re-applying to a new college during gap year

<p>Do not tell any of the colleges that you are applying to about deciding not to attend Case this fall. That is none of their business. For all they know, you had been planning to take some time off between high school and college for years! What matters in your essays is why you want to attend college/university X. Focus on that.</p>

<p>pennylane2011, i do very much appreciate your extensive responses, they really help a lot in terms of putting perspective onto things. i will ask more questions if you don’t mind if i think of any. you seem to know a lot!</p>

<p>happymomof1, that’s what i thought originally , but my worry is, wouldn’t that be lying? if they find out im already admitted to another university, won’t i get in some sort of trouble? couldn’t that risk not getting admission at all? and how would i tell them that another university is offering me more scholarship money? i want to tell them about the competing amount of scholarship money later on so that i can convince them to give me the same amount, if not more. i want to say whatever i need to in order to get in and seem like a worthy candidate. should i just say that im re applying because i wanted to take a gap year to work and volunteer, and that i am still interested in the school?</p>

<p>siliconvalleymom;</p>

<p>in my first post, i said that at this point it does not look like i will be doing anything like that, its not up to me it’s up to my dad. im 17 and have no money, so he is essentially in control. i will be applying ED to the schools i decide to apply to,and i wont have much time (2 months or less) to do anything interesting like that. im very limited. the only thing for sure that i can do is do sat prep and retake the sat.</p>

<p>You really need to check that agreement!</p>

<p>I know someone who deferred a year–like you she had graduated in 3 years. She wanted to apply to other colleges during that year. She was told that she had to notify the college that had accepted her and withdraw her acceptance before applying to any other colleges.</p>

<p>Who told her that? Her high school guidance counselor. Why? Because the HIGH SCHOOL also had to sign something when she accepted and deferred and whatever it signed said that the SCHOOL could not mail her high school transcript etc. to any other colleges without notifying the college where she had been accepted and agreed to enroll. According to the GC, as soon as the college received the notification, the college would revoke the acceptance. </p>

<p>So, step #1 for you, IMO, is to contact your high school and find out if it is willing to mail out your transcript, etc. to other colleges WITHOUT notifying Case. </p>

<p>You don’t want to go to Case? Fine. Tell Case that and apply elsewhere. But I doubt that you are permitted to hold onto your acceptance and go fishing for better deals.</p>

<p>I’m happy to answer questions if I can. I am a mom of college applicants, not an expert, but I will try my best as I have read about this a lot.</p>

<p>Applying ED is binding, and unless there are unusual financial circumstances, you will be committed to your ED choice. You can only apply to one school ED ( you can also apply to several EA- early action- which is non binding -but only one ED)</p>

<p>Holding a spot at Case while you look around may not be allowed or considered ethical. I don’t know any school that would be OK with that discussion in an application. The deferral is based on the goodwill that you will return after a gap year. College budgets are limited and that spot, and the money are being reserved for you and can not be given to anyone else. I agree with checking the agreement you signed carefully. You also need your high school to back you up so that they are not involved in something that will reflect poorly on them. I think, when a student is accepted ED, the high school can not send the transcripts to other colleges in the application process. I do not know about deferral for a gap year.</p>

<p>It is fine to have a job during a gap year to earn money. The colleges will want to see you better yourself and there are many ways to do that at home. Yes, Dad is in control at this point, but I hope he will agree to a plan to do this. </p>

<p>Integrity is a very important part of the application process, and obviously life in general. Just like you can not exaggerate on an application, you must adhere to any commitment you make- like ED, or accepting a place. Your agreement with Case needs to be considered and if it is not allowed, you would need to withdraw before you apply anywhere else .You don’t need to discuss why you turned down a school, if you did, or which school. A better case is to discuss your plans for a gap year and how it will improve you, apply to schools with merit aid where you are at the top of the applicant pool and that are a good match for your interests.</p>

<p>I don’t see how merit would be awarded from Tulane when they rejected you.</p>

<p>Merit is for the top students that they accept. The other students that they accepted didn’t get merit. If they accepted you, then you’d be in that crowd of “other students”.</p>

<p>To get merit from Tulane, stats need to be high…like Math + CR SAT of 1420+.</p>

<p>i dont think so. i know people with much lower stats that applied EA who got the president’s scholarship, around 22-24,000. but just in case, i will retake the sat. my gpa is pretty high already.’</p>

<p>i only got waitlisted by tulane because i applied kinda late. the admission’s office sent me a personal email stating that they didn’t use their waitlist at all last year due to the massive amount of applicants. most of the students who they gave admission accepted and there was just no room. i was among the first group of waitlist picks</p>

<p>“Currently taking a gap year; COA at accepted university did not work within family budget. Taking a gap year to build funds through work experience.”</p>

<p>aunt bea, is that along the lines of what i should say? what does COA stand for?</p>

<p>Yep, the colleges understand that they don’t provide much in funding and that families are caught with the expenses. Don’t be wordy, just state the facts. After you are released from Case Western, just write the above to explain why you’re taking a gap year. Simple and sweet. This is the same explanation you can give to CW. </p>

<p>Other schools will like that you’re trying to be “fiscally responsible” by helping to raise funds to pay for your education. </p>

<p>COA is Cost of Attendance. It is what it costs you and your family to attend that institution: tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, travel.</p>

