If you do postpone your formal education for a year, you may want to consider some of these colleges for your next set of applications:
Note that not all of these schools are extremely selective.
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This is not universally true.
While some highly selective schools like Stanford value community college pathways, they are specifically looking for unique and interesting stories, not high achieving traditional students who had bad luck or strategy senior year. If that were an easier path, everyone would try it.
Some selective schools have higher transfer than first year acceptance rates, but a lot of highly selective schools have lower. You will also need a compelling reason to request a transfer.
Certain states have defined tracks from community college to the state flagshipâŠMassachusetts is one of those states. You could start at a community college that guarantees UMass Amherst admission.
When did you apply to Pitt? Itâs highly unusual that you werenât accepted if you applied in the fall. Were you waitlisted? If you are willing to commit there immediately, you could also call and say so. It may work. Someone reported getting accepted to the Pittsburgh campus last week. But donât say it if you arenât willing to do it.
I am sorry this happened. If you applied in a timely manner and your application had no red flags, I am surprised that you werenât accepted to one of your safeties.
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Acceptance rates for transfer applicants may be 5% or less at some highly selective colleges:
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From your list you appear to prefer mid-sized to large schools in more urban areas.
From the list of schools that are still accepting applications that @tsbna44 shared, these are some additional schools you may want to consider:
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Marquette (WI) has about 7700 undergrads and is in Milwaukee. Jesuit institutions (like this one) tend to be very well respected, academically.
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Roger Williams (RI) has about 4200 undergrads in Bristol.
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U. of Kentucky, in addition to being its state flagship, had 5 students get their Masterâs in classics last year.
The next two schools are smaller, but I think are still worthy of consideration.
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Gustavus Adolphus (MN): This school is still accepting applications and in the most recent year of Ipeds data, it had 8 students majoring in classics which is multiples larger than at some big schools (there are about 2250 here). Itâs about an hour from Minneapolis.
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U. of Dallas (TX): Youâd need to call to see if theyâre still accepting applications, but this link makes me hopeful. It produced 7 Bachelorâs and 3 Masterâs in classics. Thereâs about 1500 people here, but itâs in a big huge metro. For the people whoâve heard of this school, they seem to have a lot of respect for its grads.
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Our two local JCs have very high rates of transfer to UCLA, as theyâre feeder schools. So, let me stand corrected that itâs not the case everywhere.
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Thanks for those points of clarification. I live in LA and our two local JCs feed to UCLA and UCSB all the time. My assumption (and I stand corrected) is that itâs like that everywhere. Our UCs do prioritize first gen access, but they arenât the only ones accepted.
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Have you thought about applying to UK schools? Lots of strong classics courses that would be an easy admit with your AP scores. Although Oxford is unpredictable due to the interview, Iâd certainly give it a go. And they donât mind you applying during your first year at another college (youâd have to start from scratch there). The only issue would be if you need aid, but if you are prepared to be full pay at OOS publics like UCLA then the UK would be significantly cheaper than that.
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I am stunned. Was there some terrible blot on your record, like a suspension for bullying? I agree you should apply to the flagships that give massive merit money for NMFs. Start college, dont wait.
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I agree with @Twoin18 that you should consider applying to UK schools. You should also keep in mind that college admissions in the US may undergo significant changes for the next cycle, so taking a gap year and reapplying this fall may not be such a bad idea in your case.
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Have you spoken to your HS GC? I would ask them to call admissions at a safety/highly likely to see if there is a problem with your app. I would also have the HS GC read your LoRs if thatâs possible. Did someone look over your essays/rest of your apps?
We do need to know if your budget is constrained or if you are full pay.
Taking a gap year, even if affirmative action goes away does not make sense IMOâŠbeing Asian did not hurt you at many of the schools on your list. I do like the UK idea if you do take a gap year. Note that all your matches this year were reaches.
You can still apply to many schools as mentioned above, especially if you donât need significant financial aid. Do any of the mentioned schools appeal to you?
I also like the idea to apply for UMass for spring entryâŠbut you have to find out if thereâs a problem with one of your LoRs (or something else) before getting that app in and that starts with speaking to your HS GC.
