Would it be worth it for me to take a gap year?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Here's how my college admission decisions panned out:</p>

<p>Accepted - Hendrix College
Rejected - Lafayette (ED), St. Olaf, Case Western Reserve
Waitlisted - Furman, Rhodes College, Sewanee, Illinois Wesleyan
Don't know yet - Wake Forest, DePauw</p>

<p>[But it’s obvious I’ll get rejected by WFU and accepted by DePauw.]</p>

<p>So I'm considering a gap year because (1) going to Hendrix this year would not be economical, as it its price for me would not be worth the education and opportunities I’d receive, (2) Given the economy and the fact that I need financial aid, I think it’s very unlikely I’ll get pulled off any of the four waitlists I’m on, and (3) as explained below, my stats would be much better after taking a gap year (which means I’d likely get into a better college than Hendrix next year, and, if I apply to Hendrix again, they would probably offer me more merit aid).</p>

<p>Brief picture of the 'stats' I applied with:</p>

<p>Male from Arkansas
Public High School (600 per class)
GPA - 3.00 weighted (2.85 unweighted)
Rigor - Not very hard; four honors math courses and 3 AP's (my school offers over 15)
SAT - 2030 SAT
Currently enrolled in Honors Philosophy and Calculus at the U of Arkansas
EC's - Member of three clubs, high school baseball 9-11th</p>

<hr>

<p>So the above is what I applied with. The following is a conservative estimate of the (changed) stats I will apply with should I take a gap year.</p>

<p>GPA - 3.20 weighted (~3.05 unweighted)
SAT - 2100<x<2200
Honors Philosophy - A+ (highest grade in class of fifteen)
Calculus - B (I might make an A, but I think it's likely I'll end up with a B)
EC's - In addition to the three clubs and baseball in high school, I will be able to add some sort of full time job, and perhaps various sorts of volunteering (likely over 500 hours).</p>

<p>I suppose this is the place to mention this. The reason my GPA will be a 3.20 instead of 3.00 weighted if I wait and take a gap year has nothing to do with what grades I will make this semester. I should have applied with a 3.20 GPA this fall, but the woman in charge of transcripts at my high school mistakenly failed to change the grades for classes that I retook online (it is my school's policy to replace lower grades with higher grades on the transcript after retaking a class). So instead of a 3.20 weighted (I realize this is already laughably low, by the way) I applied with a 3.00 weighted and two F's on my transcript that would not have been there had the woman done her job correctly.</p>

<p>So, point being, I applied with two F's on my transcript this year. If I take a gap year, I will have a significantly higher GPA and no F's.</p>

<p>Also, the reason I can conservatively estimate my SAT to be around a 2150 or so is that I spent literally zero time prepping. If I take a gap year, I will prep several times a week for several months before I take it again, so my score is very likely to significantly improve.</p>

<p>And finally, I know I'll make an A+ in philosophy because I currently have, by far, the highest grade in my class and we only have one more assignment this semester, the final exam. I have around an 88% in calculus, and, since I’m trying to make my estimates conservative, I'm going on the assumption that I won't raise it to an A.</p>

<p>So here is a full picture of the stats I would apply with next year after a gap year:</p>

<p>Male from Arkansas
Public High School (600 per class)
GPA - 3.20 weighted (~3.05 unweighted)
Rigor - Not very hard; four honors math courses and 3 AP's
SAT - 2100<x<2200
Honors Philosophy: A+ (highest grade in class of fifteen)
Calculus: B (I might make an A, but I think it's likely I'll end up with a B)
EC's: In addition to the three clubs and baseball in high school, I will be able to add some sort of full time job, and perhaps various sorts of volunteering (likely over 500 hours).</p>

<p>Given all of the above, what do you guys think? Would taking a gap year be worth it? Would Lafayette (and similarly selective schools) be too much of a reach even after a gap year?</p>

2

<p>Have you already sent a revised, corrected transcript to the schools where you are waitlisted? In your situation, I would get the guidance counselor’s help, get a copy of the corrected transcript, have the GC write a cover letter explaining the situation and fax it in ASAP.</p>

3

<p>No gap year isn’t worth it, try looking at other universities.</p>

4

<p>Agreed. Work the wait list. Taking a gap year is not seen positively unless:</p>

<p>1) you really needed to stop school and work for a year or
2) you do something that is significant and enriching, that allows you to grow and focus as a person… like volunteering somewhere for a year as an intern that relates to your career or educational goals. The adcom needs to think: Ah, that’s great, makes sense, good use of a year.</p>

5

<p>Wow. I am never ceased to be amazed at the stories that surface here on CC. Amazing. </p>

