Near shut out - Gap year or transfer?

Parents Forum
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<p>Let’s try not to beat up on the parent. This is really hard for everyone involved and a position no one wants to be in. </p>

<p>He has some options. Get on those wait lists. There are some schools which will have a list that they still have spots open for fall. See if the GC can talk to the schools on the wait list and see what if any options he has. Maybe they have a spot for a winter semester admit. Maybe they know a school where they might have room for your S. I am just throwing things out there. I have no idea if they would work. </p>

<p>If he wants to be done with everything and go to Rutgers, then that will be great also. Do they have a NROTC? Can the navy recruiter be of any assistance in getting him in a school which might have room still. </p>

<p>This is tough. I feel for you. Whatever he decides, it will work. </p>

<p>People say this all the time but I think Alabama will still accept NMS into their honors college with substantial scholarship. I’m not positive about this but it’s worth exploring if he is interested. </p>

<p>Good luck. </p>

42

<p>You can ask your guidance counselor to talk to the schools where he is waitlisted and try to make something happen there. Although U of Chicago has a massive waitlist, odds of getting off it are very, very slim. I agree that he really ought to go to Rutgers and give it a fair shot. None of his schools were matches – so his odds of getting into them next year are no better than this year.</p>

43

<p>U of Chicago is one of the few tip-top U’s that reserve some spots for transfer students.
My advise is for him to:</p>

<p>Stay in touch with Chicago [ the Reg admissions office this year and the Transfer admissions office next year] and continue to let them know he wants to be there.
Once he starts Rutgers he needs to do his best in the same types of highly academic classes as offered at Chicago. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

44

<p>Moonchild, I have never heard that it is against the law for no-pay internships…is that for law offices specifically? I have found a variety of internship opportunities in other fields, including environmental organizations.</p>

45

<p>He can ask to have the NROTC scholarship transferred to Rutgers. Then you can afford for him to live on campus and be on his own.</p>

<p>If he is not willing to attend Rutgers then he will totally forfeit the NROTC scholarship. With the NROTC scholarship, it is Rutgers or nothing. If he is that stubborn, well… maybe just maybe the Navy will give him a list of universities that they are willing to send him to, and the Navy will help him get admitted to. This is only a wild guess. Worth a shot, but ONLY if he is totally unwilling to attend Rutgers.</p>

<p>By the way, the Navy might not send him to Rutgers now, either. Each university has its quota for NROTC scholarships, and Rutgers might be full. Maybe not, who knows? The only way to know is to talk to the Navy. You might be able to salvage this, but you cannot do it on your own.</p>

46

<p>My S14 wasn’t initially thrilled with the options presented him by the time all the decisions were received but when I offered up the idea of a gap year, he was concerned that his skills would deteriorate during that year. For example, he said if he had to take a math class he would rather do that right away, while AP Calc is fresh in his head. And if he has to take a foreign language, he doesn’t want to have a break in that learning experience because if you don’t use it, you lose it. </p>

47

<p>How much of his concern about Rutgers honors has to do with real concerns about future opportunities, and how much of it is about face-saving with his peers? </p>

<p>Objectively, this seems like a no-brainer to from my viewpoint—Rutgers Honors is actually a great option, and I don’t see a gap year improving his chances at the schools he really wants unless he does something truly exceptional. If he is truly as superior of a candidate as he seems to be, then the transfer option makes sense. You’ll know that next year this time. Even if he’s good but maybe not quite at the level you and he would like him to be, an honors graduate from Rutgers in four years has massive opportunities in terms of graduate/professional school. </p>

48

<p>It’s a relief to have a solidly good school like Rutgers as a fall-back. There are risks in both choices – start at Rutgers and see what happens or take a gap year. The Rutgers path is a little more predictable and knowable; the gap year more open ended and therefore fuzzier. In order to make an informed decision I’d suggest trying to flesh out a potential gap year – what he could do, where he could go, how much it would cost.</p>

<p>First, does Rutgers allow a one year deferral? That would give him some breathing room.</p>