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One point of information for those offering advice- op posted on April 7th asking whether they could still apply to Pitt. Iâm not surprised that an application submitted only a week ago resulted in a waitlist or rejection. Pitt is rolling admissions and highly values early applications. Itâs possible the app was fine but just submitted too late.
OP: is that the case with your other âlikelyâ schools? Were those apps also submitted very late?
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Yes, thatâs true, most of the likely school applications were submitted very late in the cycle. I think normally I would be able to be accepted to those colleges.
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Having been here for a while, I was sure that as soon as I started reading this, you would, in fact, have some acceptances. (Added the word almost to your title.)
So you can fulfill your goal of going to college, but you want to go somewhere âbetter.â What did you do wrong? You didnât choose true safeties that you like.
Now for the reality check, and I apologize if this sounds harsh. You sound like an average excellent student. I think you assumed that your stats alone would get you into a top college. Itâs likely that your essay didnât resonate with readers. You may not have asked the best teachers to write your recs. You didnât apply to any smaller colleges that would have loved a First Gen Asian male applicant with your stats. Thereâs no Union, Lafayette, Amherst, Bates, or Connecticut College on your list. The LACs love students like you. Finally, you donât have anything that truly stands out in your application.
Your options include:
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trying agin next year with a realistic list of colleges. Add in some smaller colleges (look at NESCAC colleges, and some of the many excellent ones in PA and NY.) Do not just apply to the same schools again and hope one works out. You need to do something really productive and meaningful with a gap year that will make you stand out a bit.
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think of which teachers you could ask for recs for next year. In which classes did you make meaningful contributions to the class AND really get along well with your teachers and other students? Ask those teachers to write a rec next year. Do it soon, only because youâre going to graduate and you donât want them to forget you.
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Look at the NACAC list linked above. There are some really excellent colleges on that list who didnât meet their yield for one reason or another. More colleges will probably be added to it. You can go to a really good college this year if you want to.
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Go to community college and knock it out of the park. Get great grades and make an impact by being involved with the community and the college. There are some colleges that particularly favor community college transfer. Brown is quite well known for this. And again, a lot of the LACs would love an applicant like you.
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As a first Gen student with great stats, it is somewhat surprising that you didnât have more choices, but, as mentioned, I suspect lackluster recs and uninspired essays/supplements. Next time, seek out advice here before submitting.
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Iâll say again. Look at LACs. They very often provide a better undergrad academic experience, are highly respected, and have active and involved alumni and career centers. You will have much better access to professors right from the start at LACs, which can lead to research positions, job offers, great recommendations, etc⊠Given your interest in pursuing academia as a career, a high percentage of LACs grads go into PhD programs.
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I agree that OP may have an issue with LoR or essay. Or he may not. In any event, taking a gap year can also help fix these two issues. I also like the suggestion that he should include some LACs if he decides to reapply in the fall.
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With respect to LACs that may be of interest, these are the coeducational ones that appear in the College Transitions site posted above:
Holy Cross
Amherst
Hamilton
Kenyon
Oberlin
Carleton
Macalester
Davidson
Haverford is another excellent LAC that would be worth considering.
In addition to their other considerable attributes, these schools would offer you the advantage of your not having been previously denied at them.
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I have to say the essay and overall app /recs also. But winning national /international awards in writing is in question. Maybe it was too perfect and not really in your own voice. Maybe you didnât really answer the questions being asked and didnât show you wanted to attend the school? No clue.
But with your grades /stats alone you would think more acceptances. But still you have choices to make.
I see nothing wrong going to community college or one of the free schools as mentioned above etc and see how it goes for a year. You can always apply to transfer if your not really happy.
Life throws us curve balls once in a while. There are great professors and students at every college. I just donât see the advantage of a gap year. It seems you were not advised well in high school.
Reapplying to the exact same schools with sorta the exact same application will most likely end up with similar results.
I agree there could be something wrong in your application and recs but how is that to be fixed to give you a different result. Applying last minute to some schools raises some questions for me about how you applied in general.
