The Aftermath of My Gap Year

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi CC Parents,</p>

<p>A year ago I wrote a post titled “Last Resort: Gap year” out of desperation. I actually took a gap year, and I’d like to share some advice to anybody who’s considering a similar route. I’d like to warn you, though, that even if you plan your gap year well, something can always go wrong (which happened a lot in my case), and you may end up getting discouraged. In fact, don’t take a gap year unless you really don’t like the school you’re going or you don’t have a school to go to and/or (most important) you are convinced that through taking a gap year, you will be able to get into a better school or somehow GREATLY improve your situation. My gap year was very stressful (and mentally challenging) but it turned out for the better. Though I regret the mistakes I made when I was applying for college admissions the first time, I don’t regret the gap year because I am going to one of top ten schools, which I am satisfied with.</p>

<p>Now I’ll give advice on planning your gap year, which may also contain some that applies to high school seniors as well. It may be basic, but they are important, at least to me.</p>

<li><p>Plan your main activities that according to your academic and/or career interests, and minor activities that relate to your hobbies and other interests.
Don’t do a random activity without reason. For example, my part/full time jobs suited to my interests, which were science research, teaching, and administration. I was able to balance them with some traveling I had done over the summer, golfing, and a college-level math course I took for enrichment. You could work at like Chipotle part time to earn more dough, but don’t let that be your dominant activity since it doesn’t look very impressive. Because I am a foreign citizen, I ran into problems with USCIS regarding my EAD but that’s not an issue for Americans.</p></li>
<li><p>Get new recommenders from your senior year.
Don’t use the old recs. They are a bit outdated so you need fresh ones. Get an optional rec from your employer, if he/she likes you well enough. Select your recommenders based on how much they know and like you, not on what subject they teach, or what grade you got. But I think it’s better to get recs from AP teachers. I was hesitant about getting recs from one of the teachers because I sucked on his course. But I’m glad I didn’t change my mind because
he knew a lot about me, including my personal circumstances, and sympathized with my siutation. I’ve no doubt he wrote a glowing letter. I want to emphasize that recommendation letters REALLY, REALLY matter to college adcoms.</p></li>
<li><p>Renew your college list.
Examine what went wrong last time: why were you deferred/waitlisted/declined at XYZ? Did you have more than one safety? Allegedly, college admissions is becoming more cut-throat every year. However you make your list this time: 1) make sure your safety is a state school 2) don’t reapply
Some had told me not to reapply but I did to a few, and guess what: I didn’t get into any of them. Almost all colleges will keep your previous record from last year, and almost always the same admissions committee will review your application. I know there are cases in which someone got into X university after getting rejected the year before, but in a majority of cases, I think reapplying would hurt you. Don’t waste your app money and rather spend it on ice cream or movies.</p></li>
<li><p>When you outline your plans, make backup plans.
Just in case. Accidents can happen.</p></li>
<li><p>Reexamine your essays.
You need to read your college essay from last time to see if anything is wrong. I found out my essay was not so good as I thought and also immature as well as a bit embarassing now that I read it. The topic was good, so I kept it, but switched the tone, personal voice, flow, etc. The result was a totally different perspective from the same experience. The essay is mainly your own work. Even if others proofread it, the revised version will most likely (and should) be similar to the original.</p></li>
<li><p>Enlist the help of your friends or adult acquaintances who can help read your essays.
Unless your parents are very much experienced in writing and reading objectively, they are not the appropriate people who should help in essays (but they can help in many other ways!) Ideally, you’d get feedback from people who only slightly know you but you know their backgrounds well enough to believe they are capable of proofreading your essay. Honestly, I wouldn’t get help from someone online because you never know who they are. They may not be trying to steal your essay (if your essay is good, no one would be able to steal it because it only pertains to you) but they may not be the right persons to comment on it.</p></li>
<li><p>Enlist the help of your parents.
Either they may be able to help you, or find someone who can. Based on my past experience, I thought my parents couldn’t help me at all, and ignored them as I planned my gap year and did my job search and interviews. But later it turns out both knew someone that could help me get an interesting job or earn more dough. And they gave plenty of mental support and encouragement, which all parents can provide, and which was the most crucial thing for me to survive this gap year.</p></li>
<li><p>Write a special letter the college adcoms about your gap year.
If you use the common app, you will have to write like a paragraph about your activities from your year off. But don’t just list your activities; add your reason for taking a year off, elaborate with a sentence or two, about why you wanted such activity and what you learned from doing it, and write a few that you plan to do during the time after you’re done with college apps.</p></li>
<li><p>Plan something personal for your free time.
After 12 years of schooling, you will find yourself having TONS of free time, even with college apps and jobs and other stuff going on. Don’t waste it. And don’t try to fill all in those free time with other activities. Spend some time by yourself; you will probably think about life, people, and your dreams more than you have before. Luxury like this will rarely come again in college, when you either exams or friends, or after college, when you will be preoccupied with getting jobs, securing a good future, etc. Read plenty of books and keep a journal. Gap year is not just about exploring possibilites around you; it’s also about exploring yourself. I think I’ve come to understand myself better through time spent alone.</p></li>
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<p>Well, this is all I can think of right now. Gap year is indeed a great adventure whether it’s stressful or not. If you have less financial limitations, you have more options. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Great set of tips! Thanks for posting them, and congrats on the great outcome!</p>

