Question about gap year (didn't know where to put this)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello, everyone. So first I want to say that I didn't apply to any ivies this year because my standardized tests weren't that great, and because of money issues that my family had this year. I was 9/112 and had an sat of only 1910, but I know that I can get this up with some studying and practice that I should have done before I took my SATs.. I was wondering whether or not my chances of getting into some ivies would go up if I took a gap year. I can't pay for college because we're poor, so would working a job or two to get some money for college, and raising SAT's to 2100-2200 levels help me? </p>

<p>Would they look down on my app because of a gap year? I don't necessarily want to get into an ivy because there are some pretty good schools that I'm looking at for finance, but you get my point. If you take a gap year and use that allotted time to do productive things, like have a job, volunteer, and raise scores, will I have decent chances at top colleges? Obviously HYPS and those types of universities would still be a long shot, but I just want to know if this type of gap year would be detrimental to my chances. I know that a deferred gap year (or whatever it's called,) where someone is accepted at a college, but decides to take a year off, is good. I just don't know if my kind of gap year would be bad :(.</p>

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<p>Taking a gap year to work, volunteer, and raise your scores is perfectly valid, but you MUST NOT take any community college or other class.
Be aware that what you describe so far would be unlikely to suffice for Top 10 universities/LACs unless you come from difficult circumstances where you had to overcome a lot just to get to what your describe.</p>

3

<p>You need to do something worthy during that year.</p>

<p>Is it that your parents’ income/assets wouldn’t qualify you for good aid? So, you aimed at schools with high merit aid possibilities? Because the Ivies are “meet full need,” per what they see as your need. (You ran NPCs right?) And, 1910 is not below some cutoff. It depends on your strengths, accomplishments, how you present yourself and how your CR or M match your projected academic field. And where you live, the competitiveness of your hs and others in the area.</p>