<p>I am not a parent but am all for the gap year. Look into WWOOF - Willing Workers On Organic Farms. Sponsoring farms across the globe provide workers with room and board in exchange for a 30-40 hour work week. Find a friend, buy a EuroPass, and get out there. In the winter months when no farm labor is needed, find hostels that will pay you under the counter to help with upkeep.<br>
I have been accepted to a few of these "top 20" schools you speak of and am still deciding whether or not to go or to WWOOF it myself. Writing this suggestion alone makes me stir. It will be good for you and your application for the class of 2011, but maybe after you are done, going to a top 20 school will seem trivial.</p>
<p>Mmmm.. How about the intls who are forced to attend the army? Would applying twice during their two years in camp hurt their second admission chances?</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Sorry about your situation:</p>
<p>1.Get the Book entitled $15:The Gap-Year Advantage" by Karl Haigler & Rae Nelson, ISBN: 0-312-33698-5, publisher's website: <a href="http://www.stmartins.com%5B/url%5D">www.stmartins.com</a>.</p>
<ol>
<li>Check out this site for choosing your colleges:
<a href="http://www.edupass.org/finaid/undergraduate.phtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.edupass.org/finaid/undergraduate.phtml</a></li>
</ol>
<p>Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Xgyrosx--</p>
<p>Carolyn, as usual, has some excellent advice.<br>
I don't know if any schools still accepting applications have any financial aid left to give. However, if you want to send out a few more applications, the following are schools with rolling or later admissions you might consider (however, you should check, because some of them might have filled all their places):</p>
<p>Hendrix (small LAC in Arkansas; nice liberal arts education)
St. Olaf (small LAC in Minnesota; good education, fairly homogenous student body, might be interested in international)
Rutgers University
Ripon (very small, in Wisconsin, nice school)
Penn State
Manhattan College (in NYC, Catholic school, good engineering and science;deadline might be 4/15)
Indiana University
University of the Pacific
University of Pittsburgh
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Portland (Catholic school; deadline 6/1)
Lake Forest College (LAC outside Chicago; 5/1 deadline)
Xavier University (Catholic school)
Alfred University (LAC, upstate NY)
Purdue University-West Lafayette
Agnes Scott College (women-only--excellent LAC near Atlanta)
Eckerd College (Florida LAC)
University of Redlands (CA school)
Loyola Marymount (Catholic school in LA)</p>
<p>Obviously, you have other choices (gap year, out-of-country school, community college) that you should consider--this list is just in case you want to consider other schools.</p>
<p>You didn't state how much your parents can afford, did you? (If so, I missed it.) I do not believe that community college is for you, even for a semester. If you can afford one of the schools mentioned by midatlmom, it would be fine. There are some good schools on that list. You could either like it and stay, or start the transfer process. The school in your home country also sounds like a reasonable possibility. People say that it is harder to get merit aid as a transfer student, though. If you want merit aid from a US school, taking a gap year may be best. You will need to do a lot of research on which US schools give merit aid to international students. You will also need to aim a little low- aim for schools that will really, really want you. With your parents leaving this country soon, and your financial situation, it sounds as if you need a gap year of earning money, researching merit scholarship schools, and planning, not a spiffy gap year of traveling and excitement.</p>
<p>Why are gap years so normal in foreign countries but not in the US? I am an American but I wouldn't mind a gap year if it weren't for the difficulty of it. I am from a small town in the US and it's not like I have lots of money or any internships that I could run off and do. Sometimes I wish the times were more like years back when some places accepted a person without any training or diploma in the field just on the basis of "you'll learn it quick." Jack Nicholson moved to LA and got a job at one of the studios running errands. Then he managed to get behind the scenes and then into acting. These days, they require a degree just to make coffee for someone or deliver mail. I want to go into film yet I have to go to college and study it. I suck at math and science but I will be forced into the gen. edu. requirements. I would go to a special college for film but I need fin. aid and you can't get that at say Emerson in Boston. It's a raw deal in the US. I wish I had lived outside of the US for the sake of the education system in say, England. I like the idea of studying a specific area like history, english, writing, philosophy, that sort of thing, without any science and math and computers poisoning your schedule. Sorry if I'm rambling.</p>
<p>A traditional Gap Year int he Commonwealth countries is a year spent as a tutor (young coaching/teaching assistant) in a boarding school--usually in the UK but can also be South Africa, Australia, India etc.</p>
<p>The commonwealth boarding schools all accept Gap Year tutors. You only need airfare and a tiny bit of spending money. The schools provides room and board and a stipend.</p>
<p>If you want to do a Gap Year, you must apply in January for a September placement. As in college apps, teacher and GC recs are everything.</p>
<p>My son did a travelling Gap Year and loved it. His younger brother is set to do the same in January. WE funded those travels but many UK kids raise their own funds. Check out <a href="http://www.gapyear.com%5B/url%5D">www.gapyear.com</a> for fundraising ideas.</p>
<p>As for film school, try sending a pm to digmedia. He has lots of info on how to get scholarships for studying film. His son has one.</p>