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<p>Sound as though you really grew a lot in the past year. I think you'll have a much better experience in college for it. You might also find yourself "at home" emotionally with sophs and jrs., along with the freshmen, since you've engaged in some of the reflection that people begin once they leave home. I can imagine that your discovery of using your parental resources better will translate into using your professorial resources better. You have gained maturity. All in all, you made a great use of an important year. </p>

<p>Thank you for sharing these great tips with everybody! I haven't read a post like it. Many think about gap years, but it's great to hear about the follow-through.</p>

<p>Good luck, you will have it because (I believe): we make our own luck.</p>

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<p>Great tips! Good luck x. I will add a tip--stick to a study schedule in your first semester. No matter how busy you were during GAP--the rigors of academia are tougher than GAP. STAY FOCUSED.</p>

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<p>Thank you for posting about your experiences.</p>

<p>To add another perspective, gap years also can be great options for students who know they want to go to college, but can't figure out what kind of college they want to go to or what they may wish to major in. Gap years aren't just for people who were rejected by the colleges that they wished to attend.</p>

<p>My S, who had always planned to go to college, took a gap year after he somehow couldn't get it together to apply to college. He tried, but just kept staring at the applications. He had no problem, though, finding and getting an Americorps job because one of the things he definitely knew that he loved was community service.</p>

<p>As a result of his Americorps experience, he learned more about his own strengths and interests, and developed better organizational and leadership skills. He also had a far better idea of what he wanted in his college experience, and what kind of college would be a good fit for him.</p>

<p>As a result, he applied to Rollins, a place that he had barely heard of before, but one that due to his gap year-induced insights about himself became his clear first choice. He'll be going there this fall with merit aid.</p>

<p>I think it's important for anyone considering a gap year to realize that it's not a magical solution to getting you into a college that wouldn't accept you before. It can be, however, a good option if you initally applied to colleges that didn't fit you or if you didn't know enough about yourself to be able to figure out what you wanted from your college experience.</p>

<p>It's also important as the OP said to select gap year activities that fit your own interests. Don't just fill your time with random things. Take the time to pursue jobs and other activities that allow you to learn things and practice things that interest you.</p>

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<p>I also wanted to point out that some taking a gap year have already been accepted to a college and have requested a deferral. My son falls into this camp. He was extremely happy with his choices but felt that a gap year had some benefits for him. He has no plans to apply to additional colleges.</p>