<p>I dont know who was advising you on college selections, my friend, but they didnt do you ANY favors. I applaud your tenacity and visions of greater things to come, but colleges dont admit on hopes and dreams they admit on facts…historic facts.</p>

<p>Your SAT is fine, but your gpa is awful. FACT. And even with upgraded gpa being online stuff, its out of line with your SAT, which indicates to colleges you were lazy. Dont know what happened to you, but that is what they THINK and that is reality to them.</p>

<p>Yes, I would imagine that Wake completely rejects you. Depauw is a FINE university. If you get in there, GO THERE. And bust your hiney when you are there and DONT party. GET THAT 3.8 or 4.0 freshman year and show the world what you can do. That you are worth the risk. And then if you dont like Depauw, transfer out. If you like Depauw, which you MIGHT, then stay and don’t look back.</p>

<p>But your list of schools you applied to was way out of line with your stats. ALL REACH SCHOOLS, NO MATCH OR SAFETIES. </p>

<p>Unbelievable.</p>

<p>Nothing wrong with trying or dreaming. But ALWAYS limit your schools to 3 reach TOPS. At least 3 or 4 match and at least 3 safeties THAT YOU LIKE.</p>

<p>DONT TAKE A GAP YEAR. UNLESS YOU ARE SIMPLY TOO IMMATURE TO GO TO COLLEGE AND NEED A YEAR TO GET YOURSELF TOGETHER.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

6

<p>Have you already sent a revised, corrected transcript to the schools where you are waitlisted? In your situation, I would get the guidance counselor’s help, get a copy of the corrected transcript, have the GC write a cover letter explaining the situation and fax it in ASAP.</p>

<hr>

<p>Well I forgot to mention that the transcript woman did add the grades I received online at the bottom of my transcript. So even if I send a correct transcript, all of my colleges will still be aware that I made two F’s. It wouldn’t really solve or help anything: they already know I made F’s and they already know I retook the classes.</p>

<p>No gap year isn’t worth it, try looking at other universities.</p>

<hr>

<p>I’m a liberal arts sort of person…</p>

<p>2) you do something that is significant and enriching, that allows you to grow and focus as a person… like volunteering somewhere for a year as an intern that relates to your career or educational goals. The adcom needs to think: Ah, that’s great, makes sense, good use of a year.</p>

<hr>

<p>Yeah, I might live in Boston (with a relative) and work and volunteer during the gap year.</p>

<p>@endlessrecession</p>

<p>I largely agree with you, but here’s a few things to point out.</p>

<p>(1) It’s a lie that colleges don’t care A LOT about test scores. The fact that I was waitlisted by four ‘decent’ liberal arts schools with terrible grades and below average EC’s shows that I was clearly only waitlisted because of my solid SAT score. This means I took the place of several people on waitlists with, say, 3.70 unweighted GPA’s, better activities, but a 26 or 27 ACT. The goal of the each college’s admissions office is one thing: increase the selectivity from last year as significantly as possible.</p>

<p>(2) I know a 2150 SAT score and 3.20 high school GPA makes no sense. But, excusing the fact that a college will likely admit me over someone with a much better GPA and much lower test scores (because their chief concern is increasing their selectivity), I was hoping that the fact that I have the highest grade in my class in an honors philosophy class and a B (a B isn’t great, but it’s calculus…) at the University of Arkansas might counter my GPA. Doesn’t this show that I am clearly no longer lazy and willing to try in college (and likely continue to do well)? So my line of reasoning is this: schools will want my SAT very badly, and they can justify taking me despite my poor high school record, because I clearly gave effort in college this semester and did fairly well.</p>

<p>Also, Hendrix College was definitely a safety, lol. I live two hours away and know a lot about the school. There was literally a 0% chance that I would not get accepted. And I’d probably choose Hendrix over DePauw because I heard from someone on this site that DePauw will give VERY weak aid this year…so if Hendrix and DePauw cost the same, I’d probably go to Hendrix. It has smarter students and comparable professors and programs…and it’s much closer to home. (I only applied to DePauw because I read a few months ago that DePauw gives great aid.)</p>

<p>But thanks everyone who’s replied so far.</p>

7

<p>anymore comments? is anything in my post above wrong?</p>

8

<p>Another option: Go to community college for a year. Pull up your grades and demonstrate the you’re are a serious student. Then transfer.</p>

<p>I also wouldn’t be so quick as some to discount a gap year if indeed you do something useful with your time: That means an internship in an area that you are interested in working in and am willing to put some effort into. With better test scores and some new recommendations, you might have a better chance.</p>

