I’m not so worried about what the adcom at my first choice will think so much as what’ll happen if a lower-level college (that I love, I should add) accepts me? Can I tell them to hold my place and I’ll inform them if I still want it next year? Or do I have to go through the whole rigmarole the following year?
Reapplying is not going to be on a whim, though; there are quite a few important factors that will change over that year, which is why I think I would possibly have a decent chance if I gave it another try.
So, will the colleges lower on my list hold my place, or tell me to try again the following year like everybody else?
<p>DRab:
That's why it's my first choice, isn't it? Basically, I'm asking what'll happen if my first choice turns me down, but my second one accepts me. If I reapply for admission the following year at my first choice, will the second choice hold my place in case I don't make it, or force me to reapply there as well?</p>
<p>You're talking about transferring. This is what will happen:</p>
<p>You don't make your first choice, College A. Second choice, College B, accepts you and you decide to go. Then it's time to apply for transfer. You don't tell College B that you're transferring yet. You go through the housing process and course registration for the next fall like everyoen else unless you're 100% sure that you don't want to be there in the fall. At the same time, you apply to College A for transfer. Say, you get accepted at College A, then you begin the process of withdrawing from College B. Congrats, you are a transfer student at College A!</p>
<p>If College A doesn't pick you but College B does. You are so angry that you don't want to go to College B in the fall and just want to work on your application and take a year off. Somehow, by miracle, by taking a gap year, you've applied for freshman. Congrats, you are a frosh!</p>
<p>Deferring means getting IN the college but telling them that you will not attend right away. You can do anything you want until you're ready to go except to go to community college or another college, even if College B picks you.</p>
<p>Uh...no. I don't want to transfer. I'm talking about deferring my admission at college B by a year, then applying to college A as a freshman for the next year, and seeing how things turn out; if college A picks me, I go to college A. If it doesn't, I stay with college B and enter as a freshman, only a year after I was supposed to. Is this allowed?</p>
<p>it probably is, it doesnt seem that different from a waitlist admit if you think about it. Most likely though, you will have to send some money to College B, and that will be non-refundable. That could be a factor.</p>
<p>Also, odds are you will be so happy with College B you will be glad you didnt go to College A (obviously not everyone gets into their first choice, and most kids are still really happy where they went)</p>
<p>I don't really see the point in going through the process again to try and get into your 1st choice school over your 2nd choice school.</p>
<p>I guess it's possible, and it really depends on the schools. Call the office of admissions anonymously for information. Most schools will probably allow it, but you have to keep in mind dates. Basically, if you defer admissionc to college B and get into college A, will college A inform you about your acceptance before the deadline for telling college B if you will or will not attend?</p>
<p>personally, i think it's a little dishonest and sleazy and if college a or college b were to somehow find out, i don't think they'd think too much of you. Integrity is as important as credentials.</p>
<p>Sorry, but as someone from a different culture, I don't see what's so bad about it. It's not like I'm cheating college B or anything; I'll even pay the deposit. All I want to know is if college B wouldn't be seriously ****ed off if I decided to accept an offer from another college before I entered. I sort of guessed the answer would be "no", actually, so I was surprised when people here said it's possible to do that.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation as the OP. My first choice school did not accept me RD so I lived at home and went to a small LAC in NYC for one semester. I reapplied to my first choice school and got in the my second semester freshman year. </p>
<p>Basically the Dean of Admissions for my first choice school told me that if I had at least a 3.3 GPA I would basically be guaranteed to get in. This was all off the books, and was more of an unoffical guarantee. I would suggest doing something similiar to myself and go to a decent school where you can get a good GPA (maybe go to the 2nd choice school) and try to transfer right away. If you get in you will be a freshman for one semester and if you do not, you can continue at your 2nd choice school.</p>
<p>Problem is, as an international transfer, I won't qualify for financial aid at most unis. I'll need a full scholarship from some foundation not tied to any particular school.</p>
<p>You should not enter the college application process with only one school you wish to attend. Unless you have extraordinarily unusual career goals there are lots of colleges that can get you started. You are setting yourself up for disappointment to convince yourself that there is only one place to attend and, if you do not get in there, you should orchestrate some subterfuge to get in next time. What if your second application to "top choice" is also denied? Sulk off to college B and tough it out? Or go to one of the several good places that offered you admission confident that you will have an excellent educational and social experience?</p>
<p>I have more than 10 choices, most of which I would love to attend. However, as I said, I have good reason to believe I stand an even better chance of admission to my first choice if I reapply the following year. And if I don't get admitted, it's no big deal; I have several other choices, not all of which are as selective as my first choice.</p>
<p>I can afford to go through the process again because I am not following the orthodox school system, and will be applying one year earlier than the average American school-leaver.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have NO intention of attending school B! After all, if you get into A, you won't be going.. and as you posted here, even if you don't get into A, you still won't be going to B! So why apply?!?</p>
<p>Exactly, which is why I enquired whether if I am offered admission, will my place be held until the next year, should I fail to gain admission to college A again. If I don't, I might as well only apply to college A, and if I fail, then apply to the whole bunch the following year.</p>
<p>As suze said earlier, most colleges will let you accept their offer and defer coming for a year. During that gap year, kids have been known to travel, do humanitarian work, and yes--even to reapply to other schools.</p>
<p>You must keep in mind, as elem said above that you are basically saying, "I'd rather do a gap year than attend any other college except College A".
But if college A didn't take you the first time around, and you are not attending another school and trying for a transfer, then what are you going to be doing to make yourself acceptable to College A the 2nd time around? Just the fact that you're applying again? You think they'll give you a shot, just because you're persistent?</p>
<p>You'll need to do something really productive during that gap year, cause all your hs stuff (transcript, recommendations, etc) will be exactly the same as when they rejected you.</p>