Hey, I’d just like to first apologize if this is the wrong part of the forum. I’m new to this and trying to find my way around.
So, I graduated high school in 2015 and already had a plan to take a year off before I went to college. I planned on going the 2016-2017 year as a freshman. However, I’ve figured now that I want to take another year off. It’s not that I’m lazy, its just that I don’t know yet what I want to go for and I’d like to save up a little bit more money so I’m not eating ramen noodles out of a car.
My major concern is, will it look bad for a 20-21 year old going to school as a freshman? Is it too late for me? I’ve just been really worried lately as all my friends are finishing their freshman year this year and by the time I’m a freshman most of them will be juniors.
For anyone who leaves a helpful answer, thank you.
As with everything, it depends on the school. Some schools are known for their non-traditional students and paths. They have programs set up for students like that. See for example the non-trad progs at UPenn, Columbia U, Brown, and several women’s colleges. They all have different age reqs. There is a list of non-trad progs on wikipedia. google for it. Also, though, there are colleges that are kinda sorta known for having a wide range of ages for their students. Evergreen State is one. Each entry is different. Some want to see that you can do college-level classes at a high level before they accept your application. Your path in this case is that you may start at a community college (see which ones are excellent in your area or in the area of your target school). For example Cornell readily accepts transfers from CCs in the NYState area, one near Ithaca is a feeder as are several throughout the state. To find out which Cornell progs take CC transfers and which CCs are on Cornell’s radar, search for “articulation agreement” and Cornell. In other words, you need to figure out your target school and then you can figure out your path. If you are a first-gen college student (your parents didn’t attend college) then you may qualify for still other progs. Vassar has a CC-to-college program that you may qualify for. Best of luck