Just thinking about all possible options. I started high school with a 3.8 GPA in 5 out of 6 honors classes. Sophomore year I took a tiny decline but still managed a 3.66 with 4 of 5 honors classes. This year I took a major dive because of recurring problems controlling my mental health. I’m finally starting to get over the hump, but the damage has been well done. I got a 3.4 first semester with two honors and an AP out of 6 classes and I ended the third quarter with a 2.92 GPA. There is still time to correct some of those bad grades (quarter grades aren’t on transcripts), but I feel as if I’ve already dug myself in a hole. I have a 34 composite ACT score and I feel that’ll help a little in admissions, but my GPA will ruin my chances with my top choices. Should I consider a post-grad year? I feel like if college admissions don’t go my way next year I could benefit.
PG year generally only helps athletes.
I guess I’d ask what you consider “college admissions not going your way” to be?
Are you shooting for a school with admit rates in the single digits? Because unless you have an amazing narrative that comes across in your essays and recommendations, you will probably be disappointed.
That said, I bet there are plenty of schools that would gladly admit you. You just have to be sure your “apply to” set includes those schools.
Or you can consider a gap year? If you have been struggling with personal issues some time off might be advantageous. A post-grad year or going to college can be stressful and you don’t want to undo all of your progress. There are many interesting programs for the purpose of gap years- touring choirs, language or volunteer programs, internships, focusing on a dedicated sport with community college… Might also help with having an interesting personal narrative for college essays when you reapply. Just advice I would give to my kids-
I’m not shooting for single digit admit rate schools. My top choice as of now is likely Syracuse (Newhouse School of Communications, about 33%). Also looking at Emerson, Ithaca, Northeastern, Elon, WashU STL, and USC. I will have a good chance at some of the above regardless of my decline, but they may not be environments I would thrive in. I am considering a gap year as well, though I’m not sure how that will help correct or make up for the GPA decline.
Depending on what you do with your gap year… you can come back a stronger, more interesting candidate because you can bring different experience/perspective to the table. FWIW, I work in the mental health field, with many people in your age range, and your story is not unfamiliar. I would encourage you to not jump right into the pressure of college admissions without taking a break, which could make a big positive difference for you.
Most schools that have PG are boarding schools. The workload is not easy. So don’t expect to take a PG workload and skate to an easy 4.0.
Not expecting to skate by. I’m expecting to finally be mentally sound and get my act together. Also talked to my parents about both things tonight. Sounds like while we hope this isn’t what we come to, they would rather I do a post graduate year than a gap year. Though studies tend to show otherwise, parents are worried that I would slack off too much and wouldn’t be ready for college workload after a year off. There are structured programs, but most tend to involve overseas travel or outdoors experiences, both of which I’m not keen on. Right now PG seems like it would be the option most likely to occur.
Reading this, I’m wondering if you might not benefit from a consultation with a good college counselor. I know one who does both BS and college advising so could give you an idea of the lay of the land for both PG schools as well as the difference it would make to your college application process. There may be some ideas you haven’t considered (including colleges you’d get into where you might even be happy.) If you’re interested in contact info, PM me.
There are probably a number of colleges you haven’t considered that would be happy to have you without the PG year, especially if you get your act together senior year. You might even like the environment there. I don’t think your choice is necessarily limited to these two options.
I’m not limiting myself to a gap or PG year. I’m just trying to get some opinions on what I might do if I don’t get into the schools I want to attend. I won’t do a PG if I get into a school I’d be happy at, of course not. Gap year isn’t out of the picture, but my parents seem to be against that idea and I’m not sure I’d need it.
Are you applying to colleges and BS for the same year? Then deciding based on where you get in? I don’t mean to get hung up on the logistics, but it matters in the sense of what information you have at the decision point. It also sounds really challenging to do both sincerely and well.
The timing of applying to both is tricky. Regular decision for boarding school is March 10 decision with deposit due April 10. Regular decisions from colleges can stretch out until April 1 with revisit days in April and deposit due May 1.
Agree with the poster who suggested a private college consultant. They may be able to help you determine your chances of getting in one of the colleges on your list with your current academic profile. PG year is not a most straightforward process to manage. If you are serious about it, start talking to AOs and maybe college counseling in some schools if they allow you. Going for PG rite, there will not be much time to strengthen your academic profile before you start the college application process again. That’s why it’s often for athletes to “buy time” so they can have some more better records to demonstrate to coaches. GL!
If you feel that going straight to college may be a tough leap, then you might also consider the community college route and then transferring. This helps ease the transition from high school to college. No doubt the rigor of PG courses are similar to college level. However you won’t get any college credit. The tuition for PG students is quite steep (>$50K). you might as well just go to community college and then improve your study skills with the goal of transferring later.