I’ve been planning on taking a gap year after graduating high school since I was a sophomore but I’ve always dreamed of going to University of Chicago or Northwestern University. While my GPA isn’t the highest (3.25) I still would like to go to one of these colleges.
Plan #1- Gap Year then apply to UChicago and Northwestern
-To follow this plan what could I do during my gap year that could make me stand out?
Plan #2- Gap year, University of Minnesota then transfer to Northwestern or UChicago
-What could I do during gap year and the first 2 years of college to make me stand out?
If you start college with intent to transfer, do as well as you can. Your college record will be important when you apply to other colleges as a transfer student. The more college record you have, the less important your high school record will be.
Are you a current junior or a senior? I’m assuming you might be a junior.
With your GPA, I think your chances at UChicago and Northwestern are very low. I think plan #2 would be your best bet.
A 3.25 makes those schools highly unlikely.
Do you have an intended major? If so, do something related to that in your gap year. There’s nothing wrong with just working for a bit, but try and find work that’s related and/or do some volunteering etc which shows your continued interest