<p>a lot of really smart kids end up repeating, usually because theyre coming out of a not so good public high school and want more time at their boarding school. it is easier to get in as a repeat, it shows you really want to go to the school and get as much out of your time there as you can. and it doesnt hurt in the college app process at all.</p>
<p>I just read the New York Times article. </p>
<p>Like Burb Parent I am stunned. I knew kids repeated, but not to the extent that nearly one-fourth of an incoming class would be "re-fresh" students, particularly not at a boarding school considered to be selective. I guess I can understand that a straight-A student from a school perceived to be weak would want to have four solid years at a school that has a great deal to offer. I know repeating is warranted in some cases, but is this extra time for more advanced courses a new necessity in the college admissions process?</p>
<p>The whole repeating thing is hard to figure out because then you need to put it down on college apps when they ask if you ever repeated a grade.</p>
<p>i dont think colleges care one single bit. its not like repeating in other circumstances.</p>
<p>Yeah, but why would I want to pay another ~35G for a repeating year?
If money is not an issue, maybe … but how a student will feel repeating a grade while his friends are at a higher grade?</p>
<p>I don’t buy the statement(s) about academic maturity (?), social maturity (?), bad (poor) school or study habits, or “It will be good to stay another year in this boarding school” … come on!!!
All those issues will show up, whether you are in one grade or another.</p>
<p>I am sure that 3 years in a strong boarding school are as good as 4. </p>
<p>… and what about the schools? Why would they accept a student (athlete) to repeat a year even though he/she might not be up-to-par with the rest of the group? It seems to me they are USING them to have better athletic teams.
Whoa, that’s nice …</p>
<p>It seems to me the only valid reason to repeat a grade has to do with your improving chances to be accepted to the school. </p>
<p>I would not want an offer from a boarding school if my child has to repeat a grade. I am sure there will be many other schools who would take my child without having to repeat a year.</p>
<p>Well, I guess I have had enough rambling for today; maybe any boarding school admissions officer can add to this discussion.</p>
<p>This is the article from The Times; unbelievable.</p>
<p>If at First You Don't Succeed Enough
By Abigail Sullivan Moore
Abigail Sullivan Moore contributes to the Connecticut section of The Times. </p>
<p>THIS fall at Avon Old Farms, a prestigious boys' prep school in Connecticut, 16 percent of the freshmen are transfer students doing the year for the second time. They include three straight-A students, says Brendon Welker, its director of admissions. </p>
<p>Repeating the year -- in some circles known as a ''refresh'' or ''resoph,'' depending on the grade -- has become an increasingly accepted practice at private schools in the Northeast, especially boarding schools. At St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, 22 percent of the freshman class have transferred in to repeat the year, as have 6 percent of sophomores. At Kent School, also in Connecticut, 11 percent of juniors are doing the same.
Traditionally, a small percentage of students have repeated a grade to allow them time to mature or to fill in subject gaps. Boys have done it much more than girls, often at the school's bidding. Some students have taken an extra year just to improve in sports. But many of today's repeaters are motivated by the intense competition for admission to elite colleges. They want to bolster already good academic transcripts with better grades, a richer roster of Advanced Placement courses and the extracurricular activities that colleges like to see, school officials say. </p>
<p>To make their offspring look even more appealing, some parents are not sending transcripts from that ''first'' ninth grade to colleges, an omission that raises ethical issues. Their hope is that admissions officers won't see the stutter, says Marcia Rubinstien, an educational consultant in West Hartford, Conn., who advocates honesty. </p>
<p>''Five or 10 years ago, students didn't repeat unless there was something broke that needed to be fixed, a presiding academic deficit, an illness or some disturbance in the family pattern,'' says Gregg Maloberti, dean of admissions at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. In 2001, only a single student out of 150 incoming freshmen there was repeating the year; last fall 15 did it. This year, the school admitted 11 freshman repeaters. </p>
<p>Mike Hirschfeld, admissions director at St. Paul's, has seen a noticeable increase. ''Parents want their kids to be successful, and if they believe repeating will enhance their chances, they will absolutely consider it,'' he says. In the past five years, a third of the graduates of St. Paul's received at least one offer from an Ivy League school. </p>
<p>Of course, other factors influence the decision, like fears that public high schools aren't giving their children the best education. Families also want to make sure their children are mature enough to take advantage of the advanced curriculum at these private schools, and to succeed when the bar is so high. </p>
<p>The practice leaves some college gatekeepers in an ethical quandary. While supporting the idea of giving students time to do better, administrators fret about the equity of a strategy available only to the ambitious affluent, those who can pay $25,000 to $35,000 a year. </p>
<p>''The ones who can do this are only the ones who can afford to do this,'' says Jim Bock, dean of admissions and financial aid at Swarthmore College. ''Where does that leave the rest of the people?'' </p>
<p>For moderate-income families seeking a similar advantage, and those in public schools, the answer is probably nowhere. </p>
