Gap Year for an International?

Applying to College
1

<p>Ok so I have recently heard back from all the colleges that I had applied to and I got rejected from most of them and the few that did accept my did not offer much aid so I cant go there.
I am an international student and here are my current stats.

[quote]

UW GPA 4.0/4.0
Class Rank top 3%
SAT 1 2030 ( CR 600 , Math 770 , Writing 660 )
SAT 2 2300 ( Math II 790 , Chemistry 760, Physics 750 )</p>

<p>Straight 9 A's in GSCE O levels ( Maths, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat, English, Urdu )</p>

<p>Straight 5 A's in AS level and an A in A level ( I gave complete A level Math with my AS level subjects )
A's in ( A level Mathematics, AS level Physics, AS level Chemistry, AS level Economics, AS level Accounting and AS level Urdu )
Got an AICE Diploma with distinction ( full 360 points )</p>

<p>Currently studying ( A level subjects )
Physics , Chemistry, Economics and AS level Psychology ( dropped Further Maths after 2 semesters ) </p>

<p>A's all around in First-terms, Midterms and Finals right since 9th Grade</p>

<p>Extra Carriculars as listed on my Commonapp:
-Ranked in National Tennis Boys under-18 category, Captain of School Tennis team
-Guitar , Runner-up in Battle of the Bands
-Volunteer-work for the UN recognised Human Relief foundation receiving their Award of Excellence
-Senior Prefect in school
-Organiser, in SMA Olympiad, SMA MUN, Charity Concert
-MUNS, Best delegate RMUN 09 , participant at others
-Particiapant in Pakistan National Science Contest ( Physics ), Mathematics Olympiad, Kangaroo Mathematics Contest
-Volunteership at International Hospital ( 2 weeks , 60 hours )
-Part of School's House Cricket Team
-Former Junior District Swimming Champion
-PC Games, Xbox 360, Part of School's CS team, Runner-up in CS SMA Olympiad
-Webmaster, Webdesigner

[/quote]

Now I really want to study in the US and here are some the options I am considering</p>

<p>1) I could just enroll in a good college in my country and come to the US for post-graduate studies
2) I could enroll in a college here but still retake the SAT 1 twice ( I have only given it once before ) and the SAT 2, work on my tennis somewhat improve my national rank, do some more volunteer/charity work, improve my guitaring and stuff and then apply again as a freshman next year.
3) I have gotten into some good place in the UK like UCL and I could defer my entry there for one year and do everything in 2) but even if again I dont get into a good college in the US, I could just go and study at UCL ( it offers a bachelors degree in 3 years so I wont be wasting a year ).</p>

<p>So what you guys think ? Would it be worth it to say improve my SAT by around a 100-200 points and my EC's a little bit and try again next year.. ?
I wont be able to get any major awards or anything so my EC's wont improve by a lot .. I can just improve my SAT scores</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<p>and I am talking about all the top college in the US .. like the ivy's.. Stanford and all</p>

2

<p>impressive stats. :slight_smile: But I thought UCL requires at least 3 A levels. Oh yeah, what are your goal schools in America?</p>

3

<p>I’d go to UCL if you can afford it and go to the US for graduate school. The gap year is a waste of time without making any progress.</p>

4

<p>yes its a conditional offer for 3 A’s … I already have an A in Maths… so I need 2 more A’s … and I am giving 3 A level this year so I should be able to meet their requirement :)</p>

<p>and my goal schools are all the top ones like the ivy’s Stanford MIT… some LAC’s like Williams and all</p>

5

<p>well I really wanted to experience the US ‘college life’ :stuck_out_tongue: and since UCL offers a bachelors degree in 3 years… I wont be behind me peers even if I decide to join it next year</p>

6

<p>I recommend you take a gap year if you find something worthwhile to do! (and that you enjoy)</p>

<p>I’m an international and was rejected by HYS, Columbia and Berkeley last year (accepted by NYU and UCLA). I didn’t really like NYU or UCLA, so I decided to take a year off to work, improve my SATs, take APs online and do volunteer work.</p>

<p>Now, I was accepted by Columbia, Penn, Wesleyan (with FA!), Tufts and Carnegie Mellon (+ a few more). My stats aren’t extraordinary (see my other posts), but I think the year off really helped a lot!</p>

