FlyMeToTheMoon

You didn't have a lot of matches. You will still be happy at your safety, and everything works out they way it should. (Same thing happened to my daughter, so I know what I'm talking about.) I wish you luck and happiness!

cbug

Bloom where you are planted!

And if it makes you feel any better, I know several who attend St. Olaf. They were at the top of their HS classes. I also know several others who applied to St. Olaf, also from the top of the HS class, that were waitlisted or flat out rejected. What I'm saying is that you should still feel very proud and honored that you got into St. Olaf. It's very selective school that also produces some the happiest college students I know.

M's Mom

As others have said, too many reaches given your scores and academic rigor, not enough matches (really only Kenyon).

Unlike others here, I think a gap year is a great idea, especially if you are not satisfied with the results of your application process and have a good alternative in mind. Consider spending more time in Italy with your family there - if you have dual citizenship, see if you can find work. Or volunteer with an organization that has a mission you care about - that orphanage perhaps? Or another organization that is focused on child welfare? Or if you have a career objective that you'd like to test out, this might be a good time to look into it further.

You'll also have the time to rethink your college list (and possibly study for and retake your SAT). Since most schools will superscore, you can keep the great writing score and focus on getting your CR and Math up.

If you still end up at a safety in the end, no harm done: You don't get a prize for finishing a year earlier.

ichabod94

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help. I agree that I should have applied to more match schools, or more schools that are typically less common for people in my school to apply to. I considered applying to Davidson, Occidental, Trinity, Connecticut College and Boston College, but ended up not. I probably should have as I may have had a better chance at those schools. My parents were very discouraging of me applying anywhere without great financial aid, but I ended up getting a very good aid package at st. olaf, which is not 100% need-blind or need-met.

I agree that I should have taken more AP's but my school really only offers math and science AP's which is not really what I am interested in (although I have always done well in those classes). I took college courses in Theology and Poly Sci, mainly just because I was interested in them, but also to show colleges that I wasn't just slacking off in my senior year. I also took an extra curricular french class and really went above and beyond what most seniors at my school were taking.

I think I was surprised to not get into Kenyon because I felt the writing program would be a huge help. I guess I was wrong about that. Last summer they really made the young writers feel like they should apply to Kenyon as a "safety", and that they view young writers differently from the other applicants. I really fell in love with the school and was very disappointed. I initially felt my waitlisting might have something to do with finances. My family has a very low income, and a low family contribution on Fafsa, and Kenyon does admit that they cannot afford to be need-blind. A lot of kids got into Kenyon from my school. To be honest, most of them had weaker academic stats (lowers SAT's and GPA's) and less interesting extracurriculars. They are all wealthier than I am, which didn't quite seem like a coincidence.

For a while I was really leaning towards going to St. Olaf, as I really liked it whenI visited. I do worry a lot about the Minnesota winters and the lack of diversity. Also, I was not thrilled with the classes I sat in on. The profs were great, but there was a lot of texting and hair twirling and students who had not done the HW. However, I do feel I could have a good experience here. That said, I do have a lot of opportunities open to me, I have 3 passports, and some money saved up from my summer job, and a part of me agrees with M's Mom that I don't have anything to lose by taking a gap year. I will not lose my scholarship at St. Olaf and I might try to remedy some of the mistakes I made the first time around.



I agree that my first block was aiming too high. This time I would re-apply ED to the schools I got waitlisted at, probably Williams ED 1 and Haverford Ed 2. I would also probably apply to Scripps, occidental, pepperdine, davidson, bc, cc etc. I would not re apply to any of the schools I got rejected from. I am still not 100% sure about my choice. I agree that I don't want to do this for prestige reasons. I don't just want to go to a brand name school. I just want to make sure that I am in a place with other highly motivated individuals and rigorous academics.

I don't want to take a gap year just for the purpose of re-applying, but I do feel it could help me become stronger as an individual, while possibly helping my chances of admission. I do feel that ED would show these schools a greater level if commitment, especially from a student who was waitlisted and re-applied. My guidance counselor thought this was a good idea. Any thoughts?

Thank you all again, I',m sorry this post was so long!

swingtime

I think your post was wonderful. It was thoughtful, intelligent, impressively mature...All the things you clearly are. Though I said I think St. Olaf is an excellent school, you noted one of its drawbacks: the lack of diversity. And, if you WERE underwhelmed by the classes, well...it is important and significant that this was your response. Since you clearly did your homework on this one safety, don't discount your feelings about what you discovered there on your visit. If the St. Olaf money will not be lost -- as in you can defer for a year while you figure things out -- maybe you should spend time re-doing your application cycle. Because CLEARLY you are aware of what the flaw in your strategy was: not enough matches!!!!!!

