Admission Tips from a Freshman at Brown: Gap Years!

November 22, 2013

Taking a gap year can be a great experience for a lot of students. It can give you more time to prepare physically, intellectually, and emotionally for college. Some people are just burned out after 12 years of schooling and a gap year is a great way to revitalize themselves for their journey through college. Students can also use their gap year to do things they may never have time for later in life. It’s great way to boost a resume if you didn’t get accepted to your first choice schools. I know several people at Brown University who were accepted after taking a gap year. 

My friend Oliver spent several months in Mexico with a group traveling and doing community service. He became fluent in Spanish to the point of thinking in the language, and had a number of memorable experiences. After returning from Mexico, he completed a wilderness EMT course in Colorado. He was trained to rescue hikers and skiers in the mountains, in addition to regular EMT training. He recommends taking a gap year to everyone who asks him about it.

 

Another friend had planned to spend a gap year building and cultivating her own farm, but ended up rehabilitating problem dogs and researching the evolutionary biology of dogs. Her work is taking her across the country, and hopefully to Europe before the year is done.

I’ve heard of other students spending gap years working on their music skills, studying Hebrew in Israel, or simply working at home. If you’re unsure about your current resume, taking a gap year can give you an opportunity to pursue something truly unique and boost your admissions chances. Even if you’ve already been accepted, a gap year can provide students with amazing experiences, and a strong footing going into college. If you think it might be right for you, think about it and consider your options. There are lots of programs out there that can help. Good luck!



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ClaireL
UCLA


Accepted to UCLA, Cornell, CMU, USC, UCSD, UC Davis

UCLA Class of 2020. Orange County native.
VivienneEve23
UC Berkeley


Accepted to UC Berkeley, Brown, Claremont (CMC), Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Northwestern, Pomona, Stanford, San Diego, Vanderbilt, UCSC, UCSB, UCSD, UCLA, Cal Poly, Cal Poly Pomona, Washington

UC Berkeley Class of 2020
ApplyingAsAnIn…
GA Tech


Accepted to , Illinois Tech, RIT, Clarkson, Stevens, GA Tech, Case, UMich, Illinois, Colorado, Rochester

Georgia Tech Class of 2019. Studying Computer Science. Working for Google in Summer 2016
FeartheLee
Stanford


Accepted to Stanford, Williams, Brown, Pomona, Duke, Bard, Kenyon

Stanford 2019, creative writing and education. Full essays! "Lopsided," less-than-stellar numbers.

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