Applying to College After a Gap Year

Archive Ask The Dean Archive
1

<p>Question: How do you begin to reapply to college after your gap year? How do you obtain the old information submitted previously (e.g., counselor/teacher recommendations)?I can’t tell if you intend to apply to colleges to which you’ve already applied or to other ones, so I’ll answer the question both ways.First, if you’re planning to take […]</p>

<p>[View</a> the complete Q&A at CC’s Ask The Dean…](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/applying-to-college-after-a-gap-year.htm]View”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/applying-to-college-after-a-gap-year.htm)</p>

2

<p>Here is a link to a NYT article about a girl who took a gap year and how much it helped her.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/jobs/15pre.html?scp=1&sq=gap+year&st=nyt[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/jobs/15pre.html?scp=1&sq=gap+year&st=nyt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>If you were accepted to College “A” and deferred for a gap year, do you have to withdraw your name from “A” before applying to College “B” ?</p>

4

<p>Most colleges have you sign some sort of agreement not to enroll in another credit-granting institution while still bound to “College A.” I don’t even think you’re allowed to take CC classes or anything, so enrolling in another institution is out of teh question.</p>

5

<p>But you wouldn’t be enrolling… just applying for the following year…
I’m asking because something about it sounds wrong but I can’t think what rule you are breaking. Deferring for a year is not as binding as, say, ED.</p>

6

<p>2008parent, thanks for posting that article, you could sense her enthusiasm and self-confidence in her writing.</p>

7

<p>flygirl1, if you send in your deposit, defer enrollment for one year and apply to another college during that year, you do break a rule (sending in a deposit = commitment)</p>

8

<p>Great gap year story. Expensive gap year plan. It was clearly a great year for her.</p>

<p>

[quote=2008parent]
Here is a link to a NYT article about a girl who took a gap year and how much it helped her.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/jo...ap+year&st=nyt[/url][[/quote”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/jo...ap+year&st=nyt[
[/quote</a>]
</p>

9

<p>There was one in CC itself, regarding gap year success story.</p>

10

<p>How would colleges find out if i reapplied? Do every colleges keep files of rejected applicants and for what reasons? Do every colleges check if an applicant is a re-applicant or not??</p>

11

<p>isnwta: is it bad if the colleges know?</p>

<p>I will re-apply to a school (that turned me down, unfortunately). but I do not know if there are any negative perspectives… are there?</p>

12

<p>Question: How is the woman in the photo of that gap year article possibly 25?</p>

13

<p>Some applications ask you if you have previously applied, and you should always answer honestly. Colleges track applicants in different ways, and it’s a very bad idea to be untruthful, if you’re asked about a previous application. </p>

<p>If you’re not asked, you aren’t obligated to explain that you have applied in the past. However, if you were turned down before and plan to reapply, it’s a good idea to submit a letter or supplementary essay that highlights what’s new in your life since your last attempt that would make you a stronger candidate this time around. In most cases, admission committees are looking for academic or intellectual achievements, not personal ones. So, no matter how many hours of volunteer service you might have put in during a gap year, you may not get good news the second time either. </p>

<p>Yes, there are stories out there about gap-year students who do make successful second attempts at a dream college. But, more commonly, the students who eventually get admitted to a college that said, “No thanks” already, are those who proved themselves at another school first and then re-applied to the top-choice college as transfers.</p>

14

<p>When you apply to universities after a gap year, are the grade 12 results taken into consideration for the overall gpa? If so, would it help a student if the senior year shows a significant improvment in results and study habits?</p>

15

<p>Yes, senior year grades play an important role in admission decisions for students who apply to colleges after a gap year. After all, these are typically the last academic results you’ve had, so admission officials will put a lot of emphasis on them. Thus, if your 12th-grade year shows significant improvement, it will work in your favor. If, as a result of your gap year endeavors, you also provide evidence of maturity, passion, etc., then this will be a plus as well. </p>

<p>In most cases, however, if an applicant had a lousy senior year, then the gap year undertakings will not go a long way to compensate, unless there is some academic component to the year’s activities that shows improvement. </p>

<p>In other words, when applying to college after time away from school, admissions folks will shine the spotlight on your most recent transcript–whether that’s good news or bad.</p>

16

<p>We were advised by our college counselor that what you are proposing is ethical as long as you were deferred for the gap year by college A. You may not put down deposits at two places, so if you are then accepted by College B you must immediately withdraw from college A (presumably forfeiting the $250 deposit, or whatever), but there is nothing wrong with applying somewhere else.</p>

17

<p>If my junior-year average was 92, with 3 AP classes enrolled in, versus my senior-year average of 95, with 7 AP classes enrolled in, would that be considered a significant improvement? Also, my rank only improved slightly but that is largely attributable to senior students taking less demanding course loads to “enjoy” their last year. Would the admission officers take this into account when they review my file? (I’m considering about applying again during my gap year as well)</p>

18

<p>I am considering taking a gap year as well. Would you advise me to apply to colleges during that year or after finishing it ?</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>Good question, and if you’d asked me decade or so ago, I would’ve said, “Do it while you’re still in school, where your teachers and counselors are handy, and where you can feed off the momentum of your classmates.” Also, if your gap year is going to take you far away or keep you on the move, logistically it may make sense to get your applications out of the way first.</p>

<p>But, recently, I’ve 180’ed on that view and can only serve up a lame, “It depends.” </p>

<p>Now that the World Wide Web is truly world wide, it’s often easy to reach your teachers from Belize or Bulgaria or from wherever you may be spending your time off, if not close to home. And there are indeed some advantages to waiting. These include:</p>

<p>**1) A gap year often leads students to new interests or to a level of self-discovery that can affect college choices. So the school that seemed so “right” before the gap year may not feel like such a perfect fit afterwards</p>

<p>2) If you sit out the college feeding frenzy as a senior, you can put more effort into your senior classes and test prep, which could pay off when you finally do apply to schools. You can also enjoy your last year in high school a lot more.</p>

<p>3) If your grades and test scores make you a borderline candidate (or below) at your top-choice colleges, but admission officials really like your profile (maybe you’re a great writer or have some extra “pizazz” that isn’t reflected in your stats), it can sometimes be easier for them to admit you when you’re not coming straight from high school. If they’re turning down your classmates who are stronger on paper, it can be tough to say yes to you. But, once you’re out of high school, such comparisons are less apt to be made. (Don’t count on getting into “Reach” schools after a year off. As I said, this happens “sometimes” not “often.”)**</p>

<p>Keep in mind, however, that if you plan to start college the September after you ordinarily would, you won’t be able to apply to colleges “after” your gap year. You’ll have to work on applications in the fall, not too many months past high school graduation, since most due dates will be in January or the early winter months … even sooner if you want to apply Early Decision or Early Action.</p>

<p>So, bottom line: There are pros and cons to whichever application timetable you choose. As you’ve probably figured out by now, lots of admission-related decisions will lead you into gray areas!</p>

20

<p>I guess there are two opinions about applying to college B after deferring enrollment at College A. Is it really like breaking a rule? If so, how would College A find out, if I applied to another college? Does the college track what the applicant throughout the year? In addition, how would College B find out if the applicant deffered enrollment at another college? These are the some question marks that I have in my mind.</p>