<p>Hi, I'm 2016er, and got accepted by a college. However, I don't think I'm well prepared for college life, and I want to take a gap year deferring my enrollment. Besides, I want to transfer in my freshman year, so during my gap year, I want to take SAT again, read some books, learn new language and start an enterprise etc. But my parents disagree with me. Is taking a gap year a good decision? Thank you!</p>
<p>A gap year can be a good option for many folks. You may want to use the argument that your parents’ tuition money will be better spent if you are more prepared for your freshman year. Sounds like you have some good ideas–have you presented them in an organized fashion to your parents?</p>
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<p>Do you mean apply for a transfer during fr year (for the following fall) or transferring for spring sem of fr year? Because not all schools accept spring fr transfers, you need to check the college websites.</p>
<p>Instead of attending for a semester and transferring, why not just take a gap year and reapply as a fr? If you haven’t looked into what is involved in applying for a transfer, you might want to look into it on the Transfer Students forum.</p>
<p>Thank you, I gave my plans to my parents but they still don’t agree. My mom says I have to compete with 2017er and it will be more difficult to get into good schools when I transfer, and she thinks college life will be more productive than gap year. My dad is afraid I will be lazy during the year. They just don’t trust me. I really can’t have a conversation with them.</p>
<p>Thank you, I want to tranfer for tha fall. I have searched the transfer requirements in school websites that I’m interested, and I’m working on my goal. But I don’t know if I should take a gap year.</p>
<p>My opinion may be moot if your parents just don’t go along with your plan, but here’s my opinion anyway.</p>
<p>A gap year for a good reason can be a very good idea. In my book, “good” reasons include: personal growth and maturity; learning a new skill (which could be academic, such as a new language, or non-academic, like getting your pilot’s license); seeing a new part of the world; working for pay; engaging in a worthwhile volunteer experience (such a CityYear).</p>
<p>This is merely my opinion, but I think that taking a gap year so you can stage your transfer after freshman year sounds kind of…mercenary. If you were my kid, you’d have a hard time selling me on this idea.</p>
<p>And I feel drawn to ask, how do you really know that you want to leave a college where you haven’t yet taken a single class or made a single friend? I think you ought to give this college a fair chance. (Going in already planning your exit strategy doesn’t fit that bill.) Didn’t you once like it enough to apply there?</p>
<p>thank you for your adivce. Actually I have been to summer school where I took college courses, and I found it was challenging for me. Therefore I have the idea of taking a gap year to improve myself because I don’t want to ruin my GPA. I’m a international student and English is not my mother language. I want to transfer for scholarship so that I won’t cost my family too much money. My parents are too traditional to accept the concept of gap year.</p>
<p>More merit scholarships are available to entering freshmen. VERY FEW scholarships are available to international transfer students, so please consider your strategy VERY carefully.</p>
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<p>Debralarni, I beg your pardon. That reason isn’t really mercenary at all. It’s actually kind of noble.</p>
<p>And what HImom says above is undeniably true. It’s hard for an international applicant to get aid as a freshman; it’s even harder as a transfer.</p>
<p>But if your parents don’t support the idea…</p>
<p>I’m confused. If you feel your English isn’t good enough, why on earth would you want to start another language during your gap year.</p>
<p>If you want to start over and see if you can do better than what you have, then go for it. Just withdraw your acceptance from your current school</p>