<p>My D is currently on a gap year. The benefits she is receiving reach far beyond getting into college this year. She has matured. Become more focused. And has a much better idea of what colleges would be “right” for her. She was rejected and waitlisted by all but one of her colleges last year. And it was not because she did not have the stats for the colleges she picked. A 3.9 UW GPA, 31 ACT, Top 1% of her class and great EC’s. My guess is that she was not sure of what she wanted to do and that came through in her applications. She spent a year abroad; Fall semester in Honduras building sustainable housing and this semester in New Zealand doing environmental conservation and habitat restoration. She applied to two of the old schools and four new schools. She was accepted into all, and at some received better FA than what it would cost to attend her instate school. But as a parent her gap year has given her more than college acceptances. Although that is certainly a plus. It has been the many opportunities to grow and travel and experience things that most freshman have not done that has benefitted her. A gap year to reapply for the sake of reapplying is not a good idea. A gap year to grow, find new things, re-think the college application process, and get a better idea of who you are and where you are going are good reasons to spend a gap year out of college.</p>
<p>-The U of A will cost as much as Hendrix. Since Hendrix if far better than the U of A, the question should be, why not go to Hendrix? But I don’t really want to because both schools will cost too much (for my family) relative the the education I’d receive. (Also, I haven’t heard back from DePauw, which is really strange.)</p>
<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>
<p>I thought if you take ONE college class after graduating from high school, you’re treated as a transfer applicant by all schools. But, from what you said, I guess that’s wrong. I’ll check the policies.</p>
<p>“but only if you are presenting a ‘new and improved’ applicant-not just an older one.”</p>
<p>I will have done pretty much all of the above actually. (1) My SAT will be a 2100-2200 instead of 2030, (2) Colleges will see that I made an ‘A’ in an honors college philosophy course and a ‘B’ in a college Calculus course. (I made B’s and C’s in non-AP English courses and 'B’s in honor math courses in high school, so these college grades should help a lot to make up for my English and math high school grades.) (3) If I do a gap year, I will volunteer and work. (I’ve never had a job and my life and I only played baseball and was a member of three clubs in high school, so a gap year should, at least slightly, help the EC part of my application. (4) My essays should be better, as I will spend a lot more time on them than before. (5) My philosophy professor will probably write me a recommendation better than any of my high school teachers.</p>
<p>So, yeah, I would improve my application in essentially every aspect.</p>
<p>But the big question is how selective I can go with this new and improved application. If schools like Lafayette and St. Olaf (I probably won’t reapply to the same schools, but similarly selective schools) are still reaches, I’m not sure it’d be worth it take a gap year.</p>
<p>“A gap year to grow, find new things, re-think the college application process, and get a better idea of who you are and where you are going are good reasons to spend a gap year out of college.”</p>
<p>Well, I suppose that could be one positive result, but the main reason I’m considering a gap year is admittedly to just reapply to colleges. I have two choices and both are too expensive… If any other school on my list accepted me, it would be cheaper than Hendrix, because Hendrix offers bad aid (besides, of course, to students that it wants, and Hendrix doesn’t really want me that badly).</p>
<p>Well I wouldn’t waste the year entirely, you should take community college courses if you can and do well obviously. Knock out a few GEs which would offset the cost in the long run.</p>
<p>“Well I wouldn’t waste the year entirely, you should take community college courses if you can and do well obviously.”</p>
<p>I would probably actually take U of A courses again. I live like 10 minutes away.</p>
<p>…Do grades at community college courses look less impressive than grades at state flagships? I’m pretty sure they do, but if they don’t I’ll consider community colleges because they’re obviously half the price.</p>
<p>But I’m still not sure you can take any college courses after graduating from high school.</p>
<p>No school is going to admit or not admit you because your classes after graduating were at a community college instead of the state flagship-except maybe the state flagship. </p>
<p>The point of taking the classes is to fill the holes in your education where you may have them, show you can do college work and prove that you care about your education and are willing to work for it-the name of the school isn’t the important part so save your money.</p>
<p>And swymchik16 is on the money. It could be a transformational year for you if you do it in the spirit of personal growth rather than just as a tool for getting into a better school-although that will probably happen too.</p>
<p>“No school is going to admit or not admit you because your classes after graduating were at a community college instead of the state flagship-except maybe the state flagship.”</p>
<p>Well they might. Right? Classes at the U of A are absolutely no more challenging than at a CC? But you’re right…the difference between the two isn’t worth two times the price.</p>
<p>But I’m not even sure you can take college courses after graduating from high school and NOT be considered a transfer applicant. I tried google but came up with nothing.</p>