Need Help Picking Schools to Apply to During Gap Year

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi guys, as you can guess, I messed up. I applied to some schools that were reaches and some schools that were about right, but I did it in a way that was both childish and lazy. This whole process was beyond me and, as I look back, I wish I would have reached out for help sooner. I'm on three wait lists, but we all know the odds of getting off of one, and I'm not crossing my fingers. Sucks, huh?</p>

<p>Of course I could have just went on to my safety and called it a day, but I was already planning to take a gap year WOOFing and traveling, so I feel justified in taking another crack at it (my parents aren't so happy, but I hope they will understand later.)</p>

<p>Basically I want help finding "fit" schools to apply to. I'll post my stats below.</p>

<p>I go to a small rural highschool with no AP or IB. I've had three counselors in four years and the most recent one just graduated college. She is really nice, but she wasn't really able to help me in my pursuit because she had no more experience with this than I did. There isn't much opportunity to do community service, but that's not a good excuse. To be honest I spent a lot of time putting my apps off and playing video games, now I'm paying the price.</p>

<p>3.98 GPA (on 4.0 scale); Something like 5th in my class ( i got an A- in Ag 1 and an A- in weights my Freshman year); 33 ACT (only a 7 on the writing); Student Council President; Missouri Scholars Academy Scholar; National Merit Commended student (I should have prepared for it =/); captain of quiz bowl team (won districts twice now, but we aren't good enough to go to state)</p>

<p>I currently have two jobs, one as a Service Tech at my dad's quick lube and one as a salesman/marketing guy for a local not-for-profit. I volunteered for a state rep campaign last summer, but we lost. Other than that my extra curriculars kind of suck.</p>

<p>ANY help would be greatly appreciated. If you think there is something I need to do, feel free to let me know. If you think I'm an idiot for not putting more effort into my future, you aren't alone, friend!</p>

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<p>What is wrong with your safety?</p>

<p>What are you looking for in a school, including cost constraints and academic programs?</p>

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<p>There’s nothing WRONG with my safety (Truman State University), but since I’m not going to college this fall anyway I don’t see anything wrong with applying again. Am I wrong in that train of thought?</p>

<p>I should have said that I’m not exactly sure what I want to do with my college career. Small class size, strong academics, and good financial aid programs are key. One of my main concerns is that I’m surrounded by people that care about more than just a GPA. I’d also prefer the school to be in an urban area if for no other reason than to get away from the sticks for a change.</p>

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<p>For financial aid, you want to run the net price calculators on the college web sites.</p>

<p>Smaller classes at the frosh and soph level can often be found at small LACs and non-PhD-granting universities. You can check the on-line class schedules at the various schools to see what the actual class sizes are.</p>

<p>You may also want to check catalogs and schedules to see how each school’s offerings are in the general areas you might major in. Small schools may be more limited in this respect, unless they have cross registration with a conveniently close large school.</p>

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<p>Sun, There’s nothing in your profile that would keep you out of any college in the US. What you have to do is focus on what you WANT and then figure out what will get you in. Many students apply successfully after a gap year, though I think it’s fairly rare to be accepted by a college that rejected you a year ago. (I’m sure it’s happened to someone, though.)</p>

<p>Your gap year may just end up being your best EC. Try to schedule activities that are resume and essay friendly in the early part of your time out of school. </p>

<p>I would suggest that you start with your ideal (even if it turned out you weren’t their ideal) and try to find schools in the same personality, but in varying levels of selectivity. </p>

<p>Ask your parents to use a few on-line net price calculators to determine how much need based aid you may be eligible for. Need based aid varies from college to college but this will give you an idea of whether it’s workable. If you need merit aid, you will have to assemble a different list as many selective private colleges do not offer merit aid, period.</p>

<p>Fit is personal and we don’t know enough about you personally to make recommendation.s I’m a fan of small liberal arts colleges, even the ones in rural settings. Small class size and supportive and nurturing faculty are their main attractions.</p>

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<p>Sounds like a perfectly reasonable course of action. Truman is a great safety because of the automatic admissions based on stats. Which schools did you already apply to. That might help figure out what you’re looking for.</p>

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<p>@momrath
I’m really excited about my gap year. Like I mentioned, I plan on WWOOF’ing (world wide opportunities on organic farms) among other things while traveling through Europe. I know a lady that just finished her Masters degree in creative writing, and I just started talking to her about what I need to do to improve my writing. She’s agreed to help me however she can so I hope to be a better writer come fall.
On a related note, should I retake my ACT to get a better writing score? </p>

<p>@ClassicRockerDad
My list kind of embarrasses me now because I didn’t get in anywhere, but this is it
Reaches:Amherst, Columbia, Yale, WashU(waitlisted)
Matches (Although maybe I was being overly cocky considering these matches. That’s one of the main reasons I started this thread.): Carleton(waitlisted), Grinnell(waitlisted)
Safety: TSU</p>

