<p>ECs: Marching Band (Drum Major), Jazz Band, Spirit Band, Theater (Stage Manager), NHS, Girl Scouts (working on my gold which is equivalent to eagle), church choir, Art Club (president), weekly volunteering at church and a service origination to build schools in vietnam.</p>
<p>I also will be taking a gap year to study graphic design in Norway. Would this be seen as a plus?</p>
<p>So what do you think? Would I get in/ would I have a chance for scholarships?</p>
<p>You should get in- I have no idea why you wouldn’t…</p>
<p>somethign to make sure: that they let you take a gap year. I’m not sure if UC will let you apply this year for entrance a year later (for DAAP). </p>
<p>just so you know- you’ll be doing graphic design for a year in norway, but when you get back to UC, they’ll make you go through foundations (everyone does foundations, no matter what. I knew a transfer from RISD who was super talented and way above the foundations year and even he had to go through it…) . This means you’ll be doing some very, very basic stuff that simply takes a lot time (like painting hundreds of color chips). This might get really boring after a year working with typography and making stuff that is, well, stuff. All the foundations work is more theory than practice, and you spend a year doing it. </p>
<p>However, if you come after the semester switch, they will be changing that up a bit, to where you take foundations first semester, then do major-related things and some more foundations second semester (this was what i’ve heard most recently in terms of the sem switch). Just something to keep in mind, you know?</p>
<p>also you mentioned scholarships- you will almost certainly get a cincinnatus scholarship of some kind. However, don’t expect much. The cincinnatus program is highly flawed, and rewards some students for arbitrary reasons over others. UC literally only gives out 8-10 full rides (out of its entire freshman class), and the way they determine who those lucky few are is so incredibly random. Go to the “competition” expecting either the lowest or second lowest amount, as anything above that is pure luck.</p>
<p>Frankly, they will be merging Graphic Gesign with Digital Design to become a new Visual Communications major. They will keep concentrations in each area. If I were you, however, I would focus on the Digital Design area. Print is dying. The whole digital area is exploding. From talking with a number of Graphic Design majors, many of these kids wished they were Digital Design majors. However, I may not have met a random sample. You need to check this out for yourself.</p>
<p>ineo42–you are not correct on the number of scholarships. Besides the Cincinnatus, (of which there are 10 full rides and 100 $6000 ones) there are also scholarships from the alumni association if your parents are alums, as well as random ones from the individual colleges. Don’t know about DAAP, but CCM has Corbett scholarships, and Engineering has some (don’t know the names, but I remember one of my sons was offered a random one.)</p>
<p>AND there are 50 UC/21 scholarships available to NMFs. (I’m wondering if the OP may be one, judging from the SAT score?) UC/21 gives full instate tuition, board, and a $1500 one-time stipend for laptop or travel abroad. 45 NMFs are enrolled in this year’s freshman class!</p>
<p>The switch to semesters from quarters will take place in the 2012-13 school year.</p>
<p>And YES, they will let you take a gap year. I know two kids from the same family (both DAAP majors) who have done this. The first one was the first that UC allowed. They finally realized this was an outstanding kid who was determined to do the year abroad first, and they made it possible for her to attend the next year.</p>