<p>another question–where should i explain my plans/explaination for my gap year? should it be my main essay or should i email it as supplementary documents later after i have submitted my application? i really wanted to work on a fun/crafty/clever essay to peak the interest of the admissions officers. i might break down the lesson/psychology behind a popular children’s book, and write about how it inspires me. or anaylze how a person’s shoes shows their personality–something fresh that differs from the typical direction of a college admissions essay. i have a lot of time on my hands to make this into something really cool. any thoughts?</p>

<p>I think it depends on the college, and, I think it’s great that you are doing something creative and entertaining by displaying your uniqueness.</p>

<p>I think if it were me, I would put it in the supplemental, but I could be wrong. Harvard’s ‘essays publication book’ prints out accepted applications’ essays. There have been students who have developed game boards with their life stories and goals as steps on the monopoly-type boards. </p>

<p>Just be yourself, show yourself, be honest, and take your time. Get your license, get a job, and don’t take any classes! Keep your gap year open. Good Luck!</p>

<p>thanks for the encouraging words as always aunt bea!! when the time comes, if i get into some of the schools i apply to, and they send me the merit package and it’s not enough, how should i ask for more aid? should i say that there is another school that is offering more money or should i leave that out? </p>

<p>sorry i don’t mean to be overly persistent–i just wanna ask as many questions as i can so i can be fully prepared.</p>

<p>i’m still working on getting answers from CW’s office of admissions about if i am allowed to look at other schools, so far no emails back.</p>

<p>Premed girl: This is why you need to look at the costs of the schools before you apply. I suggested SUNY’s because their cost is considered “reasonable”, they usually give good aid if you have good stats, and they have medical schools on some of their campuses. </p>

<p>I would really suggest that you NOT play the money game of “XyZ college is offering me more money”. They would just say, okay go to that college then. No colleges are giving full packages because no one can afford it.</p>

<p>What you can do is talk to FA and ask if their are other things you could do to gain more FA. SUNY Buffalo offered my dd a full ride in 2008. They are not in the position to do that anymore because of decreased endowments, but I think you could get pretty darn close. </p>

<p>STEM (science, technology, engineering and math, I think) is beginning to fund more schools and programs, and SUNY schools are taking advantage of those monies, so I think you have a good shot at a STEM scholarship at a SUNY.</p>

<p>Seriously though, look at cost first, it will bite you later if you don’t consider costs now. You shouldn’t have to go into enormous debt in undergrad because later, medical school costs are going to really shock you! Once you receive your degrees, and are practicing medicine, no patient will say, “I want to be seen by a doctor from XYZ university”.</p>

<p>i found a post by the dean about this issue!!! however, some of what she said contradicts what some of you guys said. here’s a quote from the article, the last paragraph:</p>

<p>"When applying to new colleges, you should be honest about your situation. In a supplemental letter or essay, tell admission officials what your original plans were and why and how they’ve changed. Be as specific as possible, explaining why you now feel that their institution is the right choice for you. If your new college offers particular academic programs that meet your current needs, be sure to say so. "</p>

<p>she said this, but i’m not sure. should i take her advice or would you advise to not say that i am not admitted, because it’s none of the college’s buisness? how do you think the college i apply to will see one vs. the other? how might it affect my chances?</p>

<p>aunt bea, i still really like what you wanted me to say. what do you think?</p>

<p>here’s where the article is from: [Re-Applying</a> to College During Gap Year - Ask The Dean](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000309.htm]Re-Applying”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000309.htm)</p>

<p>** . . . due to conflicts ive had with him and finances, he is making me take a gap year.**</p>

<p>Be honest and say: "I had to take a gap year after my family and I discovered that my merit aid, as well as our family budget, could not sufficiently cover the cost of attendance at my originally selected university. </p>

<p>This year, I have worked, to help my parents pay for my education, and as such, I have researched and discovered that some of my aspirations can be met by xyz university."</p>

<p>I forgot to add: the colleges know that people don’t have money. Knowing that the family budget can’t cover costs, is a legitimate reason to reevaluate your choices.</p>

<p>My eldest DD got into Johns Hopkins. She didn’t receive a penny of aid and 2 of her classmates also got in without any merit aid. At that time in 2008, the tuition was $56K. My dd was really upset that we couldn’t send her there (her “friends were going, why can’t” she?). </p>

<p>We (hubby and I) were shocked that she didn’t get it-over a quarter of a million dollars to pay for her education over 4 years is ridiculous!! Her friends’ parents took out home equity loans to pay for the tuitions. We weren’t about to risk losing our house if dd defaulted on the loan. So she went to SUNY Buffalo, where they paid her tuition for 2 years. She likes her school and her program is very competitive, but is also reasonably priced.</p>

<p>

One circumstance is asking for financial aid, being admitted, but the aid offered isn’t enough to support attendance; you tell them thanks but no thanks, and apply RD elsewhere.</p>

<p>a ~1900 SAT is just too low for merit money from Emory or Tulane. And note, that Tulane does not meet full financial need, nor do some of the other schools on your original list.</p>

<p>Vonlost, you are correct if it concerns need based aid. You can’t undo the ED agreement on the basis of not enough merit aid. When you apply ED, you agree to attend the college, regardless of how much merit aid you get. If your EFC is high, I doubt the financial need reason will be honored. </p>

<p>Breaking the ED agreement without solid evidence (low EFC) that one is truly unable to pay the costs is considered unethical. The student gains an admissions advantage in applying ED which requires that the student commit to the university except for serious unforseen circumstances- which include inability to pay. This is a mutual commitment that should be taken seriously. When one applies ED, it is assumed that the family is willing to pay the EFC. ED is not a good option for families that wish to compare FA packages before deciding, and once you are accepted ED, you must withdraw your other applications.</p>