<p>Second, you’ll need to be vary clear about you financial situation. Would he able to forward any scholarships or financial packages to next year at Rutgers? Could his current scholarships apply next year? Do you qualify for enough need based aid or are you depending on merit aid?</p>

<p>I’m generally in favor of gap years, but I would caution that they can be lonely and expensive. In order for a gap year to be a positive your son has to be 100% behind it. It’s not the path of least resistance and requires either a fair amount of money or a good deal of enthusiasm and commitment.</p>

<p>From June to September of the following year is more like 15 months. It’s best to break it down into segments that could include different activities like travel, internships, community service, sports camps and low wage jobs to finance everything else. Because he’d be applying in December (or earlier if ED/EA) he’d want to front load the more interesting portions.</p>

<p>There are many companies that arrange structured trips and activities for gap years all over the world. These can be pricey but provide companionship and handle the logistics. There are no shortage of organizations focused on environmental issues, both in the U.S. and abroad. An international experience would include language study as well.</p>

<p>Getting an internship with a law office or an environmental NGO is possible but difficult at his age. It’s best if you know someone who would agree to take him on. There’s been a lot of discussion about the ethics of unpaid internships, but as far as I know they’re not illegal and quite common.</p>

<p>Along with some of the mid-sized privates suggested already, I’d agree with the suggestion to look at some academically excellent LACs. My guess is that a productive gap year would enhance his chance of admission, but I also think that Rutgers is the kind of school that elite LACs draw on for transfers (again this is speculation).</p>

49

<p>Momrath that is excellent advice, thank you.</p>

50

<p>Unpaid internships are illegal if you are not getting college credit for them. However, you can volunteer for a non-profit and that would be legal.</p>

51

<p>The problem with unpaid internships is that they often violate labor laws. The new rules state that there are several conditions that have to be met, and there are only a few acceptable ways to meet them. Employers need to provide an experience that is similar to what one would find in a educational setting in order to qualify. The internship cannot benefit the employer directly, but must be set up to benefit the intern. One way to ensure this is for the internship to be part of an educational institution’s program whereby the student receives credit.<br>
These days, because of the many lawsuits directed at companies who have taken advantage of the free labor of interns, most unpaid internships come with the stipulation that the student also be registered with a college and receive credit for the time spent. This is one of the main ways companies can stay within the law, as the college, by giving the approval for credit, certifies that this is an educational experience for the student. </p>

<p>So unpaid internships with private companies are not automatically “against the law,” That was too simple of a statement that I made earlier. But is is extremely difficult for companies to meet the new requirements without being a part of an educational program in order to meet the “similar to educational setting” requirement.</p>

<p>I will add, because of these new rules, most companies will not take on unpaid interns who are not affiliated with a college and receiving credit for the experience. Paid internships do not have these stipulations.</p>

52

<p>The likelihood of his getting into Dartmouth or most of the other Ivies as a transfer student is slim to none. It is even more difficult than regular admissions.</p>

<p>On the other hand, there are plenty of very good schools that could be added to his list where his chances of admittance are much, much better if he takes the gap year route: The University of Rochester, many very selective LACs at a level below the uber-selectives (in other words, Macalester instead of Williams) and so forth.</p>

<p>I think that the chances of an HS grad getting a legal job in the NY area in particular are also slim to none, BUT he could do international volunteering. This, for example:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.wwoof.net/”>http://www.wwoof.net/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>There are many other possibilities, but that one would seem to make sense for an environmentalist.</p>

<p>If he does want to consider a gap year, it will be important to finish his senior year with the best possible grades. And he can ask for his recommendations–if new ones are necessary–NOW rather than waiting</p>

53

<p>“He wants to study literature and environmental science, ultimately to be an environmental lawyer. Unfortunately does not want to be an engineer (there are many great engineering schools out there!)”</p>

<p>If he’s set on law school, the he should go tu Rutgers: aside from the fact that it’s better to spend money on law school than undergrad, it will be easier to be admitted as the biggest fish in his pond, rather than one of many at a prestigious school. Law school admissions is mostly about GPA and LSAT. </p>

