Local vs College vs Gap Year

Mwfan1921
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:14:21 +0000

Congratulations on 3 very good acceptances.

kingenda:

In regards to the issues I have with each college, I had hoped I would have received more money from Villanova and Providence, which did not end up happening.

What is your budget? Did you run the NPCs at all the schools on your list before applying? I agree that as a transfer you will generally receive less money in FA, so something to think about. If Providence and Villanova aren’t affordable now, they won’t be next year or the year after that.

As a NJ resident, did you apply to Rutgers or any other in-state publics? They are all still accepting apps AFAIK.

I can’t tell you what to do, but there seems to be little reason to not attend college in the Fall, unless you have no affordable options (affordability defined as not requiring loans greater than the $27K max in undergrad student loans). Schools that did not accept you after HS are unlikely to after a working gap year. Some may consider you if you do really well in CC, but again, less than likely.

There is no perfect school. Full stop. There will always be tradeoffs, and I expect you would do well wherever you attend.

chmcnm:

Otherwise keep in eye on the list of colleges with openings. The list usually comes out shortly after May 1st.

The vast majority of the schools that will be on this list in early May are still taking apps right now, and some have more FA now than they will in May.