<p>im a high school senior, and i have finally chosen a college for next year (new college of florida) this is from the original 12 that i applied to. </p>
<p>but after visiting so many schools and talking so much about the learning environment at each school, i began to question even why i am going to college. i know that i learn best on my own, but i still want to go to college for the shared academic experience and dorm life. however, i dont know why that has to happen next year. it seems like i am rushing my life just because it is expected that after high school, i go to college. </p>
<p>but lately ive been thinking i want to do a gap year. im not really interested in expensive volunteer programs in africa. what i really want to do is load a backpack with lots of good books ive been meaning to read, and trek around a foreign country, working at WWOOF locations (organic farms that feed and shelter you in return for work on the farm.) i also want to write about my experiences. </p>
<p>i feel like i would learn alot by doing this alone. i would have to battle my introversion to satisfy my need for human contact. i would have to battle boredom, loneliness and hunger. after my year in a foreign culture, maybe my experiences would make me more mature, and ready for college again. i think i would apply to the schools that i wanted to but never did: deep springs, and reed, as well as 2 that i was rejected from: whitman and colorado college. then i could aproach my studies from an entirely new and matured perspective. </p>
<p>i feel like if i have some experience in the harshness of the real world, everything i learn will be put into context. if i really want to pursue this, i would have to convince my parents that i dont want to go to college, after having spent hundreds of hours researching it, hundreds of dollars applying, thousands of dollars visiting, etc. i would have to convince them that by "doing nothing" i would learn more than by going to college.</p>
<p>If New College will let you defer your admissions for a year, your plan might work. I suspect you might get more human contact working on farms than you expect. And I can tell you having spent one day picking grapes in France that you may be in for a lot more hard labor than you expect.</p>
<p>I would think this through most carefully. I think a more prudent course might be to do this over the summer. It would not be as intense an experience, but after spending a couple of months wandering through Europe 20 years ago and my son spending 3 months overseas last year, you'd be surprised how much fun you can have (and on the other hand how homesick you can get) in a few months.</p>
<p>If you decide to go this route, I would absolutely ask the New College if you could defer admission for a year. It's really only a few months from graduation until the admission cycle starts again and if you are on a yak somewhere, doing the application thing may be harder than you think. Better to keep that New College admission in your pocket.</p>
<p>I hope you'll figure out what's best for you! I've seen kids do this with great results and others who just seemed to keep piddling around :-) Figure out what's best, get everyone on board, keep the admission, and ....</p>
<p>my thinking on taking a gap year vs. deferring admissions for a year:</p>
<p>defer:
- will be forced to go to new college after year
- will have to apply for transfer if i want to go anywhere else
- will not be able to apply to deep springs college (no transfers)</p>
<p>gap year:
- no guaranteed spot at new college (although im confident of my chances of getting in again)
- if i totally change my mind about colleges, will be able to apply as a freshman rather than as a transfer</p>
<p>or can you defer enrollment and apply to other schools at the same time?</p>
<p>S1 went to school for two years then took (is taking) a gap year. It has worked out great for him. He has worked and traveled on three continents and has changed some of his personal goals. He feels he will return to school with a better perspective and feeling refreshed after years of continuos studying. It is an alternative to a gap year at the outset, that may be worth considering.</p>
<p>Deep Springs allows transfers. In fact many students are not offered admission upon their first application and either take a year off or transfer in (one current student studied at a school for two years before transferring). Be prepared to work your patootey off writing essays though....</p>
<p>I am sure that if you defer admission to New College then you are not neccesarily bound to attend. They might ask for the deposit (around 300 dollars usually), however it probably only assures you a spot in next years class.</p>
<p>If this is what you want to do, then do it. The students I have met who have done this (and those specifically at Deep Springs) seem to be all the better for it.</p>