In short, I had a 3.98 GPA, full IB diploma student, 32 ACT / 33 superscored, decent SAT IIs, no hooks, and unexceptional ECs. I was rejected at all 11 of the “reach” schools I applied to (except WUSTL where I was waitlisted).
There is still a chance that I will enroll at Tulane University where I received a $27,000 per year merit scholarship, but a missed opportunity at applying for a full-tuition scholarship and the fact that I received absolutely no FA from Tulane have soured that option for me. I am aware of the risks involved in taking a gap year and the lowered chance of being accepted to a college that has previously rejected me. However, I am very ambitious in regards to what I could do with a gap year and am comfortable with taking a gap year as long as I have a solid plan of action. So… please help me formulate a plan.
Considering my situation and the fact that I want to apply to competitive colleges next year, what should I do with my gap year?
What gap year activities are most valued by college admissions?
What full-time (preferably paid) internships related to my areas of interest (mathematics, engineering, architecture, science) are there? Or where should I search for such internships?
How are you getting any more competitive in your gap year? All the reasons for not getting into your reaches stay the same. Your ACT stays at 32, you still have an IB subject area that doesn’t show your areas of declared interest, so will finances change or will you just apply to actual match schools? Tulane was OK for you with merit in an older thread, did something change?
“How are you getting any more competitive in your gap year?”
The idea is to formulate a gap year plan that would strengthen my application by participating in activities (internships, academic programs/competitions, etc.) related to my areas of interest . This would show that I am serious about exploring my areas of interest and would perhaps help shore up the weakest part of my application (ECs). Additionally, I think that I could raise my ACT to around 34, get a strong LOR from an employer, and write supplements that are better geared toward what colleges are looking for. More importantly…
“So will finances change or will you just apply to actual match schools?”
Both. I would be more wise about the college admission process and about financial considerations. It’s not worth going into detail about, but I can assure you that my FA situation was all screwed up this year due to factors that could be corrected the second time around. I would apply to more match schools and, in doing so, be mindful of generous merit scholarship opportunities at colleges like Tulane, U of Miami, Vanderbilt, and Emory.
“Tulane was OK for you with merit in an older thread, did something change?”
I still view Tulane as an OK option, but I feel that I could do better in terms of financial aid, merit aid, and/or a better fit for me.
@PurpleTitan
My goals/reasons for applying again are mostly covered above. Essentially I am considering a gap year because I feel that I could put myself in a better position to receive more financial aid, more merit aid (potentially a full-tuition scholarship at a place like Tulane or U of Miami), and/or admission to a college that I truly feel passionate about (a “reach” college most likely).
Sorry about how long that was. Obviously I’m typing a lot of this out for my own benefit.
@Frazzled503, I might be a little worried that Tulane wouldn’t accept you next year and offer the merit scholarship to you again. Is there any data (hard numbers or anecdotal) out there about what happens when kids decline merit awards and then re-apply to the same school next year?
I’m wondering if the admissions committee would feel slighted that you didn’t like them enough this year to take the merit scholarship you were offered. It’s one thing if you reached out to the school for more FA because you couldn’t afford it, but another thing entirely if they perceive that you are declining their offer because you wanted another shot at admissions to see if you could get into a higher ranked school. You might not be lucky enough to receive a merit award from Tulane two years in a row, and if you re-apply you’ll be competing against another crop of wonderful applicants that might be even more competitive than this year’s group. Perhaps that’s food for thought.
It’s sort of like being given a cookie but being upset that you didn’t get a cupcake. Do you really want to turn down the cookie for the outside chance (10% or less) that another school might possibly give you a cupcake?
Perhaps you should take a look at the thread on “Poor appreciation of acceptance chances”:
Your other post indicates that Tulane was your safety with EA admission, but every other was a reach. If you did not really like Tulane, you should have found a safety that you like, because getting into no reaches can happen.
If you do take a gap year, start your new list with a safety that you like.
Tulane cares a lot about demonstrated interest and only accepts around 25% of applicants. Saying ‘no’ to a $27,000 scholarship this year offer pretty much guarantees that option will be off the table for good.
And Tulane flat out rejected high stats kids after EA because they protect their yield, a better ACT and better overall stats may actually harm the Tulane chances (in a virgin applicant, I doubt they hold merit for a deferral).