<p>Do you guys think it would be a bad idea to take a gap year at my current school (Top 10) before applying as a transfer to top LAC? To give you some brief background information, without giving too much away, I would be a rising junior this year, pre-med and bio major. My GPA is stellar, as are my extracurrics. I want to attend a smaller, quieter, more rural school that maintains the intellectual rigor of my current school. As transfer apps for this upcoming year have already passed, I would have to take a gap year and apply for the next school year ('12). During this gap year, my plan is to finish up the pre-med curriculum at my local state university while continuing with research and volunteer work. Alternatively, I may spend the year doing volunteer work abroad (not sure which endeavor would be more valuable). However, my parents are decidedly against either idea, and I understand that there is a large potential of the gap year becoming a huge question mark when people take a look at my resume in the future. However, the way I see it, is that it will free up some credits in the future, allowing me to delve into my academic interests in the future at the college, while at the same time allow me to pursue my interests even more deeply during this gap year. I was just wondering whether you guys could give me some advice as to what I should do?</p>
<p>Unless you’re absolutely miserable don’t bother with this. If you are, the volunteer year would be better than taking the required courses at a less rigorous school.</p>
<p>Thanks Brown, why do you say that? I am quite miserable at my current school. It wouldn’t be impossible to do both volunteering and taking courses at the same time, and I figure it would be awesome if I could get the remaining pre-med courses out of the way during this year before really diving into some courses I like afterwards.</p>
<p>Remember that at a small LAC, students have already had two years to bond with each other–and this is a small population. So socially, it might be difficult (or they might be desperate for a fresh face!). Why are you miserable??</p>
<p>If you are going to take a gap year, don’t bother taking courses at a less prestigious institution. Volunteer or work instead. Otherwise it just seems like you’re trying to take courses at an easier institution.</p>
<p>^ this is exactly why I say don’t do courses (unless they’re not offered) outside of your school, or at least certainly not at a school of obviously lower caliber. </p>
<p>I don’t think you were asking for clarification about the first part, but just in case. This is an awful lot of work and an awful lot of explaining on apps and interviews, so it better be worth it to you. I would imagine it is only worth it if you are absolutely miserable at your current school, to the point where it is an obvious detriment to your studies/activities.</p>
<p>If you depend on financial aid, then you can’t be sure that your transfer school will give you great aid. Many schools that “meet need” for frosh, do not meet need for transfers.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your helpful advice. I’ll try to respond to each post individually:</p>
<p>@Endicott: I’m not particularly worried about fitting in at a new college, in fact the social life is one of the main reasons why I’m unhappy at my current university, along with the setting (urban and very noisy (I grew up in a very green, quiet suburb)).</p>
<p>@ContractKiller: Thanks for the advice, although I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to get the courses out of the way at an easier institution either.</p>
<p>@Brown: Thanks again for your advice, it seems as though it would be worth it even so.</p>
<p>@curmudgeon: I just view the pre-reqs as more of a grind, with uninterested kids (probably me included), and generally that taking them after I transfer would just be wasting credits I could use towards courses which are uniquely offered by the new college. I figure it’s basically a win-win for me to take them during the gap year, as 1.) they would be easier and 2.) I would get them out of the way, thus leaving me more room to explore at a new institution.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: Luckily for me, financial aid isn’t an issue.</p>
<p>So right now, I’m thinking of applying to Williams, Amherst, Midd, Dartmouth, and… Deep Springs (pipe dream). Any other schools I should look into? I’m interested more on the East Coast with beautiful mountains/woods/rivers and strong science/humanities departments. I’m quite outdoorsy and easygoing, but I feel very restless and stressed in the city.</p>
<p>OP, my daughter attends one of the LAC’s you would hope to transfer to. I’m too tired and too lazy to look up the stats, but I think the transfer acceptance rate was somewhere in the 2% area this year. I have no clue what other top LAC’s transfer acceptance rates are, but I do know they are extremely low. I know you would like the LAC environment, but just be aware that if you are worried about prestige, you may be transferring out of your top 10 uni to a lower ranked LAC, only because the chance of acceptance to the ones you mentioned is abysmal.</p>
<p>to highlight what brown said because it’s the key part: absolutely miserable at your current school, to the point where it is an obvious detriment to your studies/activities.</p>
<p>This doesn’t sound like your situation (good GPA/EC’s as you stated).</p>
<p>In other words, there’s little benefit to transferring - a lot of things that would “nice to have” but nothing that will enhance your application, while a gap year (or even just a regular transfer) opens up a ton of questions.</p>
<p>As far as moving to a “quieter” setting and feeling restless and stressed in the city…you do realize that almost every medical school in this country is in a sizable metropolitan area, right? If you can’t handle the city now, what makes you think you’re going to be able to when you’re in medical school (with all its associated stresses and inanities)?</p>
<p>@Mom: I understand, I guess if I do it the only thing I can do is keep my fingers crossed.</p>
<p>@Bigredmed: I have a good GPA/ECs thus far, but I’m not sure whether I can keep it up this year, because I really am unhappy at my current school. You’re right though, there really is little benefit in transferring except for the sake of my own happiness. You’re also right about the metropolitan issue-- I will have to eventually embrace the city-life during med school (unless I go to Dartmouth), but at least for what remains of my college years, I would like some peace and tranquility (literally).</p>
<p>Huh??? Isn’t Deep Springs a two-year college? The others have very low transfer-in rates bcos they have such a high Frosh retention rate and few free beds.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether its a good idea for premed (probably not), the chances are that a transfer wouldn’t happen anyway. Then, after a gap year, where would you be? Back at Top 10 urban U (which I’m guessing is Chicago)?</p>
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<p>Perhaps another “pipe dream.” By definition, LACs are much smaller than Unis and by definition, they have a much smaller range of course offerings. I’d be shocked to find something offered by Dartmouth or Amherst of Williams that you can’t find at Top 10, Urban U.</p>
<p>More importantly, you will then have to explain to said LAC why they have a program that Top 10 urban U does not have, i.e., the academic portion of the ‘Why Transfer’ essay. “strong science/humanities departments” is probably not enough, altho telling Amherst that you want into their Neuroscience program might be a plus (since Amherst was the first college to offer such).</p>