<p>Don’t think I’m super arrogant or anything, I’m really not. I guess I’m just kind of an idiot for having more reaches than matches.</p>

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<p>Tulane.
They give out good merit aid as well as community service awards. Might you do some sort of great community service during your gap year??</p>

<p>Major?</p>

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<p>@Crazed
For whatever reason, I’ve never look into Tulane, but I definitely will. I want to be a poly-sci major - maybe - and the crazy bald guy that managed Bill Clinton’s campaigns is a professor there if I remember correctly. That would be a cool class…</p>

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<p>Doing WWOOF during your gap year is a good plan. [That’s assuming that you’re really interested in organic farming. Don’t do anything just to pad your resume!] </p>

<p>A gap year is really more like 15 months and can get expensive if you’re living away from home without income, so plan carefully. Use the time to experience and grow and think about how to articulate your learnings in your application. You want to be able to explain lucidly the reason that you chose to take a gap year – and it shouldn’t be because you were disappointed in your acceptances.</p>

<p>Remember you need to be in position to write and assemble your applications before the December deadlines. </p>

<p>In the interim pursue the waitlists with vigor. There’s plenty of advice on this forum on how to do that. You’ll see some movement in May/June.</p>

<p>I’d apply again to the schools that waitlisted you. I’m not sure about the ones that rejected. It’s hard to see a unifying thread in your choice, but if you liked Amherst, Carleton & Grinnell, you should add some other LACs and medium sized privates across a spectrum of selectivity. </p>

<p>You do need to clarify the financials though. Many of the schools on your original list do not offer merit aid. Does need based aid work for you or not? An ED application might give you a boost, but only consider this if you’re sure about the money.</p>

<p>Don’t beat yourself up over the outcome of your applications. Your qualifications are good including your scores and ECs. You may just need to understand better how to craft a compelling application. Also, small LACs are especially keen on demonstrated interest. Visit if you can. If it’s not possible, think about how to communicate that X would be the right place for you.</p>

<p>Re-connect with your recommenders. They will have to revise their recommendations to reflect your Gap year.</p>

<p>I don’t know that I’d take the ACT again. You may do worse. I’d consider trying the SAT, though. With preparation! Be aware that some colleges require SATIIs.</p>

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<p>@momrath
I’ve been considering taking a gap year for months. By the time February was here, I had already decided I would defer admission. I’ve been saving money ever since and my tentative goals are to leave for Ireland at the beginning of September and be gone until April. To be honest my interest isn’t so much in organic farming as it is in working outside and with my hands for a few months. I’ll also be using help exchange, which is similar but not necessarily focused on farming.</p>

<p>Maybe you are right about the compelling app thing…do you have any literature you would recommend? I have been contacting the schools I’m waitlisted at, but I’m not getting my hopes up.</p>

<p>I’m actually going to get different rec’s. My science rec called me lazy in his letter because I don’t always finish my homework in his class (I ended last semester with a 96%). The other one I’m going to change just because I have worked with this English teacher all year and he offered to write one should I need it.</p>

<p>I’m not sure if I could get much in merit aid. Other people look like they’ve had much harder course loads than I have. I’m mostly hoping for strong need-based aid, but my parents are divorced and remarried which might hurt me.</p>

<p>The reason I never took the SAT is because the closest testing facility is an hour and a half away. </p>

<p>Something else I’m wondering, say I apply to seven schools. Should I go for something like 1 reach, 5 “matches” of varying degrees, and my safety?</p>

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<p>sun, your number 1 priority is to understand your financial options. There’s no point in knocking yourself out for admission if you can’t afford it. You are right that divorce complicates the estimated family contribution but it’s certainly not an uncommon situation. </p>

<p>Don’t just hope for the best. Ask your parent(s) to use an on line net price calculator right away. If they’re not comfortable doing this, perhaps you could enlist a teacher or clergy person to help explain the process. You need to know what you can afford, black and white. Do this now!</p>

<p>If, after you subtract a reasonable amount of need based aid, you still have a substantial financial gap, then you’ll have to re-calibrate your list, to include more merit-generous and lower cost choices.</p>

<p>Merit aid is unpredictable so you have to cast a wide net. If your high school doesn’t offer AP courses, then you won’t be penalized for not having them on your transcript. </p>

<p>There may be other demographic factors that you haven’t considered: for example, your family’s economic status, your parents’ education level, your ethnic/racial/religious background. A hard working kid from rural MO could be a plus in some situations. </p>

