<p>^Actually test scores can be changed. 
But they are the variable that is least likely to help a second application IMO.</p>
<p>I see nothing wrong with the information he got. Probably more useful than some nicey-nice pap and empty encouragement. You want the truth or PR gibberish?</p>
<p>Basically unless he finds a cure for cancer the odds are very bad. Accept that and move on. Will have much happier life. If he wants a do-over on every little setback he wonât get very far.</p>
<p>What is the acceptance rate for his dream school? Is it in the single digit range?</p>
<p>I sincerely hope itâs not too late for him to accept one of the other offers. I understand how you want to support his âdedicationâ, but Soozievt is absolutely right on all of the advice given. It would be better to attend another school that he did get into and transfer next year if he still wants to try to get into X school. He will have college level work under his belt, and hopefully recs from college profs., and a whole other level in terms of essays. However, he may absolutely love the school that wasnât his first choice which is common.</p>
<p>I do know someone who was accepted to dream school after a gap year. I believe the gap year was already in the works even if she had been accepted to the college she wanted. Her college app process was very successful in that she was accepted to nearly all of her school. I donât think she was that upset about the one rejection/waitlist even though it was her first choice, but she decided she might as well give it another go since she was going to have another year to do so.</p>
<p>So she proceeded with her gap year as planned, but sent off another app just to the one school. She had sent a deposit and accepted her second choice school that granted the gap year. I donât know what she had to re do. Her apps were clearly outstanding as she was accepted to most of her selective school and the truth of the matter is that there is a chance element in this whole thing that could have been the main reason for denial in the one school. Her materials were truly âgood enoughâ for acceptance in that caliber of school. But she did ask the school what she had to do to be a re-applicant.</p>
<p>I donât excuse the rude employee. Unfortunately this can be the case anywhere and anytime. There are rude folks who work at any and every job, and I am sorry your son got someone who was that way. It is part of life however. I got a very rude reception just this week from something. Happens all of the time and sometimes at the most unexpected places. I will say, however, and this is not in defense of the rudeness, is that right now is not a good time to be asking this sort of thing, as the adcoms are dealing with a lot rejected/waitlisted kids that have not accepted the news and are trying to wrangle a spot. Itâs not an easy time for the admissions office,and those who are already a bit on the short side temperament wise may be getting snappish. She should not have been rude. granted. </p>
<p>I would call again when things have settled and re-ask the questions from someone else at the office. Maybe send a snail mail letter with questions including an e-mail and phone # so the adcom can get back to your son. It would be nice to address the regional counselor, but bear in mind if s/he doesnât seem thrilled with the idea, that is the person who is going to be acting on the application. Some schools are not big on reapps. You might get someone who is a great actor who will be as welcoming and sweet as can be, then rolling the eyes after speaking to you. Sometimes those who are a bit curt are more forthcoming with what the situation really is.</p>
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<p>Based on back posts, the OPâs son applied Regular Decision. The RD rate to his dream school was 9.9%.</p>
<p>Considering that the OPâs son ONLY wants to attend his dream school and didnât take his other acceptance offersâŠI am wondering why he did not apply ED to this dream Ivy as their ED acceptance rate is 26% (much better odds, though still quite chancy), and it is not as if they qualify for need based aid and had to weigh the FA offered. (though I admit confusion in a post that states the young man did not take the offer at one of his accepted schools as it was not a financially feasible option, but yet the Ivy has no merit aid and is quite expensive too)</p>
<p>ADad, I have known kids who have reapplied to schools during their gap year even as they are holding a seat at a school that has granted them the gap year. I donât know what the rules are for this and if the Gap year contract has language in it, stipulating that the student is not to apply to other program; if itâs like an ED contract. </p>
<p>Regardless of the pressures, and regardless if the info was solid, the person fielding the call should not have been rude or abrupt. Itâs not excusable to be that way. </p>
<p>My MT son was rejected from a number of programs. Very frustrating for him as he was accepted to a number of schools but not to the MT program. He did call a few of them to get feedback on his auditions, and some of the schools and people were just wonderful. They actually set up a phone conference, got his file and gave him some pointers. But some also gave him stock answers. some of which did not even pertain to him. They clearly were not interested in any such discussions. You do get all kinds of people in any job situation, and there is a huge variance in how these questions are fielded. </p>
<p>I did have a discussions with an admissions office this year on behalf of my cousinsâs child who was waitlisted. They were very gracious and said that if he did want to re apply next year, which was a question that they had, the admissions guy for his area whom I did get to meet and to whom I spoke, said that they would be happy to go through the process with him and give him a hand if he so wanted to go there. But this is a 30-40% accept rate school, not single digit. But he also said that right now was not a good time to discuss these things. and his recommendation was truly to go to his second choice school which he was happy to endorse as every bit as âgoodâ, unless he had other firm plans to do something else this year. And this was with the guy saying right out that they would probably admit him next year, given that he was so close this year and so badly wanted go there. All of this was said in the politest and most positive terms, by the way, however, the rep had not answered any e-mails said cousin had sent, nor had he returned any phone calls which was why I trekked to the office and personally inquired. (No, I have no association or clout with the collegeâabsolutely none).</p>
<p>cptofthehouse, I am curious how the adcom at that school discussed an applicant with you who was not your own childâŠyou say it was your cousinâs child. I was not aware that they do that and so it is interesting to read your account.</p>
<p>@OP â I just glanced at one of your other threads and now your sonâs decision to take a gap year makes more sense. With your new list of colleges chase the merit aid, as well as having your son apply to this dream school again.</p>