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<p>I don’t know if you are willing to pay, but if you are considering paid programs to do during your son’s gap year then this maybe worth your while:
<a href=“SANDBET: Daftar Situs Judi SLOT88 Deposit All eWallet & QRIS”>SANDBET: Daftar Situs Judi SLOT88 Deposit All eWallet & QRIS;
<a href=“https://www.andover.edu/ADMISSION/NEWSTUDENTEXPERIENCE/Pages/12th.aspx”>https://www.andover.edu/ADMISSION/NEWSTUDENTEXPERIENCE/Pages/12th.aspx&lt;/a&gt;
It is not unusual for students to do a post graduate year at a boarding school. You are in NJ, check out Lawrenceville. They offer many higher level courses which are equivalent to many college level courses, so it wouldn’t be a waste. If he were to do well he could make his GPA look better and show those top tier school adcoms that he could do college level courses. He probably could get very good college counseling at those boarding schools too.</p>

<p>If money is an issue, I would have him enroll at Rutgers instead of taking a gap year, then apply for transfer. With high GPA, he would have a good shot at schools like Cornell that take high number of transfers. </p>

<p>My older daughter was shut out of all top tier schools few years ago and was WL at two top choices. She was prepared to for the transfer route. While all seniors were winding down, she continued with her studies and ended up with the highest grades. She graduated with 4.0+ UW GPA from a very good private school. I believe that’s why she ultimately got off both WLs. It is possible to get off the WL, but it takes work and luck. </p>

55

<p>Does someone have a link to the list of colleges with openings for the fall that comes out on May 1?</p>

<p>If it is a question of Rutgers being a poor fit, perhaps your son will see a college on this list he likes better. For example, Eckerd College (which has rolling admissions in any case) often has openings on this list.</p>

<p>But - it sounds to me like he is willing to enroll at Rutgers and, given that is the case, it seems a better option than a gap year.</p>

56

<p>Is he passionate about the military/ NROTC ? If so then he should immediately be in touch with his NROTC liason and see if his NROTC scholarship can be salvaged. There may be a spot for him somewhere at a college he had not considered. </p>

<p>NROTC scholarships are very difficult to come by these days as the Navy is really “downsizing”. If he is truly committed to that then seeing if a slot is available for him anywhere should be first priority. On the other hand, if he was just doing it to get college scholarship money, he should move on. The chances of getting into a NROTC program as a “walk on” are very slim. My S had a NROTC scholarship at our big state u. He’s a Spec. Ops officer now with almost 5 years in. It’s not an easy life. If Navy isn’t your S’s number one priority, meaning go anywhere that has an open slot, he should drop the NROTC idea and move on.</p>

57

<p>Oldfort - thank you for your advice and helpful information. Just curious though, how does one get a 4.0+ UW? Isn’t the maximum UW GPA 4.0, by definition?</p>

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<p>@mom2collegekids‌ mentioned on another board that the bama NMF scholarship is still available. Therefore I would encourage your son to apply @mlfkoenig‌ and then he will have 3 immediate options: Rutgers, Bama (both honors) or a Gap year. He may be feeling ‘trapped’ and this would give him an out. My Finalist chose not to apply to Bama put we know a geographically diverse group of very bright kids who grabbed the offer and love it.</p>

59

<p>“I think from what we have seen he would prefer Rutgers over what options are still available at this point.”</p>

<p>Then your challenge from here on out is to convey to him how proud and excited you are for him going off to Rutgers, what an adventure he’s going to have, and the great things he’s going to achieve whether he transfers or not.</p>

<p>The way to convey this to him and be convincing is to believe it yourself.</p>

60

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<p>no, some high schools and colleges grade on a 4.33 (A+) grading scale.</p>

<p>By all means Op’s S should stay on the wait list. However, they should still attend admitted student’s day at Rutgers and probably pay the deposit. </p>

<p>GC should definitely speak with regional admission rep at both schools to get feedback on the application.</p>