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Reapplying to College: 7 Strategies that Have Worked for Our Students

With just how competitive the college admissions landscape is right now, it’s not uncommon for many students to not get into any of their top choices or only get into safety schools. If reapplying to college is the case for you, or this is a fear you have, take a deep breath. It’s certainly scary, but if you are faced with this possibility, it’s not the end of the world. As a Graduate Coach at InGenius Prep, I work with many different kinds of students, including reapplicants. In this blog, I’ve highlighted seven strategies that our team implemented for a student reapplying to college who then was admitted early decision at an Ivy League school!

Take Advantage of the Gap Year

First and foremost, if you’re choosing reapplying to college over attending a safety school and then transferring, you’re definitely taking a big risk. For students transferring, it’s easy to make a case about how a higher ranked school might have better resources to academically support the student’s interests and goals. However, if you had been admitted somewhere and are now deciding on a gap year instead, you’re taking a big risk. BUT, you are not doomed.

One of the most important components of my student’s application was highlighting just how the gap year had been beneficial to them. So, it’s important that you spend your gap year wisely, exploring your interests as well as taking classes if possible. Don’t just sit at home. For example, if you’re interested in creative writing, look for writing opportunities at newspapers and magazines. You can even start your own literary journal and seek other places that will publish your work. Plus, you shouldn’t stop taking classes just because you’re not going to school at the moment. Seek out classes at local colleges—lots of community colleges and even private schools have classes that local students can take for credit.

The Common App has an “educational progression” section that allows you to talk about why you took a gap year and how you used it. If you’re reapplying to college, this is the place to highlight all that you’ve done and how they have helped you grow.

Apply to More Schools—And Schools that Are a Better Fit

If you applied only reach schools the first time around, it’s time to expand your list when reapplying to college. Often, students blindly make up their school list with options that are well-known, rather than colleges that are suited for them. So, the second time around, conduct research to make sure you look for target and safety options you’d be happy attending as well. Of course, ideally, you’d get into your top choice. However, there are a lot of schools that aren’t ranked as high that still have top programs that can support your academic aspirations. Conduct research, and don’t limit yourself. If you applied to five schools last time, apply to ten this time—and make sure that you’d be happy attending any of them.

Take the SAT/ACT—And Consider Submitting (Or Not Submitting) Your Score

Since most colleges have adapted test optional policies now, it’s all the more important to consider the right strategy for whether or not to submit your score. First of all, you should definitely take the SAT or ACT if COVID conditions permit. Next, it’s time to consider whether submitting your score will benefit you or not when reapplying to college. For example, in the case of one of our students, they didn’t have an SAT score the first time they applied, and therefore didn’t submit one. The second time they applied, they had a 1560. Therefore, it was an obvious choice to submit.

If you have an SAT score, consider how competitive the schools on your list are. If you’re applying to a school with an acceptance rate of 30-40%, and you have stellar grades and extracurriculars, and a compelling personal statement, you could opt out on submitting your test results. 

However, if you have your eyes on an Ivy League college or the likes of Stanford and MIT, it might be worth considering sending your SAT score. Since these schools are extremely competitive, and the admissions pool is full of brilliant students, admissions decisions might come down to the smallest of factors. If an admissions reader is debating between you and a student of similar impressiveness—and you have a high SAT score and the other student hasn't submitted one, you might just get the yes in such a case.

Apply Early Decision

Applying early shows commitment. It also helps colleges know that they’d be protecting their yield rate. If you didn’t get into a top college the first time around, I’d actually say that it’s wisest to apply to a school with binding early decision rather than applying early action. While early action, especially restricted early action, does show high interest in the school, you won’t be required to attend even if you’re admitted. So, your attendance isn’t guaranteed. With early decisions, colleges know that you’re making a commitment to attend. So, when reapplying to college, consider applying ED!

Visit Campuses & Talk to Current Students

Campus visits are an essential part of figuring out where you want to be and what you want to do when reapplying to college. They also help demonstrate your interest in the school, which often matters to admissions officers. But even if the school doesn’t directly track demonstrated interest, going on campus tours and talking to current students gives you an idea of what daily life at the college is like, what it’d be like for you to join the student body, and hear firsthand experiences from people who go there. Plus, this experience would then make for strong essays and interview answers, which would help show admissions officers that your interest in the school is genuine and well-researched. 

Find Ways to Connect With Student Organizations 

This isn’t something that we often encourage students to go out of their way to do when they’re high school seniors because they don’t have a lot of time on their hands. However, if you’re reapplying to college, this could be an interesting way to spend your time. Colleges want to know how students would contribute to their campuses and doing so outside the classroom is often seen with great importance. Almost all student organizations on college campuses have social media accounts that allow you to connect with current members. You could even email them to see if you can sit in on a meeting or learn about daily operations. While this won’t directly make or break your admission, again, they make for great essays. Sometimes, student organizations or other campus-run organizations might allow students to even submit a supplemental application. For example, you can connect with the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania if you’re a prospective creative writing major and ask them (politely) if they would read your work. 

Write A Fresh Personal Statement (and Supplemental Essays)

Finally, don’t just submit the same personal statement when reapplying to college. This is another place to show how you’ve grown since you first applied. While of course, you are the same person and therefore it’s okay that your interests remain the same, you should show that you’ve explored them differently or reflect on what one of your gap year experiences, extracurricular or otherwise, have taught you about yourself or the world around you. It’s time to show maturity in your perspective and the fact that while this was an unprecedented situation, you’ve handled it with maturity. As for supplemental essays, if you’re applying to the same college, don’t just submit the same responses! Try a different prompt if there’s an option, or use your new gap year experiences to reflect on how you would contribute to campus in certain ways.

Reapplying to college is a very daunting process. It is a choice you need to make knowing that it’s a risk but if you work hard, make good use of your gap year, rethink your school list, apply ED, and refresh your essays. It’s disheartening to fall a year behind, but you can surely make the most of it and get into a top-notch school that can help you achieve your goals. Good luck!