ago, and more schools are cognizant of students deferring a year now.</p>

29

<p>“Isn’t it ok just to do stuff in your own city, or do colleges think the idea of traveling is necessary? What if the family isn’t rich? Isn’t it ok just to work and earn money (among other things)?”</p>

<p>Yes, it’s absolutely ok! Colleges will not think it is weird to apply the fall after HS graduation. It won’t hurt his application, and as you note, if he is piling up a stronger record senior spring, it may help him.</p>

30

<p>Thanks for clarifying. And it looks like, according to the links that ucb posted, our two local state schools don’t allow deferrals, either.</p>