Gap year. So what do we do?

Applying to College
1

<p>OK, I so now we know some people got into their top choices, some - other N-choises, and some were rejected by safeties.</p>

<p>Personally, I was rejected by HYP, waitlisted at Cornell and still have to hear from Williams, Pomona and Bates.</p>

<p>I would like to discuss what happens if we take a gap year? Should we do this? In what case? And the most important question:</p>

<p>WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO THROUGHOUT THE GAP YEAR TO GET IN?</p>

<p>We are pretty much out of the school and have no way of improving our grades, fewer chances to improve EC's, but plenty of time.</p>

<p>So, I have come up with such ideas:</p>

<p>1) Community service;
2) Job;
3) Improving scores (SAT, ACT)
4) Studying for AP's (well, I don't know if it is any good - the universities still won't get your grades when they decide, but?);
5) Sport</p>

<p>Any other ideas?</p>

<p>P.S. Since I am intl. I would like to hear opinions of other intl's especially.</p>

2

<p>-Work on your essays. Use the time to think about any cool original ideas, and to edit the essay until it's perfect. </p>

<p>-Study the mini essays, and write something which will help give the adcoms a clear as possible view of you. Tie them together nicely with the rest of your application. </p>

<p>-Ask some of your former teachers which you had it going with if you can help in any way with classes, like helping students with homework, answering any questions, etc, what a teacher assistant would do. Then get a rec from the teachers. It will blow away any usual rec with "oh he's very bright and understands all my classes", especially if you prove yourself useful.</p>

<p>-Research your schools. See how you can prove in your "why here" essay and interview that you are indeed a match.</p>

<p>-Talk with the adm office. Sure, it may not matter at all. But why not write a few emails, which could give an extra 0.01% higher chance?</p>

<p>2)Job - try to find something more intellectually or socially challenging than flipping burgers. Even if it means doing it for peanuts.</p>

<p>3)SAT - really consider this one. Raising your score by 100 points (easily doable with a few months practice) will probably be more important than anything else you can do (unless you have some really big plans). But you shouldn't waste more time on it unless you can improve it, or if you already have taken it 3 or 4 times. Move on if that be the case.</p>

<p>And by far, most importantly : actually start doing some of the above things;)</p>

<p>(just in case there are still any people here who don't know my story <em>gasp</em>)
I was rejected at all my schools last year (or got no fin aid, at one). Ya, a grand total of 12 (i think) rejections, and 2 waitlists. So I took a gap year, applied the following fall ED at Brown, by far my dream school, and got in. Oh and I'm an international too</p>

3

<p>Yah, I saw you are from Romania. Well, I still don't know about few of my colleges, but I do think about a gap year. (I will be forced to take it anyway due to vise circumstances, so why not try to apply once again)?</p>

<p>Your idea of being a teacher's assistant is really good. I LOVE Economics, so that would be where I can help.</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks - you gave me some pretty good ideas.</p>

4

<p>Negru, this is super good news for me. I am in the same boat! So yeah, I am glad to hear good job on Brown!!</p>

5

<p>Remember you'll be applying after just a few months of your gap year, hard to accomplish much in that time. Call colleges you were rejected from to find out why. If it's scores, focus on that. Was your application thoughtful enough, your recs excellent? Look at those things. As an international it will always be hard.</p>

6

<p>Hm, I realized that these tips are good for any application, nothing specific about a gap year. Well, ya, but now you have lots and lots of time to do them (to do them better, or start on any, if you haven't so far)</p>

<p>When you start, you'll see how much easier it easy, and how much more fun. I bet that during this round (whether writing your apps, or waiting results) you found out a lot of stuff about you, or came up with some great ideas, that you never got to use. Well, now you have time to think about everything more clearly, and make better choices. Try and figure what went wrong, or any weak spots on your app that could have been your strong ones.</p>

<p>In my case, I think that improving the overall aspect of my app, learning how to use every chance I have to better show my accomplishments, counted a lot more than any of the extra things I did or planed to do during the gap year. Like I said, unless you have any big plans, focus on what you already have. Putting effort into your app is more important than anything else, cause that is what will really stand out, not an extra line on your already 3 page long resume.</p>

<p>To find out what you need to improve, I really recommend thoroughly reading CC. Sure, you may have already been doing it for 3 years now, but after you've actually been through the whole process, it's a whole different world, you'll be more likely to understand what went wrong, and actually take all the tips into account.</p>

