<p>I've had tremendous failure with my college applications. I only got into my safety schools. My extracuriculars and community involvement were rather weak. I simply can't stand four years of hard work and months spent on essays leading to tremendous failure. So, I'm considering taking a year off to do some volunteer work(note: I am not doing that entirely for college apps), strengthen my ACT, and reapply to college.
The problem is my parents are against it(one more than the other). She has done zero research on it and unless I actually hand her some research she has no plans of doing any research at all. Anyways, does anyone know a website or book that details the advantages of a year-off(both in terms of apps and personally).
She has no plans to listen to me and doesn't trust forums so I need to find a website or book or something to convince her.</p>
<p>There really are none unless your heart is into it. It just sounds like your taking a year off because you only got into your safteys even though you say you arent. People who take a year off, they normally begin planing a year beforehand.</p>
<p>Sounds like you're taking a year off for the wrong reasons. I agree with your mom. Chalk it up as a lesson learned, go to college, and don't make the same mistakes in college.</p>
<p>Well can't you attend a community college and do everything else as well? You can some of your credits done as well as volunteer and the other good stuff.</p>
<p>YOU have to be the convincer, not a book or website or anything else. YOUR carefully thought out proposal of how you intend to spend the year, what your proposed schedule will look like, where & how you propose to spend your time, the contacts you've made to set things up so you will have supervision and guidance, how you'll have medical insurance, how much your year off will cost directly & indirectly, where you'll live, what effect it will have on any offers you've received from colleges, etc.
If you can't sell your parents on your plan, you need to rethink and renegotiate your plan. Taking time off is a privilege to be earned and planned for, not a cop out because your 1st choice didn't fall into your lap. Sorry, that's not how things work.</p>
<p>Go to your favorite safety school and then if you do well there, then try and transfer...</p>
<p>I'd agree with the post above, but you can go a step further & talk to the college you want to transfer into and find out which of your safety schools they have the best relationship with and accept the most transfers from & ask them which courses would transfer. It can actually save a lot of $$ if you start at a less expensive school & transfer.</p>
<p>Develop a plan -- for every single day. If your show such dedication and thoroughness in your plans, your mom will be more likely to agree with you. If your plans are vague, she will question whether you will carry them out or not.</p>
<p>I'll probably end up taking some community college classes but full-time is out of the question. Then I become a tranfer students and SATs and high school acheivements disapear(some college have different policies).
Also my local community college is quite frankly terrible. There are 100 similiar community colleges in Ca and my local community college is ranked in the 90s with a single digit tranfer rate(and 90% walk in hoping for a tranfer). Kids take classes there during the summer because the same class at the high school would be way too hard for them.
Also, since everyone seems to be against me I should detail why this is not just about college apps. Although college apps provides a big motivator for taking a year off I want to do some of the things I could never do during high school. There are so many things that I just didn't have time for or my mom wouldn't allow me to do. Over the past couple years I've considered and pursued at the SPCA volunteer work, Republican party volunteer work, numerous church service activities, a couple internships, and a couple special programs. Most of it fell apart because I didn't have the time or my mom wouldn't allow me to participate(she is a little paranoid).