<p>Judging from what my international student friends have told me, it seems that some foreign countries are more forgiving of 'gap years' because many people have to do military service out of high school anyway, so absence from school for several years is often expected.</p>
<p>Andi/Carolyn and others: Just now thrown for a little loop. Junior D getting back from trip to S. Africa (mission trip/sightseeing) with her school, calls me from the airport and says that she's really considering going into the equivalent (if it exists!) of the Peace Corps, taking a "Gap 2 Years" between high school and college. That she's been thinking about it for awhile even before Christmas break, and that now she's even more sure. I'm fine with the general idea (although I've been pretty heavily invested in this whole college pre-planning thing). I'm think I'm fine with that because she's super mature, and thinks that it's a better way to search for what might be a more focused course of action once she gets to college. She's a go-getter so I'm not too afraid that she'll derail herself in this gap year(s), but other than advising her to speak to the admissions couselors at a few colleges under consideration, what do I do next?? Is there a CC forum specifically for this kind of thing? Other websites with this type of give and take? Lots of the gap year talk is as a reaction to options which didn't pan out, so this pro-active gap planning is a little scary, out of the box for me. I guess I'm now going out trade in my Fiske and Insiders' Guides for all new books, but I certainly want to know some of the major pitfalls of taking time off before I give her my blessing...especially in this rarified air of hyper college admissions. Help.</p>
<p>"If transfer depends only on grades, does that mean that if you maintain an excellent grade in, say, a community college in some insignificant county, you'll still be accepted as a transfer in, say, Harvard?"</p>
<p>I'm sorry things have turned out this way, but a student with your stats has obviously been a high achiever and I'll bet you'll go on to great things. That said, I'm a little worried that the example you use still mentions an Ivy-type transfer - in this case Harvard. As an international in need of FA, you just can't compare yourself to US citizens in terms of likelihood of admissions - and tranfers to Ivys are more difficult than freshman admissions. That said, your stats as you report them are such that the many colleges ranked in the top 50 would be interested in you. I'd do a search on the CC international student threads and "schools with good merit aid" threads. Really, shame on your HS guidance counselor for not helping you balance your list (or maybe did you ignore advice?).</p>
<p>I like the idea of immediately submitting applications to colleges with rolling admission better than the community college option. For instance, the University of Redlands (a SLAC in So Cal) has rolling admissions and "awards scholarships to international students who demonstrate a high academic ability."</p>
<p>I went to middle school and high school in Mexico (although I am an American citizen) and I decided to take a gap year after high school -- I went to France to study at a university there for the year, and applied to colleges in the U.S. that fall. It worked out well for me. Of course, being an American citizen I didn't have to deal with financial aid shortcomings. But I definitely recommend gap years to anyone who isn't ready for college. Make it a meaningful year, though.</p>
<p>Ok, i'm considering one because when i applied i didn't know i would be considered an international student and got a bunch of rejections and answers from schools I don't want to go to. So if i do like a study abroad will it help my application?</p>
<p>Keep in mind also that some schools don't accept international transfers. And some of those that do, might not give money to international transfers. </p>
<p>My thinkin' is to take a gap year, either tutor or do some volunteer service. And perhaps self-study some AP's or something. I didn't go to school for 6 months and I was darn rusty when I got back into the sytem. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if you're legible to get a job in the U.S. as an international...visas get me mixed up. (For example, I have a diplomatic visa here so that means I can't get a job that isn't being a summer counselor at my high school.)</p>
<p>mwbashful18,</p>
<p>You don't need a degree to become a production assistant (the bottom of the chain in the film industry). Many people still get into the industry without attending college. It's one of the few things these days that doesn't require a degree.</p>
<p>That said, getting into the industry is incredibly difficult. It's not about what you know, but about who you know. Connections make things much easier.</p>
<p>Apply to the University of Texas at Dallas immediately. One of the best engineering schools (good for other majors too), they will accept you with your stats, and they give out full rides plus room and board and monthly stipends to a LOT of people. (im not sure if the scholarships apply to international applicants, but if they do, you should definately consider this.)</p>
<p>dreaming, i totally sympathize with you and had to make a similar decision last year...here's my story:</p>
<p>I spent my first year of college at a top 25 LAC and really was not happy at that specific college. At the end of the year, I had to decide whether I was going to stick it out there or take a year off and apply to other schools. In the end, I felt that even though it meant a bit more work on my part, it would ultimately be worth it -- you shouldnt have to "get through" college in my opinion, you should actually enjoy your time there!</p>
