<p>Pizzagirl, I am involved via extended family in a situation that is not the same, but involves the same second choice school. The problem is it does not allow a gap year which the young man wants. It also doesn’t offer or take what my cousin’s son wants/needs. The first choice school does, as do other colleges. The need evolved over the year otherwise ED would have been a good idea as would having other schools on the list that are amenable to those situations. My cousin’s son applied almost exclusively to state schools and none of them will work with him in his situations whereas nearly every and any selective private school has provisions for this. </p>
<p>With the OP’s son’s stats, he is highly likely to get his full ride offer from his state school even next year–he will have to reapply, yes, but the chances are good. So choice 2 is not something that he has to worry much about. But they will not give him a gap year. He will have to reapply, and he is fine with that. Since he has to reapply there, he might as well try choice 1 again and add some more schools in the mix as well. It would be nice if he could get information as to how to enhance his app this time around and find out if there is a striking reason why he was not accepted this year. I don’t know how willing schools are to do this as the highly selective schools would get bombarded with the “whys”. </p>
<p>There are schools that will do this. I know for a fact, because they have done it. Most of the time, the counselors are the ones who can get that info most honestly and directly from the adcoms. My son got some very direct information as to why he was not selected for some MT programs when he applied some years ago. He also got the brush off from some schools that gave him a generic answer that was not useful at all. </p>
<p>My friend’s daughter was not accepted at her college (where mom works), and they did give her very specific reasons as to why she did not get into the college. It was not a general reason, but pointed directly to issues. They also out and out said that her transfer chances were excellent if she did certain things.</p>