Hypothetically, if I were to do a gap year and then try to transfer after my freshman year of college, would I be a stronger applicant than if I went straight to college and tried to transfer after a year? Even though I would have the same amount of collegiate experience in both cases, doing a gap year would create some space between my bad grades in HS and my transfer application. I feel like colleges would like that distance
Here’s my story in a sentence: I’m smart and did very well until I stopped working in junior and senior year (long story) and shot my chances at getting into a great school. Next year I’ll be going to Geneseo and I’d only transfer if I got into a significantly more reputable school with a strong neuroscience program. I recently started a thread that helped me realize I need a stronger case for transferring (thanks @eyo777 and @whatisbusiness )
I know it’s a little late to plan a gap year, but I’m considering joining the Israeli army (I’m assuming they’ll want to take me), maybe working on an organic farm in rural Argentina (I’m argentine-american but don’t have much connection with my roots. I’m free labor so they should want to take me), and maybe americorps (dont really know anything about it but it sounds alright. its probably too late for it though).
A gap year will not affect how your high school records are evaluated in frosh or transfer application (except that in frosh application, you would show your senior year grades, for better or worse).
However, a junior level transfer application (i.e. in your second year, with 2-3 semesters of college records) will be evaluated mainly on your college records; your high school records will be less important or even not considered by some schools.
Can’t speak to how much differently a college would view your record after a gap year, but YOU would be a different, more mature person wherever you decided to go or what you decided to do.
Do you feel like you need a break?
The options you mentioned are interesting. I would add Young Judea’s City Year to the mix. It is six months of schooling (Language included—do you speak Hebrew already?) and six months of volunteering in a poor Israeli neighborhood. Is this an option for you? If too pricey, there are other Israeli gap year options like Aarvark (City Year but cheaper, basically) and some of the kibbutz based programs, which are also agri work plus language.
Good luck to you.
I was just thinking the extra time would give me an advantage given that people who have been out of HS longer seem to be evaluated less on HS grades.
@Lizardly Thanks for the suggestions! Honestly I don’t know if I need a break even though I would certainly benefit from doing the right one. I’m on the fence right now as I’m excited for college but I’m still recovering academically from tough times in HS and I don’t want that to cross over into college. If I do anything, I want to pay little to no money. I’m not sure if the army would take me for under a year and I know no Hebrew. I think the army or a kibbutz would be a great experience but I’m also interested in improving my Spanish (I’m native but can’t speak well because I never practice) or maybe French (currently in AP. It comes naturally). However, I don’t know what I’d do in Argentina and France is probably very expensive to live in.
How about Montreal? To use your French, I mean. Or Haiti?
There is a good deed gap year program for Jewish kids whose name I am blanking on right now…Maaseh maybe? All kinds of programs on that list. Some are $ some are not. I am thinking the kibbutz based ones are not $. You work for your keep and learn the language. Pretty no frills, though.
No, you couldn’t join the army for just a year. But you could find one of the do gooder programs for just a year. Some are not fancy, but very competitive and attractive, like our Americorps programs. There is one for tutoring Bedoins in English, for example, that is hard to get into.