So I’m committed to a college that I like but am kind of nervous about going to (macalester, nothing against the school, but it was pretty much my only option, and I’m scared it doesn’t have enough name recognition to get me into grad school, etc), and I’ve been increasingly curious about taking a gap year to hike the AT or something similar, and either deferring admission for a year or reapplying somewhere warmer. How does deferring admission work, and how bad of an idea is it to take a gap year? How difficult is it to reapply?
Where do you think you might head for grad school? Start with that. what do you think you would major in as an undergrad?
How did Macalester end up on your application list in the first place?
@happymomof1 oh god I couldn’t tell you that with a gun to my head- I think I want to get my masters in either social work or education, but I don’t know where yet. I’m gonna double major in education and sociology (maybe history?), but it’s hard to be certain.
Mac ended up on my list because it was my mom’s safety back in the day (both of my parents went to Williams), and I liked it ok, but didn’t love it, and I was applying to liberal arts colleges. My final choice was between Mac and Brandeis, and I’m not sure if I made the right one. I don’t really know what I should do at this point.
For grad school in social work or education undergraduate name recognition would be irrelevant.
Macalester is hardly East Podunk State College BTW.
Since you don’t know for certain yet what (or indeed if anything at all) you might want to do graduate work in, then don’t choose your bachelors’s institution based on that. Choose the place you feel you would be most at home at, and where you feel you will be able to learn and grow. Good grad programs accept students from all kinds of places.
Since you are ambivlent about Macalester, tlak the idea of a gap year over with your parents. Think about how you could use that year (detox from academics? foreign language study? work experience? volunteer work?), and whether you want to spend part of it writing college applications to a new list of places.
Macalesteris an excellent school and you will not have to worry about a lack of name recognition for grad school.
Macalaster is #26 in National Liberal Arts colleges.(out of 233)
“I’m scared it doesn’t have enough name recognition to get me into grad school, etc”
You’re worrying for nothing. Macalaster provides a quality education and grad schools recognize that. Just do well when there as you would need to at any college if you want to maximize your grad school options.
"How does deferring admission work, and how bad of an idea is it to take a gap year?’
From the website - https://www.macalester.edu/admissions/apply/early/
“Each year, some students who have been offered first-year admission to Macalester request the deferral of their admission. Deferrals may be granted for a variety of reasons, most commonly to allow a student to spend time overseas. Deferral requests, which are approved at the discretion of the Dean of Admissions, are granted for a period of one academic year. There are no semester deferrals. Candidates should be aware, however, that Macalester will accept no more than the equivalent of 20 semester credit hours for academic work completed prior to matriculation at Macalester, whether earned during secondary school or during the deferral period. Deferral requests or questions about the deferral process should be directed to the Admissions Office.”
SO, basically contact admissions by email and state you want to defer for a year for a gap year. Include a brief description of how you plan to utilize that year and they will approve it. Note that a deferral isn’t meant to be an opportunity to reapply to other colleges. If you wish to do that, you shouldn’t defer.
“How difficult is it to reapply?”
You basically have to go through the whole process again - application, essays, transcripts, asking for recommendations, etc. You’d be starting from scratch.
BTW, if I were you I would have picked Macalaster as well. I like the school and its location. I’m also all for gap years if you have solid plans to utilize the time wisely for some experiential learning whether work, volunteering or travel, or a combo.