<p>At New Trier, a rigorous public high school on Chicago's affluent North Shore, repeating a grade to shore up a solid transcript is out of the question. ''The answer is unequivocally no, never has happened and I would not support it,'' says Hank Bangser, the superintendent. </p>
<p>Some private schools aren't going along either. At Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., officials say they were amazed recently when a handful of its current upper-class students asked to repeat. Thayer refused, fearful of seeding the practice. </p>
<p>School officials and consultants who help place children in top private schools know it's a hot topic among parents. ''There's a big ripple effect,'' says Andrew Bogardus, director of admissions for Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. ''Families are talking about their plan of attack for education, and college admissions is driving it. If someone has a successful plan, they'll talk about it.'' </p>
<p>One Westchester County mother credits her daughter with the idea of repeating sophomore year at a New England boarding school. Then a B student in a competitive public high school, she was feeling pressured about college admissions and knew another repeater. The parents talked to families who had found success with the strategy. </p>
<p>''The parents say things like, 'This was the best thing that I did,''' says the mother, who did not want to be identified for fear of hurting her daughter's reputation. ''She could be a B-plus student,'' she says, adding that an extra year of smaller classes and developing study skills would better prepare her for college, although probably not the Ivy League. ''Why rush?'' Meanwhile, the daughter feels a ''wonderful reprieve,'' she says. ''It's a gift we gave her.'' </p>
<p>Many people outside the world of private schools still view repeating a grade as something to hide. William M. Shain, dean of undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University, worries about the effect on an adolescent's self-esteem. He says it suggests ''you're not good enough yet -- you should go back in the oven.'' </p>
<p>But independent school administrators and students insist it carries no stigma within their ranks. </p>
<p>''People have a certain stereotype about repeating a year -- they think your grades aren't good enough,'' says Peter Hafner, who transferred from a private school in Bethesda, Md., to the Taft School in Connecticut, where he repeated his junior year to be more competitive in academics and athletics. </p>
<p>Yet at Taft, ''I didn't feel funny,'' he says. ''It was a rare occasion when people didn't understand the dynamics.'' Once considered a bit shy, Mr. Hafner blossomed with a clean slate. He took Advanced Placement calculus, history, economics and other honors classes. He served on student government and played hockey so well that Harvard recruited him. </p>
<p>Mr. Hirschfeld of St. Paul's confirms Mr. Hafner's perception. Instead of taking a negative view, he says, his students have the attitude, '''Wow! I can take a second year of calculus.''' </p>
<p>Those who repeat sophomore or junior year in a different school are easy for college admissions officials to spot: students need to show records for freshman through senior year, so the officials get transcripts from both schools. Those who repeat freshman year, though, may not send transcripts from the first school. </p>
<p>''Families aren't always comfortable with disclosing an unusual situation,'' Ms. Rubinstien says. ''They are going to want to sterilize that application.'' </p>
<p>Steve Thomas, admissions director at Colby College, believes he wouldn't be fooled. ''You can't effectively erase a year to a sharp reader and if you do, the flags go up,'' he says. Any hint of deception is bad news for an applicant. Acknowledging that year, though, brings added scrutiny from admissions officers. </p>
<p>Considering prep school tuition, some college administrators see repeating as an expensive investment with an uncertain return. Overloading transcripts with Advanced Placement courses may give an applicant an overly groomed feel, unwittingly undermining the student's chances at colleges that pride themselves on admitting bright, risk-taking individuals. </p>
<p>Says Dick Steele, interim dean of admissions for Bowdoin College, ''I sure would expect a pretty darn good year with that chance.'' </p>
<p>By the way, I did not know b.s. admissions officers/administrators come to this site. I guess they don't want to be identified.</p>
<p>I can understand why it would be beneficial for a few students. But having 22% of a class repeating or even 10% repeating seems very strange.</p>
<p>I'm bumping this thread up because someone asked about repeating a year. If you read this thread you will find a discussion on that plus an interesting article that was in the NYT. I'm more at ease with this concept now. It seems that many students at boarding schools repeat and not just athletes. Perhaps it is more common at schools that don't have PGs? I don't know.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that repeating the freshman year was a very normal thing to do; my older son attended bs and many of his classmates were 9th grade repeaters, having done their first year in public school. Some of them were kids whose families could not afford it; they got financial aid. My son's particular boarding school prefers it if kids who have done a year of public school enter as four-year students.
My younger son has applied to the same school and he is a "repeater". He has had an excellent freshman year at his public school and is very excited about being a freshman all over again. I do want him to have the full four year experience at this school....and we are crossing our fingers, toes, etc!</p>
<p>bump for someone who asked about repeating</p>
<p>The problem is is that when a student applys for 10 th grade he/she is going to be behind because all the other students have just had a year of amazing education. Expecially if the person is from a public school.</p>
<p>i agree with mickmouse</p>