Taking a Gap Year? Disappointing Admission Results

<p>Look into whether or not Stony Brook is still accepting applications. By acquiring the former Southampton College they have an amazing marine biology program that utilizes both campus; one has the LI Sound and the other the Atlantic Ocean for research.</p>

<p>menloparkmom-- Right now, I think I would only apply to two reach schools: Brown and Middlebury, the only repeats I’d want to apply to. I would create a completely new list for the rest. Which brings up another question I had. Can you apply to transfer to more than one school, and then pick? Or is it only to one? But anyway, I passed over a lot of great schools that I think deserve another look, schools with higher acceptance rates. Does a higher acceptance rate in general make for a higher transfer rate?</p>

<p>I looked at Stony Brook but I’ve heard that the students are really unhappy there. I don’t know why that would be, but it did turn me off of the school.</p>

<p>icefoxrocks, you should investigate Eckerd College. They have rolling admissions and I’m pretty sure will still consider applications.</p>

<p>They have an excellent marine biology program, and can give pretty good aid as well. ==> no harm in checking it out.</p>

<p>sorry about the gaffe of assuming you were a boy “in demand at LACs”! So much for being the mother of two boys.</p>

<p>But why would you consider reapplying as a transfer to two schools that rejected you, if you were to attempt a transfer…Brown and Middlebury were reach colleges in every sense of the word for you–Brown is a likely Reject for hundreds or is it thousands of students with higher scores than yours, and your waitlist colleges are also very selective, although it is significant that you were waitlisted and recognized as a good candidate for their freshman classes. I am sort of baffled by your again focusing on colleges for possible transfer applications that already told you “no.” </p>

<p>You are a strong able student and you wish also to address your anxiety issues and your social growth. Your college application list needed more “likely” colleges, and I am sorry you were not advised to apply to more of the wonderful colleges in the USA that would have been glad to have you, although it would have been harder to find need blind colleges that were matches, and that is also a factor that matters for you.</p>

<p>Eckerd is actually a good idea…but you may have good reasons why you are not interested in far away colleges. </p>

<p>Sounds like you are interested in staying in the Northeastern section of the USA, and you are not interested in moving to a new region. I think Genesco offers you many of the challenges of college socially and academically that you are seeking in life…but if you do still feel after a year that a transfer is something worth pursuing, make sure you also always consider staying all four years and making it work. And gather information on colleges that would have always considered you to be a match. Freshman year can be hard as everyone is looking for a friendship circle and for most people, that is not immediate and can take time although you should be enjoying the new scene while sort of looking for your closer friends. I would strongly consider making Genesco my home base and making an excellent run there as a start in life.</p>

<p>If Stonybrook isn’t still accepting applications, you could spend a year at Geneseo, do wonderfully and transfer [Stony</a> Brook Southampton](<a href=“http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/southampton/undergradprograms.shtml]Stony”>http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/southampton/undergradprograms.shtml)</p>

<p>These programs are amazingly well-regarded and provide very special opportunities, so if you’re sure of your goals, this might be the better way to go.</p>

<p>You seem like such a mature young woman, I’m positive you will do wonderfully wherever you decide to go, if you put your heart into it. Best of luck to you!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>There have been major cutbacks at Stony Brook, specifically at the former Southampton College. You can goggle that for the latest news.</p></li>
<li><p>I know that Cornell is very receptive to transfers, and from my kids, I know that Geneseo students have transferred to Cornell. Also, the land grant schools are less expensive.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>i wonder if part of what happened was that as a result of being home schooled, you didn’t have enough feedback in terms of just how competitive the schools you were applying to were. i know when my oldest was a hs senior, there was a major reality check among friends when they saw how many kids they considered really bright didn’t get into their early decision choices – i know that led to some of them rethinking their college list and including more schools. did you realize, for example, just how low an acceptance rate there is at brown for applicants with your sat scores? [Brown</a> Admission: Facts & Figures](<a href=“Undergraduate Admission | Brown University”>Undergraduate Admission | Brown University)</p>

<p>if you are going to consider transferring, wait until you are at geneseo for a while – give yourself a chance to settle in there. the deadlines for transfer applications are often much later than for freshman. how difficult it is to transfer will depend on the schools you try to transfer to – middlebury accepted NO transfers for fall 2010 - [For</a> Transfer Students | Middlebury](<a href=“Transfer Applicants | Middlebury College”>Transfer Applicants | Middlebury College)
so just make sure you research your application list very carefully.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t bother reapply to colleges that rejected you already. Colleges do keep files of past years applicants and it is far harder to get into Brown as a transfer student than as a freshman. My son reapplied to Dartmouth, which HAD accepted him as a freshman, and he was turned down as a transfer student! Your better chances are at colleges you didn’t apply to.</p>

