@jon234. Didn’t take it that way at all. I was joshng a bit and joking is sometimes hard to convey in a post. LOL!
I was putting in a plug for BU despite being a bitter rival in hockey
In most cases, reapplying doesn’t work. Top-notch universities really need something that was missing before - ie., you applied with a 530 on your subject tests and now have 730 AND the invention you were tinkering with has won a national award AND you write much better essays AND somehow your teachers have more to tell. …
Basically, almost impossible.
While your age was a factor, it’s water under the bridge.
I agree that attending 12th grade in France would challenge you - I recommend the ES track if you really want to be stretched.
Think of universities you didn’t apply to that you’d like to attend.
And accept+defer from your current best choice explaining you plan on studying abroad.
If you don’t think you can be happy at Wellesley (an Ivy-equivalent), what makes you think you’d be happy at any Ivy?
I graduated from high school at 16 and took a gap year before starting college. I lived with a French family and had a fabulous time. I came back speaking fluent French which enabled me to travel to Paris to do research for my senior thesis. I’m a big fan of nailing down a language before starting college.
I would not bother to reapply to colleges. From everything I’ve seen here, students generally get rejected again from the colleges that rejected them in the first round.
Wellesley is of course more than a fine school. My son’s longterm girlfriend is from Wellesley. She is brilliant. (Now a PhD student at Columbia.) I’ve been impressed not just by what a great education she got, but also the wonderful alumnae network.
To me, this post is a sign that the OP would truly benefit from a year to grow and mature. In the OPs shoes, I think deferring for a year is an excellent idea.
Reapplying next year is going to be a ton of work and will not improve your chances, IMO. The odds are still ridiculously low. Wellesley is a fantastic top-notch college. You are lucky to have been admitted there. Good luck.
@Lindagaf I appreciate your insight, and this might just be a miscommunication, but I feel that what you said was a bit patronizing and misunderstood my original post, so I’m gonna clarify.
My intention was never to undermine the quality of the schools I got into; they are wonderful schools. I’ve worked very very hard throughout high school, as many have, to get into an ivy. For me, this dream/goal was very important, and I was very excited for it. When I got to visit Columbia, I was so excited about it and about the possibility of attending. With the schools I got into, I don’t feel excited. I think I’m still going to visit to make sure, but to me it is very important to pursue your goals, and with the amount of money I am spending, I don’t want to feel like I’m ‘giving up’ or ‘settling’. This may seem crazy from an outside perspective, but I’m just trying to figure out what will make me happy. Thank you guys for your help.
To your original question -I think it’s a big risk to turn down one of your acceptances. The likelihood of a school that rejected you this year, accepting you after a gap year is very small.
I personally think you’d be more successful starting at one of the schools that has accepted you (both fantastic options) and then try to transfer. IMO, that is much less risky.
@ivyorbust27 to answer your question, if you aren’t happy with the colleges you have been admitted to then it’s worth considering a gap year, especially given that you are on the younger side. However, it is also important to recognize that you may be in the same or worse position this time next year as acceptance to the tippy too schools will continue to be difficult and unpredictable.
It’s tough to imagine how you’ll feel if you don’t achieve your goals once again but if you think you’ll feel better giving yourself another opportunity then I encourage you to visit to your choices as well as investigating gap year options. Good luck with all your future endeavors!
Many people feel excited by the prospect of going to “an Ivy,” but, in fact, they are eight distinct colleges. They are not interchangeable. Understanding what makes them unique and what they each have to offer is key. Not sure you recognize that.
The hard work that you have done in order to get into a top school has paid off, and if you aren’t excited about the schools you got into, it indicates that perhaps your list wasn’t well-planned. You are not unique in working really hard and putting all your effort into getting into an Ivy League school. Believe me, there are SO many amazingly well-qualified and hardworking students who won’t get into their top choices, Ivy or otherwise.
As to your earlier question of improving essays and retaking SAT subject tests, you will have to either write entirely new essays or rewrite old ones. They might be better than your old ones, but will they give you an edge? Impossible for us to say. As far as retaking subject tests, I don’t see an advantage to that. The things that will tip the balance in a gap year are going to be nonacademic things, because you will be out of school.
Your odds of getting the same or better results next year if you reapply to the exact same places are not good. Please understand that Ivies don’t think “Oops, we made a mistake, we should have admitted this student last year”. They’ll think “This student thinks we made a mistake. We didn’t. Why are they reapplying?” Okay maybe not that bad but… similar.
Deposit at Wellesley after asking for a deferral to go to France.
Apply to a year in France (and ask for the Bac ES track).
Then, apply to universities you haven’t applied to.
Which Ivy+ universities did you NOT apply to and among these which do you like?
If you liked Columbia, next year apply to Barnard ED and you’ll know soon enough.
Op can also deposit at BU.
Not everyone wants a single gender college experience. And I know they can go to parties at MIT.
Both great. But everyone’s glossing over this wonderful and highly selective admit.
2019 admissions rate.
App.
Wellesley 20.5%+/-
BU 18.8%+/-
I applied to Barnard and got rejected unfortunately. I didn’t apply to Cornell or Dartmouth or MIT. I applied to 7 non “Ivy +” schools: Northeastern, Macalester, George Washington, Barnard, BU, Wellesley, and Tufts. I was rejected from Barnard, Tufts, and GW. I soent many, many hours on my list and could not find any matches or safeties I really loved.
@Lindagaf that makes sense. 
So, you got into Northeastern, Wellesley, BU, and Macalester?
Wow.
Are they affordable?
Revisit. Choose one to deposit at and defer. (Ask all 4 whether a deferral Fe a gap year abroad would be okay).
With the disclaimer that I cannot buy into the premise that the 8 Ivies are qualitatively different from or better than other top-tier colleges and universities (beyond an athletic league and self-perpetuating manufactured scarcity)… Cornell stands out among the Ivies as taking significantly more transfer students than the others. Lindagaf makes an excellent point, that taking one of the terrific birds-in-the-hand, and then considering whether to apply as a transfer, would be a less risky path. College admissions are unpredictable, as you have experienced already.
Regardless, I see no downside to a gap year abroad, given your goals, and many potential benefits.
Maybe try attending BU and Wellesley for an overnight, sit in on classes, and see how you feel about them if you haven’t already.