<p>I'm at a point where I'm deciding between a year as a PG at The Kent School and a year at a normal (not community) college that has openings, such as University of Michigan-Dearborn.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with Kent, nor the other prep schools. I really do not know how good of a school it really is, considering Exeter is the top Harvard prep school (which obviously does not have openings). Kent also recently started PG's, so I'm not sure how many would be there, but who knows. </p>
<p>Going to college might be more normal, but the thought of "oh that's the best college you could get into" will almost certainly come to mind. IMO a PG year is ideal, but I really want to hear other points of views and opinions. Any comments are much appreciated!</p>
<p>Kent’s a fine school, although it would have been ideal to get into Andover or Exeter. The thing about a gap year is that the only grades your colleges will see are the ones from the first semester. So, it’s really only half worth it. If you show a strong improvement in your grades this fall, then you could certainly get in somewhere better than a community college. For people who go straight to college, it’s the junior year and then the senior fall that makes the biggest impact on candidacy.</p>
<p>If you do well in the PG year, and if your test scores bump up a bit, you should improve your entrance chances at competitive schools, even if Harvard is a very long shot. If you go to Mich-Dearborn, say, you’d have to apply as a transfer student, and your chances of transferring from there to an Ivy are close to zero.</p>
<p>Opensecret, would I really have to apply as a transfer? I could just do it as a freshman applicant, since transfer admits are almost nonexistent at H - some years they accept no transfers. I’m more concerned about U-of-M Dearborn being a low-key school and turning off admissions officers. Is it a better choice than Kent? I’m afraid taking a PG year to improve and reapply is notorious and will be laughed at :(.</p>
<p>Retter - yes, they would only see a few weeks of academic performance. I’m considering Harvard Summer School, but I might do Stanford summer school and score A’s there because I did not apply to Stanford this time around (will next time) and am VERY worried that Harvard officers will look at a year of Harvard SSP as “oh he’s desperate to get in… buy your way in… easy classes, easy profs, an A doesn’t matter… still did poorly in HS…”</p>
<p>So, if you achieved a very strong record during the Fall semester there, it might help, but your concern that Dearborn may not impress admissions officers is realistic. </p>
<p>You’re presumably aware that Harvard accepts only about 6% of its applicants, and valedictorians with 2400 SAT scores get rejected. It’s a long shot for everyone, and your situation probably makes you an even longer shot. It sounds as if your college application strategy was unrealistic. I don’t want to discourage you from pursuing your dream, but you need a realistic strategy to avoid further disappointment. Apply as a freshman to a broader range of schools. If you’re in Michigan, for example, apply to UM and MSU. Either would offer you the opportunity to pursue just about any academic interest you might have. As I’ve posted elsewhere, the research evidence consistently shows that students who go to Ivies have no more career success than similarly talented students who go to the nearest public university. Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton attended the University of Missouri, where he was a good student and an even better entrepreneur. It’s really true that what really counts is not which school you go to, but what you make of the school you attend.</p>
<p>I agree, it’s silly that I did not apply to more schools. My father was very comfortable about AFA, but nonetheless I should of picked up on the fact of my buddies applying to 10+ schools. There’s no doubt that the top schools (i.e. Stanford/MIT/Columbia versus Harvard) give the same great education, the difference is the students at the college (personality wise) and name. I have a list of five or six different schools that I believe will serve me equally well in my career choice; their acceptance rates range from the single figures to 30+%. </p>
<p>I’m still in question to how good of a school Kent is… is it as good of an education as Exeter, minus the Exeter name? It’s even more money than the Phillips Academics, at a tall $46k + expenses (tech/books/travel/discretionary).</p>