<p>My advice would be to give Geneseo a try. A lot of students are going to State U’s these days because of $$$. From what you’ve said, I think you are more likely to find a compatible social circle there than you would at the community college next year.</p>

<p>Geneseo is pretty well regarded, and ranks well on various lists.</p>

<p>I’m not going to focus on Brown or Middlebury at all. I was saying that of my old list that I applied to, which was very reach-heavy, those are the two I would reapply to. My favorites. I visited both campuses and it makes me very sad to think I won’t be able to spend any time there. Especially Middlebury. I really fell in love, and I honestly thought I had a good chance at acceptance. But besides these, my only two reach schools from here on out, I would definitely apply to a wider range of schools. I’m interested in UNC Asheville-- somewhat random. Also, the College of William and Mary, Knox, UVermont, Boston College… a much more diverse list than those I originally applied to. Don’t think I would make the mistake over again. This is part of the reason I thought about a gap year, because I really messed up in which schools I applied to. I can see that now. I wish I had realized that earlier, but what can you do. So I could spend a year at Geneseo, and then apply to a wide range of transfer options and go from there, either transferring out or staying at Geneseo if I love it.</p>

<p>A gap year can be a very good thing. My son took one – in part to have a surgery that was quite important and in part to work on a novel he was writing and in part to do college applications. He lived at home during that year and did some traveling (he was supposed to do more, but his friends flaked out at the last minute). But, he matured a lot and as a freshman, I think that has helped him make good choices. I think you could take a gap year without traveling, though it might be a little lonely and was a bit for him as all of his friends had left, to keep costs down (that wasn’t the reason he stayed home, but it did help), but you should have a plan to do things that you learn from and enjoy – and maybe even enhance your college applications.</p>

<p>"So I could spend a year at Geneseo, and then apply to a wide range of transfer options and go from there, either transferring out or staying at Geneseo if I love it. "
I think that is your best option. Hit the ground running at Geneseo, work your butt off to get great grades your freshman year, because they WILL be the MOST important factor in your application. You need to show them you are as capable of doing the same level of top quality work as their current students.</p>

<p>William and Mary is a reach for transfer. As a Virginian, I am well aware that Wm and Mary admits males with lesser stats than females due to the extraordinary numbers of female applicants, many from Middle Atlantic states. I always hate this for my friends’ daughters but you need to know that Wm and Mary OOS is harder than some of the schools on your original list. I think.</p>

<p>You are looking for generous need aid…so you have to find colleges that are looking for your stats plus your freshman record of course.</p>

<p>Depending on the year, W&M admits 25-28% of the out-of-state applicants. The middle 50% range for the SAT is about 1380-1430 (31-32 on the ACT</p>

<p>An OOS girl’s Mom posted this below, and this is not an uncommon outcome there for strong female applicants (this is the school btw where I wanted to attend as an OOS girl a long time ago and was surprised to be rejected since I had no frame of reference and my parents were clueless) My father, I recall, said, “but we are Virginians!” yeah…only in our minds. We had never once lived in state in our military career years.</p>

<p>“W&M admission… My D OOS 1470 SAT (well above 75th%ile) 3.92% UnW GPA, 7APs, 90% honors classes in HS, 3 vocal groups (2 that require auditiions), key club, officer German club, 780 on Wr SAT, and a great kid, waitlisted Boo hoo ;-{”</p>

<p>I think you did amazingly well to be waitlisted at Reed, Grinnell and at Colby…and although I know you are weary…think you should submit letters of interest to each of them with perhaps a second reference letter…since they liked your application, essays and references already
What about Gettysburg, Franklin and Marshall or Dickinson? Maryland’s St Mary’s is a fabulous school, too. Have you looked at Virginia’s Randolph Macon? Or the University of Delaware? Great colleges.</p>

<p>I join in the chorus to attend Geneseo, which is the closest of the SUNY system to an LAC (liberal arts college, like the rest of your list). However, you should not “count” on transferring–even if you build a balanced transfer list, the need for financial aid may make it impossible to do so. For instance, W&M and UVM are not known for meeting OOS full need even for first-years… the chances are significantly lower than that for transfers.</p>

<p>Visit Geneseo; if you like it, attend and plan on staying.</p>

<p>As other said, you will find very bright kids at Genesseo. It’s one of the better SUNY schools, and if you join the honors program, I am sure that you will meet people there that will give you more of a sense of the world. </p>

<p>That said, taking a gap year to get some worldly experience would be pretty awesome as well, (heres a blog post about doing that sort of thing for graduate school: [■■■■■■■■■■</a> Blog: If at first you don’t succeed: Should You Reapply to School Next Year?](<a href=“http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■/?p=26]■■■■■■■■■■”>http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■/?p=26)). </p>

