Gap Year?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone, I'm a high school senior. I applied to 11 schools this year, and I got denied from all 6 of my reaches (Penn ED, Wellesley, Barnard, Cornell, WashU, and Georgetown) I only applied to reach schools that could provide financial assistance to me (so no BU/NYU/Lehigh/etc midsize private schools). </p>

<p>Long story short, despite people telling me my application and stats made me contenders for prestigious schools, I don't think there was enough on my application to make me stand out amongst other applicants. My GPA is a 4.8, I got all 4s and 5s on AP exams and 700+ on SAT IIs, and while my SAT score was good, if it was 50-100 points higher, I think I'd be in a better 2150-2200 range for the schools I applied to. My activities were good, my recs were good - speaking objectively, there was nothing /wrong/ with my application, as is the case with almost everybody who applies to prestigious schools. I wasn't grossly underqualified, it just didn't work out in my favor. It happens. I was just lacking in a few qualities. </p>

<p>After the trauma of being rejected from literally every school I actually wanted to go to, I had to choose between Fordham which offered me 25,000 a year and the University of Maryland which offered me a great program. I ended up choosing UMD, I already paid my deposit, a lot of my family is pretty successful UMD alumni and my mom made a big push for me to go and commit. Problem: I went to the UMD Welcome Day and while it's a perfectly nice school, I was on the verge of tears the entire day because it's just not what I ever wanted or pictured for myself. I think I would end up enjoying it if I went in the fall, but I just don't see myself doing that anymore. I've looked into 3 journalism gap year options - working for newspapers in Chinisau, Moldova; Brasov, Romania, or in Bangalore. The companies that place you at these internships are reputable, I'd probably spend 6 months working in one of those locations - money isn't an issue because all of these programs cost about 1/4th of what an actual year of college at UMD would cost for me out of state and I think that with some help from my parents, I have enough saved. </p>

<p>Do you guys think it would help my chances for admission? I can defer my UMD admission by a year and focus on applying to more schools - perhaps some that I overlooked the first time around now that I have guaranteed admission and don't have to focus on safeties and working for a year in a different country seems so much more exciting than college does right now. Will it make me a more attractive applicant? Also, should I retake my SATs if I do decide to take a gap year? </p>

<p>Second option: should I just try and transfer after a year to one of my preferred institutions? </p>

<p>I feel like I just got shaken to the core after all those rejections, and it's kind of caused me to reevaluate my priorities. I know what kind of school I want to go to, but am I taking it too far? I'd like to think of myself as a pretty practical person, but this attachment to "name-brand" schools with tons of resources won't go away. I've been miserable since the end of March and I'm honestly at a loss. I love learning, and I wanted to go to a place that focused more on individual academic growth instead of sitting in lecture halls with 300 people. </p>

2

<p>Some of your other “name brand” schools have lecture halls with hundreds of students.</p>

<p>It seems that you have an idealized view of the schools that you did not get into, and an overly negative view on the school that you did get into.</p>

<p>A gap year is unlikely to result in different results if you reapply to the same schools.</p>

3

<p>I think if you take a gap year and spend time living Chinisau, Moldova; Brasov, Romania, or in Bangalore,your perspective about “brand name” colleges might change. </p>

<p>If you are parents are supportive and it feels right for you, take the gap year internship for the sake of personal growth and experience… not with the goal of padding your college application resume. And then spend some time thinking about what schools might have programs that are a good fit for teenager who would be intrigued by the opportunity to live and work in Chinisau, Moldova; Brasov, Romania, or in Bangalore. You might realize that your dream schools weren’t going to take you on the path you are meant to travel anyway. </p>

<p>(Note: I managed to deal with an independent-minded daughter intent on international travel from an early age … but I think I might have freaked out if she had presented me with that particular list at age 18. So you might want to start by asking your parents’ opinions on the gap year idea). </p>

4

<p>I’m from Chinisau, Moldova. You don’t want to go there.</p>

<p>With your HS stats being as high as they are I would 100% recommend a gap year. If you can write a completely different, and better, essay you will have another shot of attending some good schools. </p>

5

<p>^bomerr, I think that’s kind of the point. Volunteering to areas that could use a hand. :)</p>

6

<p>If a student defers a year/has given a deposit, can they then apply to other schools? Is that ethical? </p>

7

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<p>Why would a high school graduate with no specific skills be of much use in an international volunteering context?</p>

8

<p>They’re free and do whatever is asked of them. A lot of “volunteering” tasks are mundane, either filing/copying/classifying or digging, and most involve following orders and menial tasks. This is offset by the chance at “doing good” in a less travelled part of the world and great growth for the applicant.</p>

9

<p>There are plenty of successful stories from UMD. While it is true that you have to attended classes with 300 students. In the society, you have to compete with larger number of applicants for better positions. You have to learn how to handle that. A gap year will increase your maturity, but it might not give you a better school to go to.</p>

10

<p>DD is considering the gap year. I am hoping to get some advice on how to best do it. She is intent on going to college for 2015. She was rejected by all her reaches and waitlisted at her match schools.</p>

<p>SAT 2160
ACT 35
Junior year 1 AP class
Senior year 3 AP classes
GPA 3.9 and rising trend
Studies abroad at a boarding school over the last two years to gain international exposure
100 hours of community service
Job at McDonalds
President of MUN at her school
Varsity Volleyball
Coached soccer (elementary school kids)
She had a strong essay on the common app but her essays for the match schools lacked passion</p>

<p>She is thinking of doing research and she found an internship at a local chemical enginnering company</p>

<p>Not sure what hurt her so bad when I look at her application. Any ideas will be appreciated.
My question is:
Could it be that she only had 4 AP classes? and should she take some AP classes at a community college to boost her academic record before applying again?
PG year at a boarding school? does that makes sense?
Or do the research and the internship and hope to have a good experience that she can build on?</p>

<p>Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!</p>

11

<p>@cluelessly, please start your own thread and we will be happy to advise you.</p>

<p>@iratewarrior‌, check to see if you are allowed to reapply while deferring your UMD admission. I think the gap year might be a good idea in your case, but mostly just for readjustment of perspective. Don’t count on this experience to give you enough of an edge to make you come out on top in the pile the second time around, and next year the admission rates will drop even further. As long as you realize that you probably will not get into any schools you were rejected/WL’d at the first time around, you should be fine.</p>

<p>When you pick your list again, make sure you have safeties/matches you actually like and can see yourself at.</p>

12

<p>interesting.</p>

13

<p>@AmaranthineD thank you for your suggestion. I will do that.</p>