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<p>It is very unlikely that doing any kind of gap year will gain you acceptance to colleges that rejected you. Use the search function to look for the "we're picking up the pieces" thread in which andi describes how her son -- a top student who was rejected everywhere that he applied in 2005 - used a gap year productively including by applying to colleges in a more thoughtful way, which resulted in much success (though no admissions at colleges that previously had rejected him). He's very happy at the top college where he landed.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom, I remember that thread. But I will not give up on my dream of going to Georgetown. I am not one who seattles for anything, and in the end if I want to get somewhere I will get there...</p>

9

<p>Northstarmom does have a point. Don't expect to do much better, it's still a crapshot. All you can do is improve your chances a bit, but you'll never reach 100%, at any college, so..be prepared for what might come.</p>

10

<p>I posted a thread about this earlier today and received some excellent advice that might be useful for you as well: Am</a> I crazy to be considering a gap year? If I take one, which I still haven't decided, I'll probably defer matriculation at one of the colleges that accepted me, work like crazy this summer to save money for a volunteer program abroad in the fall, and reapply to my first choice (as well as a few others that I didn't apply to this time) Regular Decision. I have many reasons for considering a gap year besides improving my applications, though, so that's something to keep in mind.</p>

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<p>See, I didn't get in anywhere, but I have an A.S. already at 18.</p>

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<p>Improvements, try to fall in love with another school.</p>

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<p>I will. But like I said, I never give up.</p>

14

<p>can one apply for admission to a college while DEFERRING admission to another college they got into?</p>

15

<p>You'll need to look up each college's individual rules. Some specifically prohibit it; others don't seem to.</p>

16

<p>Improvements: don't give up on Georgetown, but wisely select another tier of schools to apply to. In other words, you clearly need a much better "Plan B" than you had this year. </p>

<p>I live in DC, I think Georgetown is nice, and it certainly has prestige, but it's campus is seriously overcrowded, it is exceptionally expensive and they even underpay their staff (seriously low pay for staff!) for all the tuition you will be paying. So, I am sure there are more options for you everywhere. You may love Georgetown, but at least for this first pass, the feeling was not reciprocated. If DC has your heart, try GWU, American (If you are truly Ivy/GT caliber, AU will likely give you merit money and honors-- and a good education -- nice safety for you). </p>

<p>It is critical to understand that there is no one school for anyone. There are many schools that will suit you-- you just need to look around and start over.</p>

<p>Apply to Georgetown, but next time, make sure you've applied to more schools that are not in the capricious crapshoot category of the Ivy League, GT, Duke, Stanford and others that have so many applications from picture perfect multilingual nationally ranked musical athletes that they can't make sense of them all. </p>

<p>Back on to the thread, the Gap Year is expected in Britain and growing in popularity here. Whatever you do, make it substantive-- full time meaningful work or volunteer work, or similar part time work combined with taking courses at your local state school. Show admissions that you are spending your time in a way that will make you an even stronger candidate for their school. There are websites with gap year info and you can pay for programs here and abroad. </p>

<p>Good luck! In ten years, I suspect you will be doing something amazing (maybe even finishing grad school at Georgetown!).</p>

17

<p>Improvements, don't give up on your dream! I want to get the top schools and I am not going to give up on that.</p>

<p>I just realized how stupid I was that I did not explain the situation of mine in the applications. I am from Ukraine and school doesn't have any EC's or sports. My counselor tried to deny it, but these 1 or 2 clubs (I guess it is drama and smth else (actually after having studied at his school for 4 years, it was the very moment when I found out that these "clubs" existed at my school!!! I never knew of them before) or basketball sport (is it really a school-provided activity when all it is bringing few dudes with you and simply messing around with the ball with no coach?) are simply a JOKE! A FAT JOKE! I did not really explain it in my application form, so looked really poorly in the applicant pool of HYP.
Also, there are few options for community service in Ukraine. When I say few - I mean it - really few. However, that is something I may have to work on.</p>

<p>Any idea how I can pull up my EC's during the gap year? I doubt that colleges will see "passion" in my EC's, because I started them after graduating, but it may be better than nothing.</p>

18

<p>As a reminder, admissions will be even more difficult next year, especially since Harvard and Princeton dropped early admissions. Taking a gap year to try again might not be the best idea.</p>

19

<p>Ksarfeks, I also applied to HYP and was in a similar situation ECwise as you. EC opportunities are virtually non-existent at my school and at Finnish schools in general, as are community service projects. I tried to explain this in my app, but I still got rejected..</p>

20

<p>Thank you so much for you help guys.
Yes, I understand. The thing is I was rejected from State Schools, so I did apply smart. Just not smart enough. AND I LOVE D.C, and Georgetown. I toured GWU and American, and I hated them. I had to leave the tour at GWU because I was disgusted, maids to clean the dorms? Please. I think GWU is too much for money what it offers.</p>