<p>I told my daughter this and I will repeat my 99cent comment. The counselors and teachers will move on to the next batch of students, they may not want to write letters of recommendation to previous year student. If they do that they are doing it as a favor, you cannot count on. It's ok to apply and delay from going to a college than take a GAP year unless you really want to.
Regarding reapplying, I remember Andi's son story correctly, he did not get accepted to the same schools he applied to. Google for this story on CC.</p>
<p>When I first read your original post I thought it sounded foolish, however after reading your additional posts I understand what you are saying and think your decision makes sense for you. However, when you are ask if there are any others out there who feel the same way, it is a bit misleading. Your situation is different because you have the option of free education in Greece, and have already decided you would rather save your money for a school of your choice. I don't think you will find many people who agree with you unless they had the option of a free university for their first year. If you are willing to do that and try again for your first choice schools that is a personal decision that I don't think anyone can fault you for.</p>
<p>Every year we get a few panicked forum posts from students who didn't get in anywhere. Everyone needs a safety school. If you can't find a safety school you like, you are probably making elite status one of your essential selection critieria.</p>
<p>In fact, there are many great colleges that aren't insanely selective but have great faculty, beautiful campuses, strong traditions, and every other factor that makes for a wonderful undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>If you can't find a safety you like, re-examine your criteria and keep looking.</p>
<p>There is a possibility that you have given a negative connotation to the term safety school. A safety school is one that offers everything you are looking for in a school, but maybe not as elite as some of the schools higher on your list. Have you checked out the college match program on the college boards site? I am sure that there is a school out there for you that you would be very happy with. Many schools do offer financial aid for international students. Keep looking at schools! Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>If you're totally happy with your present options if you aren't accepted anywhere, great! But it is really hard to find a school after the spring if you change your mind. Pay the $75, apply to your consolation school, and if you get in and don't want to go, defer for a year.</p>
<p>I'm a poster child for this story as well.</p>
<p>I applied to 7 schools, 2 reaches, 3 matches, and 2 safeties. I was rejected at the reaches, waitlisted at all the matches, and was only accepted into the safeties.</p>
<p>The safety I ended up attending I knew nothing about at the time I applied. I actually only applied because my mom told me not to and I thought I would be rebellious with her credit card. So when I got scholarship offers in the mail and we visited for a scholars weekend, we basically fell in love with the school right then. It still took me a while to decide to come here over my other safety, the one that I had thought I would have attended had this scenario played out. But every time I visited (scholars weekend, recruiting trip, accepted students day) I just began to like it more and more.</p>
<p>Fast forward to now and I really could not see myself at any other school. The only thing I regret is not applying to MORE safeties, because even if I had gotten into my upper tier schools, I still could not have afforded them. I'm loving my experiences here right now and the opportunities I have are tremendous for a school this size. I would also not trade the level of direct interaction we have with every single one of our professors.</p>
<p>Review my definition of a safety college in post #8 above. </p>
<p>No one should feel bad about applying to a college that fits that definition. It's money well spent to line up a college like that rather than waste a year in a forced "gap year" because you weren't admitted anywhere on your list.</p>
<p>"i'd rather do another year of applications, SATs, work and stuff along the lines of that than go to the university in Greece...if it can make a difference between acceptance and rejection, then why not doing an extra year?' Because you chances of rejection are far, far greater the second time you apply, if you were rejected intiially. My son reapplied as a transfer to a college he was ACCEPTED at last year- result- rejection!</p>
<p>It's nice to know that some people have enough money to toss around to any school that accepts them. I'm certainly not in that position, and I'll need several financial safeties in case financial aid doesn't come through for me. Just apply to a safety. Many of the safety schools don't even have application fees if you apply online, or they are very small. If nothing else, apply to a safety with merit aid so you at least have the option of saving your parents some money.</p>
<p>My daughter's best friend was in this situation a couple of yrs back. She applied to several schools. ONLY got accepted to her safety..waitlisted at a couple others.</p>
<p>No one could figure it out. Her stats were great, she was well rounded, tons of extra curriculars that she faithfully attended and participated in. NHS ,talented musician, athlete , artist. Volunteering. Her SAT's were a little weak.</p>
<p>It was sad to see when all of her peers got accepted to their dream schools and she went to the one school she had no interest in. </p>
<p>She is now in another school, still not quite where she wants to be.</p>
<p>I wouldn't be too sure when the competition is so intense these days</p>
<p>Debate_addict, I completely agree with your concept of not settling for anything less than what you really want, but I agree with some of the other posters in that you might end up finding a safety you actually like, and really do want to attend, so I think you should vest some amount of time searching for that school.</p>
<p>Just go for a state school.
It's cheap, a lot of your friends are probably going there, and if you are qualified you will get in. Binghamton was my one and only safety and I know I would of had an awesome four years there.</p>
<p>People have different priorities. If you feel that you don't want to go to a school other than you want to, its your choice. </p>
<p>But this shows that you haven't done your research well because there ARE schools out there that must be similar to the colleges on your list and are less selective. Do what you want, but keep in mind if you get rejected by everyone (I hope not) can you afford to waste another year? You can get into your safety and try and transfer.</p>
<p>You may feel this way now, but how will you feel next April if you haven't gotten in anywhere while your friends have? Think about it.</p>
<p>I'd laugh if the OP didnt get in anywhere...</p>
<p>Because if a school rejects you next spring, they'll likely reject you in 2009 regardless of what you do during a gap year or how much you boost your scores. Just check out the threads about Andison, who was a stellar student who was rejected every place he applied. He took a productive gap year, and got into some very nice colleges, but did not get into any colleges that had rejected him the first time.</p>
<p>The # of students applying to U.S. colleges is expected to increase until about 2011. Consequently, colleges that reject you this academic year aren't likely to accept you later when they have a deeper applicant pool. Colleges that you may easily get into this academic year may be out of reach next year.</p>
<p>to Boston: I'll laugh as well! (and then cry some)</p>
<p>some very elucidating points made - I guess I'll think about applying somewhere cost-free</p>
<p>debate_addict--I would look for a safety school. Wouldn't returning to Greece require you to fulfill a year of military service?</p>
<p>Ouch!! I almost forgot about that! :p (i'm still in Greece btw)</p>
<p>I would however like to post a question to all those who have gone to their safety schools only - if they could do it all over again, would they make the same choice? Reapplying to another year could be wholly different. My point is:</p>
<p>Say that you apply to Harvard, Brown, Amherst, U Chic, Tufts and a safety and you get into your safety. Sure, if you do a GAP year (and in response to sb else's question, that could help in that you can increase your SAT scores, do volunteering, intern somewhere and so on) you will probably not get into the schools you previously applied to, but you can apply to schools like Dartmouth, Yale, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and so on...schools that would most likely be vastly superior to your good old safety. And if you get in? Wouldn't an extra year, but getting into Dartmouth instead of NYU be worth it? Just a question..</p>
<p>(i'm not claiming that this will happen, but it is most definitely a posibility, and a pretty gratifying one if it happens)</p>
<p>If you do take a forced gap year work on a talent or better yet a sport that will get you into the school of your dreams. It is unlikely at best that a school that rejected you this year will take you next year. You can't learn smart, it is there or not. However if you can run a 10.5 hundred, shoot 65 from the back tees, or any of a number of other achievements Stanford and others will line up. Your claim that there are no safeties you would attend is kind of like the old Groucho Marx joke..."I would not want to belong to a club that would have me as a member"...good luck</p>