<p>The real question is: what would make you unhappy in Genesseo that would make you happy somewhere else? The prestige? The average quality of the student body? Your own ego? </p>

<p>Figure that out, then when you visit try to experience a bunch of different friend groups, talk to as many people as you can (they probably won’t remember if you do decide to go to school there), and see if you can find one that would make your college experience definitively positive. If you do, why wouldn’t you go? </p>

<p>Plus at a “worse” school, you have a much better chance of getting noticed and taken under the wing of some professor.</p>

<p>I looked into Eckerd College-- it actually looks great. I’m not sure about the location (Florida is a bit of a stretch), but it’s marine science program is amazing, and apparently it has a decent academic reputation. I’m strongly considering just applying right now and seeing what happens. Do I have a shot? I’m worried since it’s so late that I might need to be exceptional to be accepted at this point. Also, for financial aid. Will it be all used up? Could I still get a decent package if admitted? Anyone have any advice about this school? I actually really like the look of it.</p>

<p>I didn’t know that about William and Mary! That’s too bad. It’s good I know though. I think it’s really unfair that colleges accept students on the basis of race or gender… I guess if they have such an extraordinary amount of female applicants. How random.</p>

<p>What would make me unhappy at Geneseo… good question. My mom suggested that I sit down and concentrate/pray as if I had made a decision, aka was attending Geneseo. It’s close to home. It’s not that much of a change for me. Middle class New Yorkers have been all I’ve known, and that isn’t going to change at Geneseo. That’s what’s stopping me, I guess. It doesn’t seem like that much of a difference to me.</p>

<p>I keep hearing that a gap year has less intrinsic value for a homeschooler anyway, so I guess I’m leaning away from this as an option, although I’m still open to it. Now, I’m looking for transfer schools and working on my waitlisted schools, especially Grinnell.</p>

<p>Good luck as we all understand that you didn’t recognize the level of difficulty of admission at many of your schools. To be waitlisted at Grinnell and Colby etc is a compliment to your essays and reference letters. So we all hope you get pulled off the list this summer.</p>

<p>It will take a lot of energy to do the “corrections” but you will get through and start with a right spirit at Genesco or you will have another plan. You should always be watching for the financial aid challenges and realities and expanding your list to schools where you are closer to top quartile. </p>

<p>did you see The Choice blog at the NYtimes today? a very nice young man with high grades and good class rank also was rejected or waitlisted to all of his colleges but his “safety” instate. His list showed a weak grasp of realities at the highly selective schools that got his applications and he did not have a middle ground group of fine colleges. Now he is a young male who would have been in demand at many liberal arts colleges for instance but he aimed for Duke, Stanford, Princeton. We can all hope he gets yanked off a waitlist, but he also faces a conundrum on how to make the most of his 18th year.</p>

<p>icefoxrocks - I think you stand an extremely high chance of being accepted at Eckerd.</p>

<p>Since they do rolling admissions, they most like budget financial aid to cover late acceptances such as yours.</p>

<p>Also, my daughter was just accepted as a transfer student to Ithaca College. She was awarded a small merit scholarship even though she applied at the last possible moment, so it is indeed possible to get some money even late in the game.</p>

<p>My d and I visited Eckerd and I think it could really provide the kind of atmosphere you are seeking - and if you visit and don’t like it, you could feel better about Geneseo.</p>

<p>Here is my trip report:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/eckerd-college/677790-eckerd-trip-report.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/eckerd-college/677790-eckerd-trip-report.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It should not be too time consuming to send out another app, so go for it!</p>

<p>A girl from my D HS is at Eckerd and loves it (and we live in New England so it was big change for her as well). As soon as I read your orig post, I thought of Eckerd. It is on the gulf coast, but close to Tampa, so there are some urban experiences available as well.</p>

<p>Faline2-- I checked out the article, pretty interesting. The farther away I get from disappointment the more I’m almost glad that I’ve had this experience… I can help my friends and especially my younger brothers, who I love to pieces, make better decisions when they apply to schools. And the main thing is to give yourself options, or at least that’s what I got out of the article. I am trying to give myself more choices for the future. At this moment, I feel oddly at peace. I do believe I will end up where I am supposed to go. Things happen for a reason.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice about Eckerd. I’m going to discuss it with my parents, but at this point I am definitely applying. I wasn’t even looking at marine bio for undergrad school, but no subject makes me happier. I love being near the water and working with marine animals. After going through the whole process, it will be easy to apply, although now I’m nervous that I screwed up something on my app! I’m also glad to know that there may be financial aid left. It does seem like they would have to budget it differently if they have rolling admissions.</p>