<p>Has anyone's child received a gap year acceptance this year...My son received yesterday a deferred acceptance to Brown for 2007....He already accepted a spot at U of Rochester, but was waitlisted at Brown, johns hops, and U of Chicago (off wait list)...</p>
<p>a gap year is a wonderful concept. My son is finishing one he took, deferring an ED acceptance, and it has only matured him, inspired him and made him a delightful person very ready for college.....If he is ambivalent about his other choices and high on Brown, I"d say go for it....</p>
<p>mercer, this is a new one for me. Do you mean that Brown accepted your son with the understanding that he would take a gap year (i.e., their idea)? Or was the gap year deferral his request?</p>
<p>Either way, I'm with mmaah. A gap year certainly takes some planning, and can be pricey, but it's a rewarding experience.</p>
<p>I know of 2 kids who were admitted to Harvard off the waitlist conditional on their taking a year off. (I think its called the Z list?) I don't get this at all: why would they commit spots to students who do not meet their RD admission threshold when they are going to get a whole new applicant group the next year?</p>
<p>I also know of a kid who got def. admission to H. He was a highly connected kid who had gotten into trouble in HS. They couldn't accept him right out so they def. him. And no, I'm not suggesting that this is in anyway the situation with the OP.</p>
<p>
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why would they commit spots to students who do not meet their RD admission threshold
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There is a flaw in this premise, as an applicant put on the WL definitely <em>does</em> meet the admission threshhold. That's why the student is waitlisted instead of rejected. I can't give a definite answer to your qx; but a possibility would be that new info the student has sent in since being WL has moved him/her up the list; however, if the current class yield leaves no spots, a possible win-win is giving them a spot in the next year's class.</p>
<p>we had never heard of the possibility of being deferred..heard about graduate deferrments, but not undergrad..this was initiated by brown...he only has one week to decide, so we have to find out as Brown stated, 'probable" financial aid..which should definitely impact our decision...gap year definitely takes planning which is scarey on my part, but he is no way touring europe for 9 months on my dollar....</p>
<p>Many threads on gap year ideas, mercer. Parent-funded Grand Tours not being the only approach by any means. A component of many gap years is $$-earning, often at a "just plain job." I believe andison spent some time at a Starbucks-type job, but also earned money giving lessons in his instrument, for example. Many gap year plans involve 2-4 separate "components", maybe happening simultaneously or maybe in 2-3 month chunks.</p>
<p>There are many, many volunteer opportunities, in this country and abroad that could cost much less than a semester of college and provide an invaluable experience. It is equally viable to work for the year and find it both profitable and valuable. The President of my son's LAC said about his own son's "year off": "We ended up calling it his "year on" because so much happened."....There is a great article on the virtue of the year off posted somewhere on the Harvard website, maybe someone more techno-conversant than me can give you the link..</p>
<p>mercer, my son took an unplanned gap year and it ended up being a fantastic experience! He didn't plan anything grand like touring Europe, but put together an assortment of activities based on his interests. As the year went on, one venture would open the door to another. I wouldn't have traded this past year for anything! He'll be entering college this September a happy and much more mature kid.</p>
<p>Mercer,</p>
<p>Did Brown put any parameters on the gap year -- do they care whether S works, travels, volunteers, plays video games (not that he would, I'm sure)? Or is the offer unconditional?</p>
<p>I'm puzzled as to what's in it for Brown or Harvard (from other post). Statistics indicate they'll get even more applicants for the 2011 spots than they did for 2010, so why cut a break for 2010's waitlisted students? What am I missing?</p>
<p>Sounds like a win-win situation for your son, though. Either way, he'll end up at a fine school.</p>
<p>This is the son writing now (we share an account). From what I've read, Brown is doing this to ensure that they "get me" for the next year, as the class is too large to accept me this year. Although that beckons the question, why didn't they just accept me in the first place?</p>
<p>Regarding the parameters, it seems they've given me none. They do however recommend several programs I can enter during the "gap year," none of which seem to peak my interest. I intend to major in physics, and all the programs are community oriented, which while interesting, do not ignite a passion in me like physics does. I am of course open to new opportunities, yet I just fear I may lose my academic momentum. </p>
<p>So, I have no idea what to do. Do I go venture blindly into the night, or with confidence into the light (pardon the bad rhyming metaphor)?</p>
<p>mercer parent/son my son, who also has intentions of majoring in physics pursued a combination of interests during his gap year. He took some university science courses, studied music intensively and worked. He saved enough money to take a bike trip to France, which he's leaving for in three weeks. As part of his music activities he prepared for and performed a solo recital, did community service work, taught and accompanied, which included accompanying a choir to Armenia. Make choices that are meaningful and fulfilling to you.</p>
<p>Unless you are as excited to go to U Rochester as you would be to go to Brown, I say take the gap year.</p>
<p>The possibilities are endless. You could work and put some money aside to make your college expenses easier. You could take a class or two. You could volunteer, travel, tutor. </p>
<p>BTW I went to Brown and loved it. You must be very, very attractive to Brown to be offered this chance!</p>
<p>Mercer, I agree with SBmom. If Brown is your first choice, you've got a great situation. You can pursue any number of interests --- new areas that you never had the time for--- or delve into something you already love on an intensive level. I don't think you'll regret it.</p>
<p>without even being asked, some revel in the freedom and anticipation of the gap year ,..</p>
<p>mercer and mercer parent, Your situation is unusual. Most kids take gap years for one of two reasons: 1) Theres something they really want to do before they start at the school thats already admitted them or 2) they think that what they accomplish during their gap year will help them get into a selective college. You dont fall into either category and if this is a trend in admissions, then Id guess well be hearing from other kids with similar dilemmas.</p>
<p>The problem with gap years that dont fall into the student motivated classification, is that they can be lonely and arduous to arrange. Even kids with passionate interests can be lost at sea when they have to fill up 15 months with a meaningful activity. In Europe and Australia where they are commonplace theres a whole industry and support system that helps kids and families put together a string of complementary programs, suiting various budgets. In America, unless you can afford a pricey agency, youre pretty much on your own.</p>
<p>Having said that I would stress that Im really in favor of the gap year and I would encourage you to pursue this idea further. The good news is that youre already IN at Brown so you dont have to worry about impressing an admissions committee with your choice of activities. </p>
<p>As others have mentioned, the best gap years combine 3 or 4 different programs travel/language skills, athletic/wilderness opportunities, arts/science internships. One segment could be a job to finance the others. Dont think of it as a years prison sentence. Think about what you could do for 3-4 months at a time. Try to find a peer group that you could join. Companionship makes the whole process a lot friendlier.</p>
<p>Another option would be to ask Brown how theyd feel about a transfer after a year at Rochester. I dont know if theyd commit to an arrangement like that but it sounds like a reasonable proposal.</p>
<p>The gap year opprotunity sounds awesome. I'm sure you can find something to do if you look around (I'd advise checking with Brown's FA department first if that "something" involves earning money, though). Best thing about this? You're in at Brown, of course.</p>
<p>In the Gatekeepers, one of the students (I think the one who wrote her essay on her suspension from eating a pot-laced brownie) was offered a Zlist type of acceptance in the end. I can't remember why the spots opened up (the book explained it--more students than expected either did something or didn't do something or other), but she was a candidate that was heavily supported by some of the admission committee members, but not others.</p>