9

<p>^ The community college option is a bit risky, as transfer acceptance rates are generally much much lower than freshman acceptance rates… Plus, I would just hate my time there I am sure. Also, wouldn’t decent grades in two classes at a state school one semester do the same thing as going to a community college for a year and getting good grades (albeit, given it would only be two semesters worth of classes instead of eight, to a lesser degree)?</p>

<p>This is what my grades will be at the end of this semester at the U of Arkansas:</p>

<p>Honors Philosophy course- A+ (best grade in class)
Calculus I- B+</p>

<p>So how will colleges look at my transcript with a horrible high school GPA, but a 3.50 in pretty difficult college classes?</p>

<p>“With better test scores and some new recommendations, you might have a better chance.”</p>

<p>But how much better of a chance…</p>

<p>I would only be willing to take a gap year if I am essentially guaranteed admission to a school like Lafayette or St. Olaf if I apply to 8-10 schools similarly good that I like. (We are assuming a 2150 SAT and a full time job the entire time, plus volunteering on the side.) That’s pretty much what my decision comes down to: if good schools are still long shots, I don’t see how taking a gap year would be worth it.</p>

<p>(By the way, my birthday is in August, so if I take a gap year, instead of being among the youngest in my class, I’d be among the oldest. So my age wouldn’t be any different relative to my class if I take gap year or not.)</p>

10

<p>If you are already taking classes at U of Arkansas, why on earth don’t you just enroll there full time in the fall? I has to be cheaper than your other options and you already have proven that you can be successful in the classes there.</p>

11

<p>lol…</p>

<p>Good question, but I hate universities. I’m only enrolled right now because (1) my philosophy course is honors and only has about 14 people – very similar to an LAC class, and (2) it was kind of important for me to complete Calculus I before going to college full time – I’m going to be a science major of some sort.</p>

<p>Also, the U of A’s total cost for me (and really all Arkansans) is roughly the same as Hendrix’s price. </p>

<p>…But the problem with both options (even if I’d want to go to the U of A) is that they’d cost way too much relative to the quality of education I’d receive.</p>

<p>And if I take a gap year, I’d signficantly improve my application and therefore very likely receive more merit aid from Hendrix and/or get accepted to a school that actually offers decent aid (St. Olaf, for example).</p>

12

<p>A gap year may be worth it since it appears that finances may be a consideration, and you have not been accepted to a college that you think would be worth paying for. If you take a gap year, it will be important to do something productive and to also make sure you’re applying to some colleges that you know will accept you, you can afford, and would want to attend. It would be probably a waste of time to take a gap year to reapply to places that waitlisted you or rejected you. I’ve seen students on CC who have tried that, but have been rejected again . One person even had been deferred, waitlisted, rejected from his first choice, and that happened again when he reapplied during a gap year.</p>

13

<p>If money is a consideration, unless you plan to live at home and commute to a 4-year or community college that you can afford without aid, you’re unlikely to find colleges that you can apply to now and also get aid.</p>

14

<p>I don’t understand why so many people are down on the “gap year” idea. My wife did this before college and she came in with maturity that was not typical for freshmen in college. She did better in her courses and had more focus (eg knew what she wanted to major in). I think this is a good idea if you are not happy with your other choices.</p>

15

<p>It may do you well to take that gap year and take some classes at a community college near your home. If you’re not really excited about Hendrix (especially the price tag at Hendrix) and you don’t get into any of those waitlist schools, it may be more advantageous for you to take that year to spend improving yourself. DePauw is a great school and I would hold out for them, but barring that, you can plan to take a year off.</p>

<p>Don’t listen to endlessrecession – your GPA is not <em>awful</em>. It’s not top of the line, but a 2.85 is not awful, it’s actually about a B- average, which is okay. Not abysmal, but not great. Your GPA is only one part of the puzzle and I could see why you would assess the rest of your record as being solid for some of those schools. It’s a tough year for admissions, but I wouldn’t feel like you have to drop your sights too low.</p>

<p>Also, I don’t know why the common wisdom is that a gap year is either for those who are too immature for college or for those who want to do something huge and significant like volunteering abroad or something. That’s not true at all. Many people take time off – sometimes many years – before they plan to go to college. Middle-class students nowadays assume that the HAVE to go to college right after high school, because that’s what they’re expected to do, but you don’t have to do that. A year between high school and college can be good for other reasons. Maybe you’re just not ready. Maybe you need a break from taking classes. Maybe you’d rather save some money. Maybe you’re tired of school and just want to work. None of those things indicate immaturity; in fact, it takes a great amount of maturity to decide that going with the majority is not for you and that a year of college now would be a waste of your time and money.</p>