<p>So, since last May I have been on a leave of absence. This summer I interned at a university and then took a month-long intensive ESL teacher certification course. In the fall I helped lead a literacy program at an inner city school (half paid, half volunteer), worked with teen mothers, etc. I also interned twice a week at a highschool creative writing honors program. I researched every school out there and opened up my mind to different options I had never considered before. For example, I had never even heard of Washington University in St. Louis before my second time around applying to schools, but it ended up being my first choice. I worked my ass off on my applications all of December and part of January (I applied to 10 schools), and carefully crafted my essays around my experience, emphasizing that I made the decision to take a year off in order to gain a greater sense of direction and understanding of what I really want out of my college experience (and I did!).</p>
<p>Since January, I've been teaching adult English (paid) in Costa Rica, as well as living with a Costa Rican family. This past year has been amazing and I've grown in so many different ways that you simply cant in college. I've learned about different cultures, certainly become a much more patient person, learned perserverance, improved my social and speaking skills, gained greater responsibility, greater focus, maturity, independence, and even learned how to present myself as a better applicant (which will be useful many more times in the future!).</p>
<p>I understand that taking a year off seems like a detour, and you're anxious to get to school. But really, there is no better time than now to do something like take a gap year -- it just gets harder and harder as you get older. One year will not throw your whole life off track in any way...it could actually and probably would give you an advantage. It's something to enjoy. I really feel like when I go back to school this fall, I'll have an edge.</p>
<p>Oh, and also: I'm going from the number 22 or 23 LAC to Washington University in St. Louis -- previously the number 9 national university and this year the number 11. I'm waiting on the rest of my schools, but I'll be attending Wash U in the fall! So, in my case, I think a gap year helped a lot.</p>
<p>I hoped this helped at least a little and best of luck to you!</p>
<p>xgyrosx
[quote]
andi: Congrats to your son! But can you be more specific about his story and how he began to plan? Do I need new counselor and teacher recs if I reapply and new HS transcripts? Do colleges keep my application till next year? Will having a gap year give the colleges a negative impression? I'm so eager to know the full story.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My son did get new teacher recs. I'm sure he could have used the original ones but he opted for recs from his senior year teachers both because they would be more recent and because he wanted to begin with a clean slate. His GC updated the rec she had written the previous year, adding details that reflected activity from his senior year.</p>
<p>You will also need new hs transcripts because colleges will want to see how you did for the remainder of your senior year-----warning ---no senior slump allowed!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>And no, colleges do not save the application from the previous year. </p>
<p>As far as how he began planning--I'm sure there are many many ways to go about this and it will be different for each person. That's part of the beauty of a gap year: You design it yourself. I think that the important thing is that the activity should be something that you want to do and not designed solely because it will "look good" to next year's adcoms. He struggled with this in the beginning because he was concerned that what he wanted to do wasn't going to look good on his application or "be good enough". But you don't have to necessarily travel to some exotic destination or intern at the White House to have a fulfilling year. He opted to build his year by pursuing basically four main goals: continue his interest in science (taking Univ. courses) continue his interest in music (intensive study with a recital as a goal) work to earn money to help with expenses and for travel and lastly, to travel. I think that one of the fun things about his year is how it evolved with these main goals in mind. He made a lot of contacts through his activities and they opened new doors to opportunities within his interests that he hadn't even planned on. For instance his work in music this year led him to be invited to accompany a choir to Armenia. But they didn't just drop into his lap- he reached out and worked very hard. This is just my son's experience. It worked for him.</p>
<p>I think mgrace's post is excellent. He/she really worked and made the most of her time "I worked my ass off." Seriously if you're not someone who is really going to go for it, I'm not sure a gap year is your best option. You don't want to find yourself sitting around doing nothing.</p>
<p>For someone who can't make the most of a gap year and who can't handle going thru the entire application process over again, as my son and mgrace did, then I would recommend that an applicant apply to a rolling admissions school or one of the schools from the list posted above(NACAC) for schools that haven't filled the class.</p>
<p>Heres a question.</p>
<p>Lets say you got into some really good colleges but there was one that you really wanted to go to but got rejected. Could you defer from a college for a year (gap year), do something, and apply while to schools during that time? I guess what im asking is can you ensure that if you still get rejected you will still end up in a school, just to keep all your bases covered?</p>
<p>hey xgy...
you said "Two factors almost entirely destroyed my application: international, fin aid."</p>
<p>when you say that you are an international student, are you saying that you are an international student living in the US with an H4 visa (which means u can study in the US) or do u mean you are LITERALLY international, like livin in canada? </p>
<p>please clarify
thanx</p>
<p>lala56, i don't think that matters. Anyone without a U.S passport or greencard is considered international and treated the same in admission.</p>