Any advice on gap years?

[Swn4]

At Cornell, there were more Raffles/Hwa Chong students attending than there were from entire US states.

Mal, to me I read it that way as well. "from entire US states" is a bit different that "from THE entire US" entire US states to me means the whole on any state in the union, not all the states combined.

Yup, an entire single US state not the entire US.


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[Lisafuller]

It is true - Cornell no longer publishes student stats by US state so I can’t give you the exact states anymore but…
For fall 2021, only 3% of enrolled students were from the Southwest region of the US (11 states).
Based on undergrad population of 15,500, that is 465. That translates to roughly 116 entering Freshman from 11 states or on average 10.5 freshman per each of these 11 states.
https://www.cornell.edu/about/facts.cfm


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Ah. That makes far more sense. I interpreted your post as referring to all 50 states combined.

[Lisafuller]

At Cornell, there were more Raffles/Hwa Chong students attending than there were from entire US states.


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That can’t be true… Cornell has an undergrad pop of 21,000, and only 22% are international. It’s statistically impossible.

I was thinking the same thing and wondering if the correct quote is that more Singaporean students are admitted to Cornell than any single state in the US. That might be possible.

Yup, Swn just confirmed. From the way the post was phrased, I didn’t see it that way at all.

[Lisafuller]

At Cornell, there were more Raffles/Hwa Chong students attending than there were from entire US states.

Mal, to me I read it that way as well. "from entire US states" is a bit different that "from THE entire US" entire US states to me means the whole on any state in the union, not all the states combined.

I read it as from the entire US states which (I now see) is grammatically unsound, but I inferred.

[Lisafuller]

At Cornell, there were more Raffles/Hwa Chong students attending than there were from entire US states.

Mal, to me I read it that way as well. "from entire US states" is a bit different that "from THE entire US" entire US states to me means the whole on any state in the union, not all the states combined.

Yup, an entire single US state not the entire US.


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Got it. Still, considering most states are significantly larger than SG it’s pretty impressive.

[Lisafuller]

Hi everyone, some of you may have noticed that I’ve been on a hiatus for much of this month. I’ve been really busy helping my daughter plan out her next year in Singapore. That’s right, she decided to go with a gap year. She seems pretty pleased with her decision, and I’m happy to let her do whatever as long as she has a plan. She was hesitant until the very end but it was pretty clear to me that she had her heart set on taking a gap year, even if it wasn’t really clear to her. Appreciate any advice on what she can do to make this year extra fulfilling.

[NYY1]

Hi everyone, some of you may have noticed that I’ve been on a hiatus for much of this month. I’ve been really busy helping my daughter plan out her next year in Singapore. That’s right, she decided to go with a gap year. She seems pretty pleased with her decision, and I’m happy to let her do whatever as long as she has a plan. She was hesitant until the very end but it was pretty clear to me that she had her heart set on taking a gap year, even if it wasn’t really clear to her. Appreciate any advice on what she can do to make this year extra fulfilling.

Congrats and glad to hear she is happy with her decision.

I think a gap year can mean so many different things depending on the person, so without knowing more it is hard to say. Generally, I would look at the short-term and long-term though. Short-term is the few months until the application process starts again (perhaps try the early admissions period?), so trying to come up with what you can do or show to make the application stronger. Once all of the applications are in again, there is a longer period of just waiting until school start the following year. I would consider any of the following a good use of time over this period; expand skills and experience in area likely to pursue in uni, improve one's weakest area or do something you are otherwise uncomfortable doing, volunteer to help something you are passionate about.

It may be too late for this or perhaps it is not even possible, but I may consider moving back to the US until next fall. One, she may be able to do things that are easier for people there to relate to. Two, the time spent may be able to build up some base, foundation, network, etc that can be leveraged over the four years in uni and for whatever the next game is (grad school admissions, job, etc). It's probably OK either way, as one can do all of that stuff over the 4 years once there, but it is something I may give some thought to.

In addition to all of the tangible things that could be done, I suspect many kids will just get a different perspective on how to think about the next stage of schooling and life. Some will be bored and see others progressing, and it will motivate them to get back in the game (wherever that is) and accomplish whatever it is they want to do (realize they could have worked a little harder or made more out of a few opportunities). In contrast, others may realize and become more content with the fact that we might not win at every stage of the game, and that life is still pretty good. This doesn't mean lose all ambition, but just see things a bit differently while still being successful. Either is OK and again it really depends on the kid and exactly what his/her situation is.

Regardless, I am sure she will do well this year and beyond.

[malcontent]

During my gap months between HS and college I worked as a temp in several different factory production lines. At one I made floor edging that gets installed in homes, at another I made the overhead cushy material for car interiors, and another I worked at a 7-up bottling plant. It was a real eye opener and a great experience over the summer months.