<p>My brother decided after a semester of community college classes that it wasn’t worth his time to go straight to college - so he stopped and did some job training while working for UPS. Now he works for an electric company doing line work as a technician. He’s a skilled laborer making $40,000 a year. Oh, and yes – his job is also currently paying for him to earn his bachelor’s at Georgia Tech. No loans for him. He is a couple years older – he’ll be 21 in September – but he’s wiser for it, and more committed to devoting time to school work.</p>

<p>Don’t just hang around and do nothing, though. My strongest advice would be to take community college classes (basic GE things like English, introductory math, a science, history, American government, etc.) at least half-time while working and saving some money for college. That way, when you reapply next year, you have some credits to transfer and can save yourself some time. Or you can do some vocational training in the meantime and gain a skill that you can then employ while at your college, if you needed or wanted to work. One of my friends got her nursing license and then used that to support herself while she was in university, and now in a master’s program.</p>

16

<p>It would be probably a waste of time to take a gap year to reapply to places that waitlisted you or rejected you. I’ve seen students on CC who have tried that, but have been rejected again . One person even had been deferred, waitlisted, rejected from his first choice, and that happened again when he reapplied during a gap year.</p>

<p>It would be probably a waste of time to take a gap year to reapply to places that waitlisted you or rejected you. I’ve seen students on CC who have tried that, but have been rejected again . One person even had been deferred, waitlisted, rejected from his first choice, and that happened again when he reapplied during a gap year.</p>

<hr>

<p>Given my situation, it wouldn’t make much sense to take a gap year and apply to schools that rejected/waitlisted me (fixing my high school transcript and getting rid of the F’s is a big part of it; if I reapplied to, say, Lafayette they would probably review my file from last year and see that my old transcript had F’s… so it would defeat a large reason for why I might take a gap year (applying without any F’s on my transcript). So if I take a gap year, all of my reach and match schools will be similar, but I’m not going to apply to the same college twice… besides Hendrix.)</p>

<p>It may do you well to take that gap year and take some classes at a community college near your home. If you’re not really excited about Hendrix (especially the price tag at Hendrix) and you don’t get into any of those waitlist schools, it may be more advantageous for you to take that year to spend improving yourself. DePauw is a great school and I would hold out for them, but barring that, you can plan to take a year off.</p>

<hr>

<p>I would rather go to Hendrix than DePauw if they end up costing the same. I only applied to DePauw because I read they give great aid (however, several months later, after I already applied, I read they’re going to give horrible aid this year).</p>

<p>Don’t listen to endlessrecession – your GPA is not <em>awful</em>. It’s not top of the line, but a 2.85 is not awful, it’s actually about a B- average, which is okay.</p>

<hr>

<p>It may not be awful for just anyone, but I got a 2.85 by never doing homework, never studying, etc. My high school GPA is pretty sad.</p>

<p>About community college courses if I do a gap year… I think I’d just take one or two more U of A courses during the summer (this year) and then spend the following school year working and volunteering, etc. If I did this, I will have taken four college classes (I’d estimate either a 3.75 or 3.50 college GPA) and some work and volunteering experience, which I lacked in my application the first time around.</p>

<p>…Anyways thanks everyone for the advice. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do, but I think I’m leaning towards the gap year.</p>

17

<p>I agree with the post above – your GPA is NOT “awful”! Sure, it seems out of line with your SATs, but I have to believe that there are plenty of fine schools out there that would have been very happy to enroll you, had you applied.</p>

<p>I expect that a great many more students than usual will be doing a “gap year” for economic reasons. (My son may be one of them)</p>

18

<p>I have seen students take a gap year and reapply to schools that initially rejected them and then get accepted. But these are students who specifically addressed the weaknesses in their initial applications: An ‘F’ in math replaced by a good grade in a community college in that class. Weak recommendations replaced by solid recs from the gap year supervisor and community college profs. Essays that didn’t really stand out replaced by essays that really delved into what the applicant was trying to achieve educationally and personally. A dozen inconsequential ECs replaced by one or two really important ECs. A standard ‘why I like this school’ essay replaced by ‘what I can bring to this school’ essay.</p>

<p>Yes, a gap year can make a huge difference to a school to which you are reapplying-but only if you are presenting a ‘new and improved’ applicant-not just an older one.</p>

19

<p>If you decide to take college courses during a gap year, check the policies of the schools to which you plan to apply. Make sure you know the maximum number of college credits you can take without being treated as a transfer student.</p>

20

<p>If you got into Arkansas or UAB and are in state then go there. If Depauw gave you good aid then go there. Or opt for community college, but if you can afford Arkansas, there is no reason to go to JC</p>