How does taking two years of gap year seem to colleges, especially to those top colleges like Ivy Leagues?
Like everything, it depends.
A gap year is typically one year. After that you become more of a “non-traditional student”. That would be okay for Harvard Extension, but unless you are doing something really fantastic and special during those two years, I don’t see the ivy schools looking at it favorably. Many less competitive schools would be okay with it. Folks “go back to school” all the time.
What are you doing in those two years? Required national military service? Extended voluntary or religious service? Recovering from a serious medical condition? Competing as a high-level athlete? Working and saving money for college? Running the household so that someone else can be freed up to do other things?
Have a plan for your time off.
Some Ivy’s have schools for nontrads – fyi. Harvard extension mentioned above is one. Columbia GS is another – one of Columbia’s four undergraduate colleges, with engineering school, Columbia College at CU and Barnard. UPenn also has a nontraditional program/ undergraduate college.
One big difference between the nontrad schools and the trad schools is FA. Be sure that you can afford less FA if you decide on an Ivy nontrad route.
Otherwise Harvard Extension is NOT the same undergraduate education as Harvard – different segments of the school are reservedf ro HE students.
Columbia GS is the same as Columbia College in terms of education (core, activities etc.) but for these differences: FA as described above; housing which can be a big deal in NYC; the diploma is in English rather than Latin; and you can take fewer courses than a full load because the students presumably mostly have a life outside of college – work family kids. Columbia professors often send their kids to the GS school and the graduates are treated well in jobs and moving on to grad school.
UPenn I’m not sure of the differences – I think they offer housing though and that you get to take classes alongside the rest of the Penn undergrads.
Nontrad students at Yale – age 26 and over I think for the Eli Program. Brown also has a non-trad program and you need to be out of HS for 6 years – good FA for both of these.
Unsure what Cornell and Princeton offer.
ALSO – many of the excellent LACs are excited to welcome nontrads often with FA. Women’s colleges – some of the best LACs in the country – have excellent nontrad programs, not just for older students but for women whose academic lives were interrupted for varying reasons. Check out Smith, Agnes Scott, Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr and Wellesley for example.
Other schools that accept nontrads do so as part of their undergraduate classes – MIT has expressed that this happens, Reed, Hampshire, Sarah Lawrence, and many other excellent schools welcome nontrads because of the different perspectives they offer on campus.
Each school has its own perspective and if you’re interested in a school, just ask the adcoms.
Thanks for the comments.
Actually, I am an international student and I had a financial issue to pay for the entire costs. So, I took national exams which qualifies me for scholarships from the ministry of education, and that covers all the expenses of four years of studying in foreign countries.
Does it make any difference?
I meant, the exam was the reason why I had to take gap years.
I’m not sure what you mean by “does it make any difference”.
You can attend an Ivy fairly easily as a nontraditional student – pls see my comments above in post number 4.
Columbia GS and UPenn LPS could possibly work for you. Same education but less FA offered by the schools.
There are also many other schools where you would be conidered either a nontrad or a trad, depending on that school’s policies. You should look at the individual schools and ask them their policies.
I reread your comments.
Thanks for the infos that I didn’t know. It was pretty helpful.
You are an international applicant who now has full funding from your government. The time off betwen high school and college is immaterial. It will not cause problems with your application.
What will pose challenges, is that you are an international applicant. You need to work closelu with the scholarship agency in your country to find out which colleges and universities here have admitted students like you in recent years. Those places will be the ones that are most likely to admit you.
I agree with #9. If you are full pay (meaning, you need no financial aid) there are many very good, selective colleges and universities that will welcome you with open arms.
Thank you everyone for the comments.