Got admitted to college, but was not able to go

Colleges & Universities University of Virginia
1

Hello!
I am new to college confidential, so I don’t know if this would be good category to write my story. However, I really wanted to get some help with the situation I am experiencing currently. In the spring of 2016, I got accepted to University of Virginia as a freshmen, but with many conflicting personal/family issues, I was unable to pay the enrollment payment on time; it was two weeks after the payment due date when I realized I was late on the payment. Since this was the case, I thought of the two options, which were going to community college as a freshmen and get degrees I need as a UVA transfer student or taking a gap year. I first though going to community college for my first year would be a better decision, so I applied to community college, but on the special note in my application, it said I need to take English exam (probably because I was not a US citizen born in US). However, I was unable to take the exam in US with the time I got as I was planning go to Korea very soon to visit my family who is very ill. Despite I learned that I could find a proctor in the other countries, so when I went to Korea, I looked for proctor; since it was also break for colleges in Korea and difficult to find a professor who was willing to be my proctor, I came to give up on taking exam in Korea. I COULD take exam in US when I go back on August 15, but the problem is that I will be late on registering the classes and I feel like there won’t be any classes left I wished to take (school starts at 8/22 :/).

(didn’t add the important info, I told my siblings but not my dad that I wasn’t able to go to UVA. I know you guys would probably say I should tell the truth and he’ll understand, but…I am pretty sure he’ll not understand me…he’s REALLY strict (our whole family is strict, we’re asians…) and he’ll be super shocked when I tell him the situation…he’ll not let go of the situation easily :(…)

Again, I thought of a gap year (which my siblings disagreed), but I don’t know what to do…I can’t go oversees, people said earning credit during gap year is also not a good idea, and I also don’t I can get a job experience since what my siblings fear is letting my brain rest too much. (they said it will be harder to catch up if I don’t study at all when I go to college next year)

OK, SO CONCLUSION,
Do you guys think its better to go to community college for my first year while not being able to take the classes I wanted (I feel like this might also hurt college gpa and have bad impact on my transfer process to UVA) or to take a gap year and reapply to UVA this winter/next spring)? If you think its better to take a gap year, what kind of things I should do to make the year more productive?

2

Call your local CC and find out if there will be any course selections left when you come back. All you need are general Ed classes, and it shouldn’t be hard to get them. A Cc should offer lots of sections of gen Ed classes. But I don’t understand how you will have time to take this english test too? Have you actually gone in to talk with a counselor and explain the situation? If not, do so asap, or at least call.

Re your dad, well, isn’t he going to figure out soon enough that you aren’t at UVA? Man up and tell him, because you don’t have an option. You really should have seen if you could have deferred but it’s too late.

Re a gap year, I don’t know what your siblings are talking about. You are not going to suddenly be incapable of learning because you take a gap year. If you take a gap year, get a job and volunteer in things you are interested in.

Gotta say, you seem to be creating all kinds of silly excuses not to go to college, or even get a job. Working is in no way detrimental to your brain’s ability to learn and what you wrote about that is nonsensical. Your siblings are being ridiculous and you can tell them I said so. Your brain doesn’t wither away as soon as you stop going to a school. Your brain starts learning new stuff that can’t be learned from books. The brain is elastic and has the capability to absorb boundless information. Millions of successful people all over the world go back to college after working, and shock horror, millions of students work and go to college at the same time. Stop coming up with flimsy reasons not to be in charge of your life. You must be 18, or nearly. Start behaving like an adult.

3

Call UVA and talk to them. See if they will just let you enroll next year. Then take the gap year and work (and figure out how to schedule things so you don’t miss deadlines).

4

Ask them about spring admission, too.