<p>So I was rejected from princeton this time around and am considering reapplying for the class of 2014. I think princeton is a great school, but the only reason why I am even considering this is because pton is one of the few schools that has a truly amazing undergrad math program [its only peers i would say are harvard (also rejected) and MIT, stanford, berkeley (did not apply). I am USAMO + IPhO semifinalist btw]</p>
<p>Is this a crazy idea? If I were to pursue it, what should I do in my gap year?</p>
<p>My college counselor said that the recurring comment from admissions people he talked to was that reader did not get to know me from my application and couldnt tell anything about my personality. While this was not the only problem, it seems to have played a large part. Is this fixable? Will the admissions reader hold a bias the second time around?</p>
<p>If you’re really unhappy with your choices, a Gap year can be a wonderful option if you look at it as an opportunity rather than a bitter pill. If you do some searching on this site about other experiences with Gap year you’ll find many options, but the important thing is to find joy in your experience. Do something you love - work, volunteer, get involved your community outside of academics in some way. You don’t have to start a foundation or cure cancer, just get involved in something that connects you to the larger world and have fun. </p>
<p>When you reapply next year, bring that joy and enthusiasm to the application process and show them how you’ve grown. What your counselor means about showing your personality is that it’s obvious to schools like Princeton that you’re very intelligent just by looking at your academic accomplishments - what they want to see in the essays and other parts of the application is enthusiasm, curiosity, committment, and a connection to the larger world. I think a Gap year could be the perfect opportunity for an excellent student like you to present yourself in a fresh new light - Princeton obviously admires Gap year experiences as they are offering them to their own accepted students. Just remember that it doesn’t matter what you do (they really don’t care, honestly) - it’s what you learn and take away from the experience. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you are pursuing Math and Physics it’s likely that you’ll be looking at an advanced degree and can get a very good undergraduate foundation at many, many colleges. You don’t have to have an undergraduate degree from HPSM to get into a fabulous graduate program. It’s a tough decision, but I have reason to believe that as a USAMO and IPHO semifinalist you’ll do just fine whichever you choose :)</p>
<p>thank you so much for your very thoughtful post mcmom.</p>
<p>I was thinking about taking a gap year and doing research in math or physics, but I am not sure where even to begin looking, and neither is my counsellor. He knows of programs, but they are really just summer things for high school students and no one gets too excited to take on a highschooler because while I am good on my own level, there is that saying [from scrubs] that if there is an intern who only triples my work I will kiss his feet.</p>
<p>Collegebound09, what is your other option? Taking a gap year seems a big sacrifice. In the long haul, Princeton (or other college) will not make you great, but your independent achievement will make Princeton (or other college) great. Unless your other option is terrible, wasting a year for an undergraduate college simply does not worth it. However, if you are looking for graduate school, and is aspiring to work with a star math professor in Princeton, it may be OK to wait for a year. </p>
<p>If you are good in math, you should do some math research work in your college, and get it publsihed. This will get you anywhere.</p>
<p>my other option is a school with a respectable (and under-appreciated), but not great math program. it does have students who go on to get doctorates in mathematics, but not normally from harvard, princeton, or other top phd programs. My guess is that I would probably be the among the top 3 most accomplished people in the math program at my current school. I origionally thought of this as a really good thing because the extra attention I would get would really help me move even further, but I know that I cannot be the first person to come through there with my “credentials,” and yet I have not seen anyone in the last 4 years go to a truly top math phd program.</p>
<p>the thing I like about princeton is that not only are many professors world known and dedicated to undergrads (though I know not all are), but the students that would be my peers are the best in the country, and I think you learn a lot from your peers.</p>
<p>And I am not sure if it would be wasting a year either. I know some people who have taken gap years who have said it was one of the most valuable experiences of their life. So the key for me would be to find something really worthwhile. Learning is something that I really enjoy, so my instinct would be to do something in research, but I am definitely interested in other options.</p>
<p>Graduate school admission is faculty oriented. If you are really dedicated to Mathematics, you can identify a subject of your interest, and write to a professor in one of the top schools, and seek a chance to work with him (unfortunately few top mathematicians are female) in the summer. If you have the potential, I don’t think that you will have any problem to get into a good graduate school. Meanwhile, you need to take all the necessary math courses and do well on them. It will be fine.</p>
<p>if i were to recommend a gap year reapplication to anyone, it would be someone of your profile.</p>
<p>i just dont know if an admissions office would hold something against you for reapplying or think that you got help on your reapplication.</p>
<p>harvardfan: given that the OP is probably looking for a phd in math down the line, it does seem to me that the undergrad matters a lot. if you look at any top math program, about 50% of them are international, and another 45% come from harvard, princeton, stanford, berkeley, MIT, caltech, and minimally chicago. and because there are only ~22 grad students in each department, that leaves about 50-60 spots at the top programs for ALL of the graduates in the country. graduate admissions will be faculty driven, but you definitely need a precedent of students going to a top program. </p>
<p>while many people will say that the 45% i mentioned will be more competitive than the 5% and you stand out in the 5% easier if you have potential, i just think you are dealing with so many more applicants and it is difficult when you are dealing with two (or twenty) professors from 2nd tier math depts insisting this is the most brilliant kid who has come through all pushing for one spot.</p>
<p>I don’t want to interrupt this post. If anyone knows of lesser known and/or cheaper schools with physics programs similar to Princeton’s and MIT’s or of colleges with lower admission standards, please reply to my post in “Top physics programs.”</p>
<p>strangequarks: thanks for the internship leads!</p>
<p>databox: 2380 SAT
SAT II - 2 800, 1 760
3 APs (5,5,4)
All very solid. Not as much testing as some other people, but seems to me to be enough.</p>
<p>It seems like the essays were what killed me. Although I know I “messed up,” it seems to indicate a problem in higher education where we are forgetting the true purpose of education in favor of creating classes for external presentation and statistics. sigh…</p>
<p>So I applied to princeton, harvard, yale, swarthmore (reject), chicago, williams, amherst (waitlist), penn and brown and some safety state schools that I never wanted to go to (accepted). I have thought about it and I am not going to take the gap year though. I think that if I am miserable I will just try to transfer someplace else, although Princeton doesnt have transfers right?</p>