<p>Your gap year will also be a positive. You just have to think about how to articulate what you gained and what you hope to gain from the experience.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry so much about which are reaches and which are matches. Go for fit, go for schools that appeal to you, go for schools that you can afford. Have two solid safeties that you could imagine yourself attending.</p>

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<p>@momrath
I’m so sorry I keep missing this: I have done like a million and a half net price calculators. The estimate is affordable, but they don’t take into account my father’s/stepmother’s income. If what the calculators show is correct or even close, I’m in a pretty good place for need based aid.</p>

<p>As for economic status and whatever: We are middle class, maybe lower middle class? I’m white and a first gen college student.</p>

<p>I’m assuming you are a parent that has went through this process recently with your child. When you and your kid were looking at colleges how did you filter through everything and get at what made the school a good fit for you? When you saw were looking at two great schools, what made you say, “This one isn’t good for us at all”? When I look at schools they seem largely the same.</p>

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<p>PS, on the compelling application: you need to focus on the subjective parts of the application. You seem to understand what you need to do on the academic teacher recommendation. You could also include a third recommendation from someone who led or mentored you during the first months of your gap year.</p>

<p>Your essays are also key. Again, your experience in Ireland may provide a a good topic, but honestly working at your Dad’s lube shop could be just as good. You just want to pick a moment in time and use the experience to illustrate something about yourself. As one admissions director said, Let us into your world.</p>

<p>You could also include a resume that fleshes out what you like to do when you’re not in class. Skip the video games, though, unless you’re designing them. Your work experience at home and your travel experience during your gap year would both be of interest to many schools. </p>

<p>The point is to make yourself interesting on paper. Don’t lie, don’t embellish, just communicate.</p>

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<p>I’m not an expert at financial aid, but there’s a wealth of information on this board. Your father’s income will be considered. I’m not sure about your step-father’s.</p>

<p>You might be eligible for QuestBridge. Look into it.</p>

<p>I am a parent. When my son when through the process of selecting colleges he did a lot of research in books and on line. He also had pretty good resources at his high school, both in counselors and recent alums.</p>

<p>The key to picking the right school, however, was the visit. After visiting, he was able to determine his number one choice. He then put together a list of schools with similar characteristics – ambience, personality, character, environment – but in a range of selectivity. He was fortunate to be admitted to his number one, early decision, but I think he could have been happy at the others as well.</p>

<p>For example if your top choices are Amherst, Carleton or Grinnell, you might also like Williams, Middlebury, Rhodes, Kenyon . . . there are many other small LACs.</p>

<p>If your top choice is WUSTL, you might also like JHU, CMU. . . there are many other mid-sized privates.</p>

<p>If your top choice is Yale or Columbia – good luck! The Ivy League and like elites are reaches for everyone. Apply, yes, but don’t count on it.</p>

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<p>@momrath
Thank you so much for all of the information and for being so positive about it. My top choices WERE Amherst and Grinnell. I threw Carleton in because I felt that the campus would have a similar vibe to Grinnell’s. I do have to say that I love the…grandness? of schools like WUSTL. That campus is SO beautiful. I would love to live at a place like that. </p>

<p>I’m going to be doing everything I can to reverse my fortunes. It isn’t the fact that I wasn’t accepted anywhere that bothers me, it’s that I feel like its my fault. I’m truly ashamed of myself.</p>

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<p>Well you did get one acceptance and at a good school at that. If you can defer your acceptance at Truman, you can go into your gap year with confidence, as you still have a fall back. </p>

<p>You may be right that one of your recommenders sabotaged you. Or maybe you did yourself in with weak essays. Or, it just could have been bad luck, in a year when several academically strong LACS like Grinnell – and I think Carleton – saw increases in the number of applications.</p>

<p>There are plenty of colleges like Amherst and Grinnell so you’ll be able to put together a healthy list. In addition to the ones I mentioned, I’d also look at Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Macalester.</p>

<p>But for sure, get clarity on your financial situation, pronto! </p>

<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>

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<p>Just to clarify, I’m not trying to say that the reason I didn’t get in was because of that rec. All I know is that he told me he sent them that to temper the positives. I don’t think that he did it with any malicious intent nor do I really blame him. I take all responsibility for not getting in. I was a childish git that didn’t treat college admissions with the respect it deserves, but this year will be different. </p>

<p>Since Truman is a state school I’m just going to reapply and it won’t really make any difference. It’s super affordable too so nbd.</p>

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<p>Is the wait list deadline up for all these schools that you waitlisted at?</p>

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<p>@wannago231
If you mean did I accept a place on the waitlist, yeah I did. If you mean are they done pulling from the waitlist, they won’t start for another week at least.</p>

<p>It isn’t that I’m not trying to get off the waitlist, I’m just planning for the next twelve months assuming I won’t be pulled from the waitlist.</p>