ButâŠTake the path least expected and you might be rewarded down the road. I tell people all the time to âBet on themselvesâ donât let anyone tell you, you canât. Pick a college or do as suggested above. Going to college almost for free then decide to transfer if you really donât care for it.
If that was my kid, absolutely take a gap year and reply. There is so much to do in a gap year including work part part time for money and then volunteer/do projects for the rest. Gain some clarity (and better advising) and then apply to all new schools. No need to apply to same schools. First and foremost apply to Umass. Second to LACs and other universities you will have time to research. What will be different next year? True safeties, and true matches that the student will have time to research. The schools he posted are not sure things for high stats. Our schoolâs Val, accepted to Harvard, rejected from Rice. The Sal, accepted to Dartmouth, rejected from Tufts. Probably nothing wrong with the app. Just wrong schools/bad advising. The likely schools he applied too late (in April) and there was no more room in main campuses.
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Agreed. OP needs a completely different list. If you were rejected this time, you will most likely be rejected again.
@Mwfan1921 had great suggestions too. If your guidance counselor can find out what might have gone wrong, you can avoid those mistakes next time around.
Some of the colleges you applied to care about interest. Did you sign up for and open their emails, visit, attend virtual sessions, meet with an admissions rep at a college fair, or otherwise show genuine interest in the school? Wake Forest and Tufts both consider interest, for example.
Applying to British universities is a good idea too, but the cost of living can be very high. You can only apply to one of the Oxbridge universities, and interviews are absolutely critical at those colleges. There are many other excellent British colleges, of course.
Iâm sorry you feel you donât have good options. As you can see though, there are actually a lot of ways to handle your situation.
Earlham, Juniata, and Marquette are on the NACAC list above. All good schools. Check them out and definitely look at others on that list. Lots of good options.
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@AirMetro not sure why you thought UMass would not be a good idea regarding your future plans. And like others, I want to caution you that most academic jobs are adjuncts for low pay and no benefits. In addition, humanities are less popular these days, there is a glut of PhDâs, and the job market in academia is terrible. But by all means study what you are interested in, during undergrad. Be open to all kinds of interests.
I think UMass is your best bet. As an academically talented student, you may find it depressing to attend community college (I write this as a parent of a kid who did attend). I suggest that this fall you take a class or two as an unmatriculated student while applying for the spring term.
UMass Amherst is the flagship and you will have peer students there. The 5 college consortium offers the opportunity to take classes at the other 4 schools in the area. You might be able to get merit aid, but since it is your home state, presumably it will be affordable- we donât know your finances though.
UMass Amherst is highly respected. I am not sure why you left it out, but I have heard there is unfounded bias against it at competitive high schools. Too bad.
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OP- big hug to you. this is challenging, but you are going to come out of this with a terrific education.
To the grownups on this thread-- whoa. This is a kid who wants to major in Classics (and has the goods to back it up) and some of you are recommending colleges which have Latin 1 and a âtopics in Classical Studiesâ seminar and thatâs it. For a kid who has already surpassed that. The community colleges in my state would not provide the education this kid wants or needs no matter where he could end up transferring after essentially treading water for two years.
If heâd posted he wanted to major in physics or CS, nobody would recommend a U with no physics or CS major, Iâm pretty sure of that.
OP- U Mass has four different options for Classics majors (one is a joint major with Philosophy which looks super cool). Apply TODAY for Spring admissions (deadline is in October I think) and at least get that in the bag. Then I think your best bet is to find out why Rutgers put you into the Newark pile, not New Brunswick. If that means bugging your guidance counselor- go for it. You got bad advice, now is the GCâs chance to make up for it with some aggressive phone calls.
Re: your wait lists- where does money come in to all of this? Did you apply for aid?
You can fix this, you sound like a terrific student and any college should be thrilled to have you on campus!
Take a look at the Catholic colleges (even if you are not Catholic; they often have OUTSTANDING Classics and history)-- see which of the colleges are still accepting applications. Holy Cross for exampleâŠ
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