My son was waitlisted at Carleton last year after applying regular decision. He ended up getting into a lot of great colleges, and finally made a deposit at one and is taking a gap year. Now he’s traveling, but he messaged me a few days ago and said he really likes Carleton. He’s wondering if he comes back, does a visit there and maybe an overnight, and applies ED this year, if that would mean he has a good shot at it. Has anyone applied to a school during a gap year, and what would the chances be of getting in the second time around? He’d have to rearrange some of his gap year plans to make this work, but it’s worth it to him if he can go to Carleton (he didn’t visit or do an overnight yet, and he’s thinking he will before he applies ED.)
Since he has never visited, he definitely should visit before reapplying. That will help him decide if Carleton really is what he thinks it is, and if he still believes that he prefers it over the place where he currently is deferred.
Is he already committed to the other college? Not sure how that would work if he is. Would he need to withdraw?
What has he been doing/will he be doing this year?
Unless he has something substantial to add to his app next year, ED isn’t going to be a huge boost. Taking a gap year is great, but students who think it gives them an advantage are mistaken. They will know he applied previously. If anything, his app will be scrutinized more closely. They will want to see that he has done something meaningful with his gap year.
Carleton is pretty intense. It operates on a trimester system, which means students hit the ground running. Getting a few low marks early on in the trimester can throw a student off kilter, and it can be very tough to recover. He should really visit before applying ED to Carleton.
…and just an opinion here, but your son is in love with an idea of Carleton, not Carleton itself. All his info is second hand. He should organize a visit for the 1st week of November- when classes are in session, the weather is turning colder- a more realistic view of what life will be like. Sit in on on some classes, spend the night on campus. If he is still in love, then apply ED.
In the meantime, he should be taking a cold, hard at his old application to see what the weaknesses were- and the strengths. Can he improve any of the weaknesses? can he strengthen any of the strengths?
I agree that he has no idea if he really likes Carleton without visiting. He applied as a long shot last year and was super excited by getting on the wait list and I think that bumped it up in his head. He’ll have to go check it out. He’s traveling a little bit and working full time and volunteering on his gap year. He might do a program in January if he can the finances organized. He likes the trimester system and the colleges he really likes do the one class at a time like Cornell College and Colorado College, and Carleton fits into that same sort of thing. He can’t sustain the excitement through a 15-week semester and does better with short semesters.
Anyway, this helps. I’ll pass it along. He’s traveling right now but has been messaging me about ideas and plans and whether he should visit schools. I sort of thought we were all done with this part of it! At least now that he’s 18 he can go and visit on his own.
As someone whose child really liked Carleton online, confirmed after two visits, now happily attending, I think the website gives a pretty good idea of what Carleton is like. I would definitely visit and research but for some kids, it really is a great fit. And, I think it would only help an application to be able to explain to Carleton in essays and an interview why it’s a good fit. Hope you child enjoys the gap year and lands in a good spot.
Update: He did an overnight in October and loved Carleton. He was accepted ED and will attend next fall. Great financial aid package and he’s super excited.
Wonderful news, @Meaganmm! Congrats to your son 
That’s wonderful!