7

<p>I wont actually be doing nothing I mean I will be at a college studying some college courses so what does that count as doing something worthwhile ? and I am an A level student and not really familiar with this whole AP concept? can I give AP’s online ? like how ?</p>

<p>and apart from that Ill do some volunteer work in the summers</p>

<p>and if for example another student who is a year younger than me ( as in he hasnt taken a gap year is still a HS senior ) has the same stats as me … would the adcoms consider him over me ? Just because of the fact that I would be a year older?</p>

8

<p>^ You shouldn’t officially enroll at any college. This might force you into having to apply as a transfer student, which will make admissions MUCH harder!</p>

<p>You can take AP courses online at Stanford (epgy.stanford.edu), and many other places… Let me google that for you: [url=&lt;a href=“LMGTFY - Let Me Google That For You”&gt;LMGTFY - Let Me Google That For You]Here[/url</a>]</p>

<p>A gap year can work both for you and against you. You have to convince the admissions committee that it was beneficial to your development and not just a waste of time. Therefore, you’d have to stay relatively busy and involved! Do some activities you’ve always wanted to do, but that couldn’t be combined with school. Do a lot of volunteering, not just during the summer, but a few hours a week every week!</p>

<p>A substantive gap year will help you stand out and gain admission! Just don’t take a year off for the sake of relaxation and comfort. That will hurt you a lot!</p>

9

<p>How much can your family pay each year?</p>

<p>your SAT I isn’t really high enough for the top schools that give lots of aid to int’ls…and you have to qualify for aid…schools don’t let families decide what they can pay.</p>

<p>Your M+CR is a 1370. If you took a gap year and got that up to a 1500+, there still wouldn’t be a guarantee admittance at the top schools that give lots of aid to int’ls…since so many int’ls have top scores.</p>

<p>You might want to quickly apply to some lower ranked schools that give merit to int’ls.</p>

10

<p>Here’s the thing. Since you are from Pakistan (like me), what kids do here is that they get enrolled at some college (NUST, LUMS etc). They repeat SATs. And then, re-apply. Oh and they don’t show that they are already college students. Colleges in US almost never find out, but its still a gamble.</p>

<p>I thought along the same lines. Did my A’Levels. And then got into UET. I almost never got time to work on my plans (but then I wasn’t too sure about it either). I only succeeded in giving SAT-II. Banged 2330. But it was a little too late for that.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t recommend you doing that. Instead, take a proper gap year. Only then, you’ll able to focus on your application seriously. University life is tough even if you are at a super-relaxed schools like UET. You should consider going to LUMS and NUST only if they are your safety choices. To be honest tho, with stats like those(dont get me wrong- they are good but not amazing) I strongly recommend you to apply abroad. Also, consider applying Jacobs. I might go there for the next year.</p>

<p>For now focus on your A’Levels. That’s the most important thing right now. I heard they give A*'s now. You should at least aim for that. I have been through all this. Trust me, getting a distinction is not that hard. All you need is a strong will to put some extra effort.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

11

<p>And drop BS from your list of ECs. Make yourself sound cool, not desperate.</p>

12

<p>“2) I could enroll in a college here but still retake the SAT 1 twice ( I have only given it once before ) and the SAT 2, work on my tennis somewhat improve my national rank, do some more volunteer/charity work, improve my guitaring and stuff and then apply again as a freshman next year.”</p>

<p>Do not try this. Even if the colleges in the US “almost never find out” as kheiron1729 says, if they do find out, they can rescind your admission, expel you permanently from their institution, or even years and years after graduation, invalidate your credits and your degree. Yes, they do do this. Not often, but they do. Considering all of the work that you will have gone through in order to get into that college, and then finish that college, you don’t want to find out later on that you have nothing to show for your effort.</p>

<p>If you have not already done so, read through the threads in the International Student Forum on the subject of finding places that will offer you enough financial aid. Look for what b@r!um has written on that topic. She has advice on how to identify institutions that offer very few (but very good) scholarships. As for tennis, I have met an international student who found a full-ride athletic scholarship at a smaller, LAC. However, she was nationally ranked in her home country, and had the time and money to visit several colleges in the US and meet with the coaches. If you need substantial financial aid, you might not have enough money to do that kind of thing.</p>