You are approaching this with clear eyes and intelligence. Whatever you do: good luck!!!

arabrab

It sounds like a reasonable plan, but you might want to think about how Pepperdine fits in with your goals given that you found the St. Olaf's students to be not all that engaged in the classes you sat in on.

Williams seems like a very high reach school, even for ED1, and especially if your counselor is not going to check the box indicating that you took the most challenging courses at your high school. (I'd ask the counselor if he/she would tell you this, since I think it ought to be an influence for your list.)

(Are you full-pay? If not, that might also be something you want to consider.)

sbh777

SUNY SB's Honors College is exceptional. You're in a very small cohort, and have an enormous amount of opportunity to conduct research with professors across the country (they'll work to place you with professors at other schools for summer research if you so desire). Also, you have the whole New York thing to do, which is awesome. Go banking! So yeah, Of the ones you were admitted to I would strongly encourage you to look into SUNY SB.

swingtime

Might I suggest taking a "peek" also at Grinnell College and Oberlin College. May be "slightly reachy" -- and of course you are going more for matches this time around -- but excellent small colleges with diverse and interesting student bodies. They both have what you are seeking: highly motivated students and rigorous academics. Macalester in the Twin Cities is also really worth a look, as more of a match. And hey, if financial aid is a real consideration, though it is a reach, St. Olaf's neighbor Carleton College might be less of a reach than Williams or Haverford. Carleton has very generous financial aid and, though a top-ten LAC, gets fewer applicants than W or H, and typically has a higher than 25% acceptance rate. Problem is those Minnesota winters, but it is a spectacularly good school and worth a look. As I say, easier to get into than W or H, but just as good!

Erin's Dad

While Carleton is less of a reach than Williams or Haverford it's not by much. And it's certainly more "reachy" than Oberlin and Grinnell.

OP, while I understand you may feel you missed out on some of your school acceptances I don't know why you're fretting. You have some very good choices on the table. If you were my child I would tell you to pick one.

M's Mom

OP, the key to a good gap year is the planning. Take a look at The Gap Year Advantage by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson. Lots of great resources and ideas.

And I agree with Swingtime - check out Oberlin, Grinnell and Macalester as matches. Also Colby and Bates in Maine.

saintfan

My D will be happily attending St. Olaf and had a different visit experience. She sat in on physics and a great conversation class and found the students very engaged in both. She and a friend who will also be attending (from the west coast) are both IB diploma students, AP scholars with distinction, etc. You may be underestimating the students at StO.

On the question of why not accepted at some of the others . . . if a school has a freshman class of around 400, the chances of any one strong student being chosen is not great. You appled to reach LACs on the coasts, but neglected the heartland where you would have provided some geographic diversity (assuming you are from NY area) and may have had an admissions boost. Agree that Grinnell could be an alternative as it is more diverse in terms of geographic origin of the students. However, their admissions have tightened up this year.

dodgersmom

Your family is "very low income." You have "some money" saved up from a summer job. How exactly is it going to make you a stronger person to blow your limited savings on a gap year???

You want to become a stronger individual? Attend one of the three excellent schools that admitted you . . . and use your summer savings to pay some of your expenses!

Taking a gap year is either a luxury (for students whose families can afford it) or a necessity (for students who have no other option). You don't have unlimited resources and you DO have other options!

Applying to college is not the same as dining out at a fancy restaurant . . . you don't get to pick and choose lobster over shrimp or sirloin over strip steak. College selection is NOT within your control . . . as much as you thought that you were making the choice when you put together your college list, in the end, it is the colleges that make the decision, and not the other way around. Yes, there are lots of other schools out there that are absolutely wonderful - but there's absolutely no guarantee that you'd be admitted to any of them.

You want to be a stronger individual? Go to college and get started with your life!

bclintonk

Ah, yes, the obligatory disparaging comment about Minnesota winters. Look, the OP applied to St. Olaf, Middlebury, Dartmouth, and Bowdoin, as well as schools in Chicago and upstate NY. I would take that as pretty good evidence that the OP is not daunted by winter, which makes the swipe at Minnesota entirely pointless.

And isn't it odd that we never see such gratuitous disparaging comments about winter in Middlebury, which is similar to winter in southern Minnesota except that Middlebury gets about twice as much snow and about half as many sunny days?

swingtime

To bclintonk. Good grief, it was sarcasm, not a swipe. I live in Minnesota, and suggested other Minnesota LACs to the OP (Macalester and Carleton). You could have just PM'd me if you are THAT offended.

Hanna

"Taking a gap year is either a luxury (for students whose families can afford it) or a necessity (for students who have no other option)."

I don't agree with this -- it can just be a choice, as opposed to a luxury or necessity. A lot of people take a gap year, work, and save up money. If you're living at home, it's not hard to do. If that's really what the OP wants, I don't think it is a bad call. It's probably not too late to defer entrance to St. Olaf. Most kids are stunned by how much there is to learn in a year working in retail or food service.