My daughter was third in her class at a prestigious private arts school (scholarship), got every academic, community and artistic award under the sun, was selected by faculty to speak at graduation but didn’t get into 6 out of her 7 schools she applied to. However, that one school was just too expensive for us because they didn’t give money for academic achievement and have two others in college. She didn’t have any back up schools because her plan was to take a gap year if she couldn’t go. This plan sounded good to her until it actually had to happen, then she was embarrassed but determined to make the best of it. She moved to Chicago at the end of August, found a two girls in a great neighborhood from a University who needed a third roommate, got a fulltime daytime nanny job (which pays generously) and began her gap year. She was able to audition and/or interview to get into advanced classes at 2 theatre companies, was able to take an incredible Shakespeare class (which helped with Unifieds), takes voice lessons with a fantastic teacher at a local arts college, dance lessons through Hubbard Street and just finished the advanced actors intensive at Second City. She also started auditioning for roles (no agent) through on line calls and in December she was offered a part in a new start up musical but had to decline because she just landed the understudy of a wonderful part in a Play that just opened. (Every critic so far has recommended or highly recommended it and she is thrilled to be part of this production, even as an understudy}. The funny thing is that the director and cast just found out on opening night that she was only 18; everyone just assumed she was already out of college. also has several “irons in the fire” because of the connections she has made this year. While she still considers this whole process “nerve-racking”, she has already had one acceptance (which was a rare early one for that school), 2 rejections and one wait list (short one I believe) at one of her favorite schools. She is waiting to hear from 4 more. I have purposely left out many names of places because she would not have wanted me to share this much.The point is, she would never change the way things happened and so grateful that they happened the way they did.