<p>I have been deferred from Georgia Tech, and I fear I will be rejected everywhere. I slaved over my common app essay but after applying, I showed it to a few CC essay readers and all of them said that it was pathetic. They gave me reasons why it sucked and I agree with them. My other stats are average but nothing extraordinary. I was counting on my essay but I screwed it up.</p>
<p>I am heartbroken and certain that I will be rejected from all of my colleges. This is also because I am an international student and US education is very expensive. My dad's told me that he would only be willing to pay, if I get into a top university, which I think I won't.</p>
<p>Lets assume that I do get rejected everywhere. What are my options? Can I take a gap year and apply again? What am I supposed to do in that one year? </p>
<p>Is anyone else in this situation? Have you guys thought of a backup plan?</p>
<p>“Can I take a gap year and apply again?” Yes but if you are rejected, that will remain on file and frankly, your chances are diminished. If you go this route, you should expand your list of schools.</p>
<p>"What am I supposed to do in that one year? " Apply some initiative and make yourself worthwhile. Work, volunteer, study. Maybe search for other Unis in USA/Canada, elsewhere.</p>
<p>Thephysicist: OP says dad won’t pay for a college with avg name recognition. We can’t understimate how strong a feeling that is for an international applicant.</p>
<p>1 - start working on the essays much earlier
2 - consider what you have learned from the admissions process
3 - find out what your father means by “top university” - does he mean prestigious, well known in your country, or a great education (those can all mean very different things).
4 - get a job an earn enough to pay your own way, rather than rely on him
5 - get a job an convince him to invest with you on your education at a “lesser” school (in his mind).</p>
<p>By top universities, my dad means the ones that are top ranked/sound good at dinner table conversation. He says that instead of sending me to a “crappy” college abroad, he would much rather send me to “crappy” college in India. They are much cheaper and closer to home. (Honestly, I think he has a point)</p>
<p>After taking a gap year, can I again apply to colleges. (not sure how the process works.) I am thinking along with US, I will also apply to UK and Canada. Do these countries allow one to apply after spending a year out of high school?
And in that one year, what all can I do to boost my chances of getting in. I will definitely retake tests and stuff, but I guess universities will also ask me what I did in that one year. What is the ideal answer? I obviously can’t say “prepared for SAT”.</p>
<p>This is simple. Apply to a good college where the essay is not a major factor, or where your stats are simply too good to ignore. Your stats are not average they are quite competitive. </p>
<p>If you go on collegeboard.org and type the name of the college, and then go under apply, you can see the factors that colleges use in admissions. </p>
<p>If you click on Georgia Tech, you see that essay is “Important”. Now if you go to, for example, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you will see that the essay is “Considered”. Another school where the essay is less important is Clemson. </p>
<p>Canadian schools, in general, don’t need or care about essays. </p>
<p>Frankly, your test scores are outstanding, and I think that you’ll get into a great place, but you’d better hurry up and get additional applications in. </p>
<p>Where have you applied? What is your intended major? If you are full pay, I don’t see you getting rejected from Wisconsin. I don’t see you getting rejected from Purdue either. </p>
<p>Rose Hulman, which is ranked number 1 for undergraduate engineering (which I don’t agree with, but your father would), cares less about the essay. </p>
<p>There are a lot of great schools in North America.</p>
<p>Taking a Gap Year is fine for all the countries you are looking at. But why not consider schools that are closer to home and much less expensive. Many Indians study in Singapore, for example. </p>
<p>The ideal answer to ‘what did you do this year’ is "I worked at… or I interned at… or, less commonly, I started a company/organization/business… or I developed my art portfolio… or I wrote a book… The point is, you can do anything that is a productive use of your time. Productive is defined as expanding your knowledge of your areas of interest and aptitude, increasing your skills, earning money to pay for college, contributing to your community, etc…</p>
<p>It sounds like you want to go to college in the US this fall. We want and need you here. </p>
<p>A gap year will cost you the present value of your first year’s salary plus all accrued raises because you will be delaying your education for a year. You want to be a computer engineer. Assume that you go to college this fall and graduate in May 2017. Then you can start working in June probably at a salary of say $60K/yr. You’ll work for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>Now consider that you take a gap year. You earn very little in 2013-2014, and don’t graduate until 2018. Now you’ve lost an entire year’s salary, around $60K less taxes, and you may not really be much better off, and have wasted a year. </p>
<p>Today is January 8th. There is still time to apply to a good safety school that will surely admit you. Your stats are great. You should be starting college in the fall. Let us help you find a good match. </p>
<p>So far, I have the following “top 25” schools for CompE
Purdue (your stats are good enough to get in) - rolling, Mar 1 deadline
Wisconsin (they probably won’t care about your essay) - rolling, Feb 1 deadline
Penn State (stats good enough, won’t care about your essay) - rolling
Maryland (your stats are good enough) - Jan 20 deadline
Texas A&M (they don’t even consider essay - not even sure there is one) - rolling
RPI - stats good enough to get in - Jan 15 deadline</p>
<p>Rolling means decisions are made first come first serve. Some majors might fill up. Haste makes waste.</p>
<p>If you were deferred from Georgia Tech… that means you must be doing something right that you wont’ get rejected from all the colleges in the US. If you think your grades are not good enough for top universities in the country, apply to colleges back home! and start applying to something else now. Like safety schools.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad - Wow!! Thanks a lot! I have already applied to Purdue and am looking at the other colleges you mentioned. I am currently filling the U of M app. (rewriting the essay)</p>
<p>Also, just out of curiosity, which do you think is the best college for undergrad studies? (Harvey Mudd?)</p>
<p>Michigan or Maryland. Michigan does care about the essay. Purdue does too, but I think that your stats are high enough to rule the day. Michigan is very competitive to get admitted to. </p>
<p>
If you mean which non-doctoral institution I think USNews should rank #1 instead of Rose-Hulman? </p>
<p>Yes, Harvey Mudd. They send a huge fraction of their class off to get PhDs. Cooper Union is no slouch either, but is much more hardcore and focused. </p>
<p>Those are very different places from big universities though. </p>
<p>If you mean which is the best place for an undergraduate to study, it depends on the student and how they learn best.</p>
<p>Where else did you apply? what are your stats? This might help people make useful suggestions.
Consider Case Western Reserve University if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>Apply for UCW scholarships, you don’t suck, you just got to put it more effort on everything that you do, put on your essays interest things about you, your life, how are you planing to change the world. It is the key to have a positive answer, just be yourself and that is going to be your ticket to a collage, Good luck, and let me know if this was useful for you</p>