<p>Yep, I did an yep they did. I had copies of all correspondence to the school along with a request to please talk to me. The reception was actually warm, welcoming and polite. Never did it for one of my own. This one felt right to me for some reason, and it went smoothly but the outcome is now what we wanted. </p>
<p>Now of course, they could have been giving me a very polite blow off. If they did, they did it very well.</p>
<p>I just looked at the OPâs other threads, something I usually donât do, and ironically the school that the OPâs son is letting go is the same school that my cousinâs son want to gap and they wonât permit it.</p>
<p>Saying that some schools are not big on reapplications is an understatement. The woman on the phone was, in all likelihood, trying to help your son by discouraging an application that will almost certainly be denied. My guess, based on the response your son received is that it would take something quite extraordinary for this to happen and that she was giving him the clear message that he should not count on a favorable outcome. What would be rude in that case would be to lead him on.</p>
<p>I agree that he can try the regional rep at a less busy time or have the GC call to get further clarification, though.</p>
<p>Iâm not understanding of the chasing merit aid if the family is gung ho on reapplying to the Ivy because they have no merit aid and so donât apply if it is not a financial option to attend. I am not up on the OPâs case but read some old posts and it sounded like turning down at least one of the schools was due to the cost and so I donât see how the cost of the Ivy is gonna be better?</p>
<p>cptofthehouse, I think it is great that you advocated for cousinâs son and were able to talk to the adcom. I just was surprised that they would talk about a specific student with someone other than the GC or parent. So, it is enlightening to read. I helped my nephew with his second round of college admissions after a gap year and no success in his first round but would never have spoken to any schools directly. Then again, in my work as an independent college counselor, I also never speak to admissions offices on behalf of a student. Come to think about it, as a mom, I also never spoke to any on behalf of my own kids. But I learned something today if an adcom talked to a secondary relative about a student. Thanks for sharing your story.</p>
<p>roshkeâŠagree with you and I think the woman on the phone was likely doing her job in the way she was instructed to do with rejected applicants. Her advice was valid and realistic. She likely was not supposed to pass on such calls to adcoms. </p>
<p>I donât think there were any procedures to find outâŠthe student just has to apply all over again. Now, if they want an adcom to reflect on why the applicant was not accepted and what he can do to strengthen his app, it would help to have a GC call. Not all colleges will give a student or parent the answer to this question. An Ivy may say that they have way too many qualified students than they can accept and that there wasnât a reason the student was not admitted.</p>
<p>Perhaps the Profile estimator shows that if 100% of need is met, as it would be with any of the ivies, it is doable. The other schools on the list may not meet 100% of need but have merit money that could surpass that even and the OPs son is strong enough to be a candidate for that, along with having some financial need. A truly strong candidate with financial need could get full need met even at schools that do not meet need, especially with merit awards that such schools may have.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse, perhaps I misunderstood but I thought the OP said in a post on CC that they do not qualify for any need based aid. Thatâs why I donât get how the Ivy would be affordable if they turned down another school (I donât know the name of that school) that did not offer merit aid (or not enough?).</p>
<p>I didnât look at the posts carefully enough to comment on that. Just a lazy skim and noticed that the school is the same as the cousinâs second choice that wonât give the gap year. </p>
<p>I wouldnât recommend you sailing into Admissions as a paid college consultant and trying to advocate. Though I personally feel that this is a coming thing, getting paid consultants, just as test prep is now standard, many adcoms and GCs consider your professions maybe along the lines of another type of profession, if you get my gist. </p>
<p>In my case, I was going in there for a first generation college student who had won a merit award that went with a college program and a gap year. Student needs financial aid to go to any of the colleges but that award would take care of the problem. Parents live a distance away, I live near by, and have kids who have and will consider this school heavily. Whole other situation. I would be willing to bet that i would have been shown the door immediately had I been a hired gun.</p>
<p>. I also intervened last year at a prep school college process with the GCs at a high school that were being terribly remiss in handling a friend of mineâs daughterâs college process. In that case, I was not so polite, but they discussed the case with me with abandon with absolutely no paperwork or permission received. I think they were just shocked the way I approached it. I did identify myself and my relationship with the young lady and mom. I also was absolutely right and they were truly incompetent. I am still appalled at what they overlooked.</p>
<p>The Ivyâs offer the best financial aid. Based on another thread posted by the OP I was assuming they would qualify for financial aid at this dream school but not at most schools.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse, it is very inappropriate for an independent college counselor to contact admissions regarding a student. I never have and never will. </p>
<p>Pea:
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<p>Perhaps my misunderstanding comes from a post that says the following:</p>
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<p>The bold is mine. Yes, the Ivies have some of the best need based aid. We are middle class and my Ivy student got aid. But I was going by the OPâs statement of not qualifying for need-based aid. (there are different degrees of âmiddle classâ) I donât know the whole story for the OP but read where son got into two schools that did offer merit aid, but is not going to attend either one.</p>
<p>OP only knows. But, you know, Soozie, there are many families who will break the bank to pay for an ivy but not for another school. I know kids whose parents would have and did pay for certain selective school but refused to pay more than half price or whatever for schools that they did not deem worth the price. I personally thing because of that, HPY could probably triple their price and still get families in line ready to beg, borrow and break the bank to go there, but without some discount would not pay the $55K+ to some of the less illustrious schools. I have a trace of that feeling myself. I would probably advocate taking alot more in loans for a kid to go to Harvard, than to, say NYU. There is a luster there that translates to some dollar difference. Other than for the very top schools, however, there would have to be some very good striking reason, to borrow some of the ridiculous amounts families and kids are undertaking in loans. There are too many times, that it just plain is not worth it.</p>