Caveats to applying senior year?

[Leonidas93]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Can someone tell me the potential negatives to applying senior year? Because aside from the obvious (postpone career, risk to a high GPA, etc) I can honestly see no downsides to applying as a senior.

 

[Pacna]

Can someone tell me the potential negatives to applying senior year? Because aside from the obvious (postpone career, risk to a high GPA, etc) I can honestly see no downsides to applying as a senior.

Where are you coming from? Are you a senior now, or are you contemplating putting off applying to next year?

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

I just graduated and am applying this cycle, and I think it's great. Don't have to worry about undergrad anymore, won't have to plan interviews around classes, won't have to update transcripts ever, etc.

 

[Leonidas93]

I just finished sophomore year. My grades can only go down from here.

 

[plumhill]

I just finished sophomore year. My grades can only go down from here.

Well, hopefully they won't. There's been some talk about whether or not gap year applicants are more successful/well-rounded/mature/etc. I'd say do what is best for you and apply when you're ready and at your strongest, whether that is after your junior year or 10 years from now.

 

[Doctor Strange]

If you have student loans, you'll begin going into repayment during that gap year that you take to apply after you've graduated.

 

[Ost3oclast]

I just graduated and am applying this cycle, and I think it's great. Don't have to worry about undergrad anymore, won't have to plan interviews around classes, won't have to update transcripts ever, etc.

This is a good line of thinking. I applied a month after I graduated. Yeah I had to take a gap year but I didnt have to schedule interviews around school, was able to take ample time on my application, and got a much needed break from school at the same time. If I could do it again, I would have applied the same way.

 

[Ost3oclast]

If you have student loans, you'll begin going into repayment during that gap year that you take to apply after you've graduated.

This is true....

 

[Pacna]

If you have student loans, you'll begin going into repayment during that gap year that you take to apply after you've graduated.

They go back to deferring once you go to med school, though, and it shouldn't be hard to pay 6 months of them.

 

[HopefulReapp]

If you have student loans, you'll begin going into repayment during that gap year that you take to apply after you've graduated.

I think it's something like -150% of the poverty line and you can keep deferring them. No great options for people in this situation!

 

[kickster]

Applied going into senior year, and am incredibly happy that I did.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

I also applied before senior year of college and it was the best choice for me. I had/have no desire to take a gap year. Try to give yourself at least one free day a week with no classes (preferably a Friday) for interviews so you minimize missing class. None of my professors cared that I missed class, and some didn't even know although I'm sure this wouldn't fly if I had been taking seminars. It also helped that I gave myself a nice senior schedule so if you have to take more than 1 really hard class senior year (ie if you're an engineer) then I might consider not applying as a senior.