hello—
so the college process has been rather disappointing for me. my grades were not my strong point in my application, and then in my senior year I had multiple extenuating circumstances regarding my immediate family, and needless to say it hit me very hard and my grades fell tremendously. I got into NYU Stern and my state honors program, but I don’t really see myself at either place. I applied to many ivies/other top universities and was rejected/waitlisted outright.
I would like to switch colleges, so I’ve been looking into gap years and transferring. Ideally I would take a gap year (I would be able to do internships that interest me, etc). But my grades of course would not change at all since I’m not taking any classes during this time. If I did a transfer, then I could work hard to get good grades my first semester of college (to my understanding, college grades are equally as important/more important than my high school grades). which scenario would be easier for me in terms of admissions?
If your grades fell tremendously, then both are bad options compared to concentrating on doing as well as you can at Stern to set yourself up for life after college as well as you can.
Gap year and reapply to the same colleges: Probably the same results, or worse if your 12th grade record is worse.
Gap year and reapply to a list of more realistic colleges that you actually like: May have a better chance of success (but you may have to go down even further on the selectivity scale if your 12th grade record is worse).
Attend a college and transfer: If you want to put your high school record behind you, it is better done as a junior level transfer with more of a college record. Sophomore level transfers are still judged heavily on high school record, since they have less college record (although if the college record is poor, it will be a disadvantage). Also, some colleges admit very few transfer students.
What is wrong with going to one of the two schools that admitted you and staying there until graduation?
Personally, I would attend one of the two colleges you were accepted to. Focus on your goals and getting good grades in your classes so you can attend a dream school. I don’t think taking a gap year would get you into an Ivy or highly-selective school. The more college coursework you complete, the less emphasis goes on your high school transcript. If you apply to transfer as a junior, there will be little to no weight at all involving your HS grades. The Ivies are extremely competitive for even the most ideal of candidates. Don’t beat yourself up over it!
Do you need financial aid? Freshmen applicants get better aid than transfers do.
It is OK to pick a college and deposit now, but change your mind about attending before the fall semester starts. You will lose the deposit, but that’s it.
Honors at state or NYU are good options if financially viable for you. No to gap year, that nets you nothing. There isn’t a scenario that gets you in a better school a year from now. You can try transferring in two, but you better have a stellar college record with no excuses for slips ups. Even then, still tough. If you had a slip in grades or other non-positive issues on your app, I would take what you got and run with it!