Love your safety. That means, put the same level of scrutiny into identifying and visiting and appreciating schools you are likely to get into, as you put into parsing out the subtle differences between Cornell and Penn.
“Don’t. It is far better to take a gap year doing something incredible for the world and reapplying the next year than to go to school you feel isn’t good enough for you.”
In fantasy: doing something incredible for the world
in realty: playing video games all day long, stay late watching Netflix, and wake up at noon
Resubmit basically the same application again after the gap year.
Actually, @amNotarobot, many students have very productive gap years providing growth and experience.
^^^ I knew some students who took gap year myself, but most of them already got a college they wanted to attend but due to already got an opportunities to a on a Broadway show for a year, doing some mission aboard, awarded as an exchange student to other country, so the accepting schools allowed them for the gap year, but not the reason that OP posted.
I’m not sure that a gap year will accomplish anything in this particular case. The exact same schools will be available, the OP will have the exact same qualifications.
The problem I have with the OP’s line of thinking is that it treats an educational opportunity like the final goal. If you don’t get into a particular school you have failed and it’s necessary to set aside your education until you get that singular opportunity. In my opinion education is a pathway and where you receive it less important than your desire to get it. I think that investing in ones education is worth it. Investing in a 4 year “experience” is something most of us don’t have the resources for. I think it could be argued that focusing on the dream college shortchanges the experiences and opportunities one gets by taking what life affords you. 4 years is such a short period in most of our lives and in the end the college experience is similar regardless where you attend. if you do nothing but attend classes at Harvard you’ve gained nothing over the student who has done the same at their state directional. If you take advantage of opportunities at said directional it will likely open more opportunities for you. I applaud the accomplishments of those students who have the credentials to apply to elite schools but that also gives you the credentials to make a difference wherever you.
Every school has its shortcomings just as every house does no matter how perfect it may seem at first. Everything in life is a compromise. If you set the bar to high its easy to become disappointed. Start off with realistic expectations. Applying to too many reach schools can set one up for diappointment especially when little research was done regarding a backup school(s). On CC you will see kids apply to every Ivy yet the Ivy’s are vastly different which kind of tells me its not about fit but prestige. The object is to get an education within your families financial parameters to provide one with economic opportunity. It is a means to an end. As more and more kids fill the seats at state flagships and local state schools not well known outside their region you will find plenty of top students as well as plenty of opportunities. There are plenty of diamonds in the rough. Living in GA because of our HOpe and Zell scholorships a large percentage of top stats kids stay in state and bypass the more prestigious schools. And each year the bar is being raised at the respective state schools. Waiting for the perfect school taking a gap year may never happen. Apply to realistic schools at the start.