<p>My daughter took her Upper Level SSAT in Oct. 2013. She is an International student and secured 2135 in total. Only after she took the exam we realized that she is almost 1 year junior to her peers who sat for the exam. My question to this forum is does she stand at a disadvantage if she applies to grade 9 to the Prep Schools or would it be better for her to repeat Grade 8 ?</p>
<p>If your daughter is currently twelve, I would wait until next year to apply for a ninth grade spot, especially as an international student. Schools look for very mature kids so they they can feel confident that they will be able to handle the stress that comes with living g so far from home, the cultural differences, the increased work load and the possibly radically different teaching styles. They have so many applicants that I think they don’t have a reason to risk admitting a younger one, no matter how mature. Sometimes, it’s just hard to get past just looking young. When my daughter was 13 she looked like she was 10 and carried herself like she was 30. She had top scores and top grades in very advanced classes. She was wait listed all around. Prep school kids tend to be older so it is sometimes very difficult to convince a school to accept a kid, no matter how accomplished and mature, who will be possibly two years younger.</p>
<p>The short answer…wait a year. I think you will have better luck. If you’re from southeast Asia, the competition is stiff enough as it is.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. My daughter is going to be 13 years in Nov 2013. She had been studying in North America till about 10 years of age. She does look small though but lets see …</p>