Hi, I’m a senior in high school who has 1540 SAT, 3.9 GPA, good EC’s, great background story and writing skills. I applied to around 10 T20 schools this year, but unfortunately, I was very late in the game and did all my applications in ~1 week (CA essay included). Due to the time span I had, I think my application suffered a lot. I was always planning on taking a gap year, and I’ll do that, but should I re-apply to these schools after my gap year? Does re-applying affect chances? Should I change up my whole application? I’d be glad to hear any kind of information regarding this situation, and thank you guys in advance.
It depends on how you use your gap year. If you are doing something life-changing and impactful, it is possible you might see different results. If not, your results will likely be the same next spring, even if you do spend more time and care on your applications. In either case, you would be better served applying to more match and likely schools so as to be assured of getting in somewhere.
Re-applying may not affect your chances per se, but the original set of results will be somewhat predictive of your re-application results, unless either your application is greatly different, or the colleges greatly change their admission preferences in ways favorable to your application.
Make sure that your application list next time has affordable safeties on it.
I tried something different with my application and it didn’t workout, also due to the timespan I had my essays were pretty bad. I think I have a good chance at getting into top schools if I spend 1-2 months on my applications.
That assumes that your essays were the main reason for rejection. But other things like extracurriculars and recommendations also matter, as does how the colleges view you as a fit from their point of view. If these were insufficient for admission, then better essays would not gain admission.
You’re right but I strongly believe that my essays were the reason I was rejected. I have a very compelling story and EC’s (IDK about my LORs tho)
Again, the quality of your gap year is going to matter. You can’t rest your T10 applications on a better essay and what you accomplished two to three years ago.
My plan is to actually go to Madrid and stay with a native family there for a couple of months until I figure out Spanish. Also I plan on working at my local library when I come back and read a lot, watch university class videos to figure out what I want to major in. Any recommendations on what else I should do during the gap year?
I don’t think spending a gap year on these activities will make any difference in outcomes at schools that have already denied you admission, at all.
Further, applications for 2021/22 will open this summer. Some will be due Nov 1, some Dec 1, some Jan 1…the reality is that any GAP year, no matter how worthwhile, may not make much impact because the time is so short. Depending on GAP year location and activities, it might also be difficult to manage the application process.
Talk with your GC and see if they can have some conversations with the AOs to see what might not have went wrong with your applications. The bottom line is unless you get some feedback, you are left guessing as to what fell short.
All the T20s were reaches for you (as they are for just about everyone without a hook)…applying to more T20s (you said 10) doesn’t increase ones odds of admission. If you do take a gap year, apply to more target schools than reaches, plus at least one safety…statistically speaking you will end up at a target or safety school, so spend relatively more time identifying those schools and completing compelling apps.
Edited to add: To what schools have you been accepted?
COVID-19 may interfere with international travel and libraries, so these may not be as reliable plans as, for example, working in a store that sells groceries.
(Did you study Spanish or some other foreign language in high school?)
It is hard to know for sure. However, your plan does not sound to me as if it is likely to make any significant difference in terms of your chances of being accepted to top 20 schools. As long as you apply to at least 2 solid safeties I do not see any harm in reapplying to a few top ranked schools.
I agree that the coronavirus might mess up the travel part of your plan, but I would certainly hope that the coronavirus would be over by the last part of your gap year, so it might just change whether you go to Spain before or after sending in your college applications.
Is your 3.9 GPA weighted or unweighted?
In my rather limited experience taking a gap year does frequently make sense, and can make a student a stronger student. If you want to take a gap year I do not see any harm in this. A few months in Spain is also likely to significantly improve your Spanish.
“Make sure that your application list next time has affordable safeties on it.”
This is certainly true.
Ok guys relax, I’m not taking a gap year because I didn’t get the results I wanted, I’m taking a gap year because I want to be like a curious kid learning by reading again (not school). So my application isn’t gonna be affected that much by the gap year. I’m gonna spend time to present an complete application. Also I got a full ride from Pitt and Alabama.
I plan on re applying because I want more time to research and find some colleges I love, complete my application like I should’ve and apply to a couple reaches, matches and some safeties