I should note that the reason my mom doesn't want me to do has nothing to do with doing it for the "wrong reasons." It mostly because she does have to deal with college apps anymore(despite my offer to pay for them she paid the fees and occasionally I asked her to review an essay), as a transfer student to Sac State she views UCSB as a tremendous success, and fears that getting into a better college further away from home will mean she can't pop in and check up on me(the horror).</p>
<p>Thank you HImom for you advise. I'll work on that proposal and I don't appreciate the "didn't fall in your lap" comment. For 3 months my entire life was essays and apps. I got mad half way through my family opening present because I could have been working on essays during that time. Getting rejected by 14 schools when you can recite each essay for each school almost word for word is not the same as "your 1st choice didn't fall into your lap."</p>
<p>Don't be mad at him. What he said is true. Let me ask you this, If you got into your first choice school, would you take a year off?</p>
<p>I agree with some above posters that you should enroll at your favorite safety school, work very hard, get good recommendations, excel in your studies, and then try and transfer to a more likeable school. Take the opportunity to show what you can do.</p>
<p>College is not just about applications. Apps just present a person to the admissions committee. Devoting so much time on the applications themselves is unnecessary, in my opinion. Yes, you should work hard to make sure that they accurately and positively portray you, but you can only polish them so much.</p>
<p>I didn't get into my first choice - I was waitlisted. It hurts, but I, like you, have other options. Personally, I would much rather spend this year working hard in college and achieving a great education, college experience, etc. over putting it off another year in the hopes that I might - might - get in on a second try. I have some doubts about the school I will probably attend, but I'm okay with it because I have the hope of transferring if it doesn't work out. I am simply ignoring the financial factor for the moment.</p>
<p>My problem is with the "Didn't fall in your lap" phrase not with the "If you got into your first choice school, would you take a year off?" part. Yes, I would because education has been my top priority for year and a gap year is an unnecessary risk(there is always the possibility that you will forget crucial knowledge).
"Fall in your lap" implies laziness and a lack of work. Believe me nothing I've ver done has ever fallen in my lap and I never expected anything to fall into my lap. As useful as his advise is, and no matter how high point count is, and no matter how many friends he has here implying that I expected some cosmic power to drop a prestigious university into my lazy lap is disrespectful.</p>
<p>It looks like you applied to only the top schools - all of them - which in and of itself probably went against you - and some safety schools. Any matches? Where did you figure you had a good chance to get in that you liked?</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>If Daniel feels he needs a break after four years of hard work, no time to volunteer and a disappointing admissions season, it's OK.</p>
<p>In England, it is expected to take a Gap Year. Students gain maturity and direction. He has a plan: volunteer and part-time classes. </p>
<p>Present a good plan to your parents, let them know you won't be sitting around. </p>
<p>I have researched and presented on this topic and am convinced it the right thing for those that don't feel ready, or, like you, just really, really need a break. Some students even defer their admission for a year-- I understand that Harvard even encourages it. </p>
<p>Here is an article: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/07/02/gap.year.ap/%5B/url%5D">http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/07/02/gap.year.ap/</a></p>
<p>and a book:</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision. I think I have more info but I did my research at my last job. Hopefully it's on my flash drive. If you're interested PM me and I'll see if I can find anything.</p>
<p>"note: I am not doing that entirely for college apps), "</p>
<p>you seem like a nice kid, but i got a good laugh out of that line because I am not sure you believe it.</p>
<p>hey daniel, i'm just curious, since you mentioned where your local community college is ranked. did you find that out from a website or something? i never realized california jc's were ranked!</p>
<p>Yea. You forgot something mom. This isnt england.</p>
<p>even so, the information and links she posted are relevant to students living in the states.</p>
<p>rlm919 although many people(including my parents) seem to think I just applied to the top schools I put a great deal of thought in what I picked. A few colleges that I probably shouldn't have applied to slipped through but the vast majority had a unique experience(academics or living) and pursued me through letters(I have a folder boated with all my college letters over 4 years), emails, or special events. Prestige played a significant factor but there were a lot of prestigious colleges that I didn't pursue. Harvard and yale were put on just in case I got lucky and because there supplements were so easy.
In terms of colleges I believed I had a good chance of getting into I would say say I was cauciously optomistic about Mudd(It contained my most original essay and it was the school that I really felt I belonged at. It was the only school that I actually enjoyed reading there pamplets and there wiki article.), Northwestern(pursued me for years and I put a lot of effort into the app), UPenn(contained my second favortie essay but had a bad interview), Washington U.(the W section in my folder is broken and there was nothing wrong with my essay), Stanford(first choice but I spent a rediculously long time on research and perfecting the essay), Georgetown(best interview ever), UCLA(didn't do much research but my stats matched), and Berkeley(stats matched but essays were weak from inexperience with writing about myself).
oracle1 I believe it because its true.
Thanks AdvisorMom
I found out about jc rank when my counselor handed out a paper at college night. They are ranked by tranfer rate.</p>
<p>Students in England also graduate within 3 years, not 4.</p>