logistics in applying to colleges during gap year

DD is planning to apply to colleges during her gap year (next year). But how difficult will it be for her next year? I assume she will not have Naviance access nor a counselor. How do people normally apply to do it? Do they just contact the teachers and counselor to send the transcripts and recommendation letters?

BTW, she will have no problem getting to the state colleges and Bama. Based on her stat, she will get some scholarship money as well. However, she is thinking of Smith and similar colleges and not interested in state colleges and Bama. She does not need to improve her score as she already has 35 on her ACT. I think the reason she is thinking of taking the gap year is because she knew someone is taking a gap year to work at the Y, and she wants to leave the college application process to next year ( I had started with her in June). If she were to take the gap year, she will be working at the Y, I do not know the reason why her friend is taking a gap year, but I explained to DD that her friend has already been accepted by Smith, therefore what her friend does during the gap year will not affect her friend’s college application.

Is applying this year then deferring a year (to take her gap year) an option?

If she is insistent on waiting until next year to apply, I would recommend that she get all of her recommendation letters done this year, while she is in school while they are doing stuff for current seniors.

She should speak with the counselor to see if the GC can set up a credentials file (or a file with her name on the desktop) to hold on to all her recommendations including the GC’s recommendation. GC could even print a secondary school report, fill it out based on your D’s ranking within her current class, and file them for next year so that she has the information. Next year all of the information is in one place, the teachers, will only have to accept the invitation and upload the files.

I say this because next year your daughter will not be a priority as teachers and counselors will be busy getting stuff done for next year’s senior class who will actually be in school. She can and most likely will be pushed to the back of the line.

Her life would be so much easier if she applied this year and then deferred— but you know that. If she’s set on Smith (and financial aid isn’t a big concern), could you at least talk her into applying ed2 to Smith? Or rd, if she is a candidate for merit aid? @sybbie719 ‘s advice sounds perfect if she won’t do it this year.

I’d have her apply…and defer.

@sybbie719 , @CIEE83 and @thumper1, thanks for the suggestion. I think the reason she did not want to apply this year is because of the application essay. *I said I had started her in June" right?

@sybbie719 you wrote “accept the invitation and upload the file”, the teachers already wrote the recommendation letters, but if she is not in school next year, how can she invite the teachers to upload the recommendations? I am assuming she will not be able to use Naviance.

Sounds like a question for the guidance counselor. There has to be a mechanism for this.

If she applies next year she would just use the common app the same way that she is going to use it this year. It will ask her who are her recommenders, she supplies their email address. Then the process is exactly the same

If she isn’t going to apply and defer to take a break, I agree with Sybbie, just treat it as if she isn’t going to college and fill out the common app next year, etc. If she isn’t interesting in applying and deferring this year, she may want to take more than one year before she starts college…just a thought and no offense meant, but her reason seems pretty trivial if starting to work somewhere is her motivator, but not take care of the college business this year. On the plus side, after working for awhile she may have a totally different list or career aspirations. I saw that happen with a few friends whose kids didn’t go straight to college after high school.

I’d have have her apply and defer if possible. If that doesn’t work she should talk to her guidance counselor and see if she can find a way to make the application process go smoothly. And she definitely should arrange for teacher recommendations before the gap year.

Simply put, it will be a lot harder to get it done next year than this year. She will be out of the school mode, she won’t have counselors at her beckon call, she won’t be “essay fresh” mentally. I am totally in the camp that you apply and defer. Or apply and don’t go, then do it all again. Her reason to not do it doesn’t sound all that compelling. I don’t get that she wants to “leave the college application process to next year.” Maybe I am reading it wrong, but that sounds like she thinks it is too much of a hassle versus needing the time to find herself, or needing to save money for college, or being passionate about something else - reasons that justify the gap year. Happy to be wrong here…

D had a somewhat inadvertent gap year and ended up going through the whole thing twice. Second time around really wasn’t any different than the first time, except it was a little bit more of a hassle chasing down the guidance counselor for recommendation letters. She reused her original essays, so there is something to the idea of getting those essays done now while you’re in that mode.

Thank you everyone. I just worked with her to finish a few applications but will decide whether she take a gap year by May 1.

My son took his SATs/ACTs/subject tests during his gap year and applied to colleges during the gap year. He was having real health issues his senior year and I suggested he put his limited energy into great grades and he could handle the rest in the gap year. There were no real problems. He did ask his teachers for recs a little before graduation. There were no logistical problems that I can recall. He got into a number of top schools so I don’t think it hurt him in any way.

My son applied for colleges during his senior year. He was then able to get a deferral for a year. He did live abroad however.

Did you say she wants to take a gap year to avoid writing the common app essay? That is… nuts. Can you get her to work with an English teacher, or a family friend who knows about college admissions, or something? She can come out here for advice, too.

To me it sounds like she may not be ready for college. The only way she can tell you this is to not “be ready” to write her essay.

Let her take her time. What’s the rush?

college is always out there waiting for students. When she’s ready, then she applies. No harm done.

“But she doesn’t have Naviance” – there are a gazillion places to find out the probability of being accepted with X GPA and Y SAT score. Try googling for Collegedata; or name of school + prepscholar – that tells you the GPA and Score median and at the bottom what she’d need to score to improve her chances. For a graph of accepted students google name of college and graph. voila

“But her recommendations”-- well so get her recommendations lined up and ask them to please know that she’s taking a year or two to do something else. Ask them to please put her recs on file for that time

“But . . . she may not go back to school”-- that’s really hard to believe considering she comes from an academically oriented family. It sounds to me like she needs a little time – or a lot of time. Do not panic, Mom. She will find her way.

“But all of her friends are going to college this year”–if all of her friends jumped off of a cliff, would you tell her to do the same? She is and will be her own person especially now that she’s leaving high school.

“But we can’t afford a gap year program”–shocking but true, there are many many things that she can do that will prepare her for college that are free, or nearly free, or make money. She can even save money during her year for college. Here are a few examples–

workaway.info
coolworks
volunteer.gov
Hike the appalachian trail – http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics
Student Conservation Association – https://www.thesca.org/
Or just work in her community as a volunteer or scooping ice cream. She will learn a lot of skills that will carry her throughout her life.

I had this with two of my kids. My school has a specific person who handles transcript and other requests for kids who have already graduated. Neither of them wanted to apply and defer so that was out.

To the OP: I agree that your D may be telling you she isn’t ready for college.

Thank you all again. After my post, I got someone to work with her on the essay and we finished the common app. Now she has to work on the supplemental essays. I knew her stat will get scholarship in some state colleges. @shawbridge I read about your son from your other post, but I do not believe DD has similar motivation, but thanks for pointing out there is no logistical problem.
Occasionally, she brought up the gap year or not even going to college. I explained to her that it may be difficult for her to pick up her reading and her math after one year, I think she recognized that. I suspect she uses the “thought” of gap year to escape the pressure of college application process.
@Dustyfeathers you are so right…I don’t think she is ready for college and I told her I am not going to force her to go to college (no point to waste my money and her time). We will have a serious discussion before May 1.