[Lisafuller]

Hi everyone, some of you may have noticed that I’ve been on a hiatus for much of this month. I’ve been really busy helping my daughter plan out her next year in Singapore. That’s right, she decided to go with a gap year. She seems pretty pleased with her decision, and I’m happy to let her do whatever as long as she has a plan. She was hesitant until the very end but it was pretty clear to me that she had her heart set on taking a gap year, even if it wasn’t really clear to her. Appreciate any advice on what she can do to make this year extra fulfilling.

Congrats and glad to hear she is happy with her decision.

I think a gap year can mean so many different things depending on the person, so without knowing more it is hard to say. Generally, I would look at the short-term and long-term though. Short-term is the few months until the application process starts again (perhaps try the early admissions period?), so trying to come up with what you can do or show to make the application stronger. Once all of the applications are in again, there is a longer period of just waiting until school start the following year. I would consider any of the following a good use of time over this period; expand skills and experience in area likely to pursue in uni, improve one's weakest area or do something you are otherwise uncomfortable doing, volunteer to help something you are passionate about.

It may be too late for this or perhaps it is not even possible, but I may consider moving back to the US until next fall. One, she may be able to do things that are easier for people there to relate to. Two, the time spent may be able to build up some base, foundation, network, etc that can be leveraged over the four years in uni and for whatever the next game is (grad school admissions, job, etc). It's probably OK either way, as one can do all of that stuff over the 4 years once there, but it is something I may give some thought to.

In addition to all of the tangible things that could be done, I suspect many kids will just get a different perspective on how to think about the next stage of schooling and life. Some will be bored and see others progressing, and it will motivate them to get back in the game (wherever that is) and accomplish whatever it is they want to do (realize they could have worked a little harder or made more out of a few opportunities). In contrast, others may realize and become more content with the fact that we might not win at every stage of the game, and that life is still pretty good. This doesn't mean lose all ambition, but just see things a bit differently while still being successful. Either is OK and again it really depends on the kid and exactly what his/her situation is.

Regardless, I am sure she will do well this year and beyond.

We thought about moving back to the US this year, but have hesitated to do so because it is such a big move and she’s not exactly ready to leave her family and friends here. Also she’s currently doing an internship so she’s contractually bound to stay in the country until she’s done. To be clear I think they would let her go if she was firm on her decision but she really loves working there so it makes sense that she wants to stay.

[Lisafuller]

During my gap months between HS and college I worked as a temp in several different factory production lines. At one I made floor edging that gets installed in homes, at another I made the overhead cushy material for car interiors, and another I worked at a 7-up bottling plant. It was a real eye opener and a great experience over the summer months.

Not sure that those sorts of jobs are right for her haha. She’s interning as a writer with a media company right now and is very happy and fulfilled with the work that she does. She has mentioned an interest in interning for a law firm next year, but we will have to see if she’s able to find a suitable position.

[NYY1]

Nothing too shocking in here but a reality of the situation. Net-Net, schools should probably bring the tests back but this seems to go against the current public rally.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/s ... -rcna44865

[malcontent]

My daughter will be applying next year (starting classes in the fall of 2024). I’ve found SuperTutorTV on YouTube to be quite insightful.

Here is a video put out just weeks ago on how to play the test optional game.

https://youtu.be/IXOILLLckSQ

[NYY1]

My daughter will be applying next year (starting classes in the fall of 2024). I’ve found SuperTutorTV on YouTube to be quite insightful.

Here is a video put out just weeks ago on how to play the test optional game.

https://youtu.be/IXOILLLckSQ

Thanks and makes sense. If you have a good score, submit it, as it will likely help (although varies across schools).

Quite frankly, most of the kids here targeting US Universities (especially as you go up the so called rankings) are likely to score very well, and other factors are probably going to matter more.

Good luck!

[Lisafuller]

Nothing too shocking in here but a reality of the situation. Net-Net, schools should probably bring the tests back but this seems to go against the current public rally.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/s ... -rcna44865

Personally, I believe that standardized testing helps to up the chances of local students who may not have the most pristine transcripts. It’s a well-known fact that schools here are incredibly harsh with the marking despite the fact that classes are much tougher here than they are elsewhere. Standardized tests help to alleviate any doubt about one’s academic abilities which is why I’ve always been such a huge proponent of them.

[Lisafuller]

My daughter will be applying next year (starting classes in the fall of 2024). I’ve found SuperTutorTV on YouTube to be quite insightful.

Here is a video put out just weeks ago on how to play the test optional game.

https://youtu.be/IXOILLLckSQ

Is she planning on going test optional?