<p>There is no reason whatsoever for you to take any AP exams. They are offered only once a year, and cannot be taken online. The colleges and universities in the US are familiar with A level exams, and will use those scores to evaluate your application. </p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

13

<p>First of all thank you for all your replies</p>

<p>@mom2collegekids …

absolute max around $22 k </p>

<p>

The thing is I dont want to settle for a low ranked university… I mean I would be leaving my country my parents my family it has to be worth it … and its not like I have a poor academic background … surely my academics arent stellar but they arent that bad either ( best in my high-school infact )… I really want to study in the US but I also want it to be worth is … as in a good US college</p>

<p>@kheiron1729

But I mean there is no guarantee that even after improving my stats Ill get in so wouldn’t that be a big risk ? I mean if I enroll in a college now atleast Ill have a backup</p>

<p>

Ill certainly try that next year if I apply again :)</p>

<p>

Why is it considered SO wrong to apply to college as a freshman when already you are enrolled at one? I mean don’t get me wrong I honestly don’t see the point :/</p>

<p>

Ok thanks</p>

14

<p>“Why is it considered SO wrong to apply to college as a freshman when already you are enrolled at one? I mean don’t get me wrong I honestly don’t see the point :/”</p>

<p>It is considered to be academic dishonesty. You are obligated to provide full official records of all of your previous academic work. Period. Good transcripts, bad transcripts, and anything in between. I was almost booted from a graduate level program because I had overlooked sending an official transcript for one course that I had taken in the summer more than 30 (yes, thirty) years before. Colleges and universities take this very seriously. Fortunately in my case, all I had to do was have an official copy of that missing transcript sent to the university where I was currently enrolled. Other people aren’t that lucky.</p>

15

<p>so can a person already enrolled in a college tell them that he is taking college level courses but still apply as a freshman ?</p>

16

<p>It depends on the specific policy of each institution. Some will consider you a transfer applicant if you take ONE credit after finishing high school, others will consider you a freshman applicant if you have completed less than one year of college courses. Even if you must apply as a transfer student, your credits might not transfer at all, and you might have to spend a full four years at the new place. It is very, very variable. If you visit the Transfer Forum, you can read through the thread titled “Transfer Admissions 101” at the top of that forum for guidance.</p>

<p>If you truly want to study in the US, your best option is to plan a Gap Year and then reapply for admissions this coming fall. There are a lot of threads (especially in the Parents Forum) about Gap Years. Here is one: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you have other good options on the table, such as admission to a good local university that is affordable for your family, my personal advice would be to complete your first degree there. Then apply to grad schools in the US or elsewhere that will help you achieve your long-term goals. The simple truth is that that is what the vast majority of students in the US do. They attend their local community colleges or in-state public universities.</p>

17

<p>

I really do want to study in the US but I think if I take a gap year I’ll become lazy and rot :(</p>

<p>so just improving my SAT’s wont substantially increase my chances of admittance if I take a gap year I really need to do something special to be considered seriously by the adcoms right?</p>

<p>and if I want to transfer at some later stage to the US does the college you attend have an impact on the transfer? As in would you say its easier to transfer from a renowned UK uni like UCL than a not so renowned uni in my country?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your replies :)</p>

18

<p>$22K is a decent amount of money. </p>

<p>I would focus on getting the education you want, not the ranking of the school. </p>

<p>There are still good options. </p>

<p>Apply to University of Minnesota-Morris for Spring Term (You may still be admitted for Fall Term if they have room). Then do Freshman year there and you can transfer to University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where I think admissions is automatic. That is a large research university where someone of your caliber will find sufficient challenge. It will also have the “college” experience that you desire. </p>

<p>If you don’t want to waste time, you can probably still get in to Truman State College, the public LAC honors college in Missouri, for Fall 2011. Then you can do the transfer to Minnesota, but it’s not automatic. I recommend this route because you can afford these schools and they will challenge you. </p>

<p>It’s also very close to what you can afford in terms of sticker price. It wouldn’t take much to get you over the hump.</p>

19

<p>now that I come to think of it I think I am actually a ‘trophy hunter’ … I am only concerned about the prestige of the college… its ranking… its world-wide recognition… maybe this is why I didnt get accepted in the first place</p>

20

<p>

</p>

<p>LOL, no disrespect intended, but maybe despite your outstanding academic record, you’re really have some pretty important things to learn. Good luck to you in your hunt.</p>