I currently go to a prestigious co-ed private school in NJ. I have gone to the school for 11 years and am currently in my junior year. I have been extremely unhappy with the school as of late due to changes in administration and social drama. The school no longer feels like an environment where I can thrive and get the best out of learning. The teachers do not care about the students and the majority of our day is study hall or free time. Essentially I could end school everyday at 12:00 because the rest of my day is free time. Academically I take honors and AP courses and enjoy feeling challenged and participating in classroom discussions. Aside from the academic issues the change in administration has completely shifted the school’s dynamic. I truly am unhappy and dread going to school everyday. Many other students are leaving as well. However these students consist mainly of freshmen and sophmores. I used to really enjoy school but now I find it so difficult to thrive and to want to learn in a community I feel so uncomfortable in. My parents are also extremely unhappy with the school however they are very concerned with me leaving as I only have one year left and they are worried how colleges will interpret this switch. We spoke with a member of college guidance outside of my school who said the best bet if I were to leave would be to apply to boarding school. The only thing is though, I would have to repeat my junior year. I am very young for my grade and have always felt younger too, so I would not be nervous about that. I would be nervous to acclimate to the boarding school life as a junior. I feel coming in so late may be hard as the grade is already very much unified. I am really really unhappy right now and hate feeling this way about school. My parents would be open to looking at boarding schools if they didn’t think it would negatively affect college admissions. Any thoughts? If anyone repeated junior year or even transferred to boarding school for junior year, I’d love to hear about the experience. Thanks so much.
I just did a college interview with a girl who was a repeat junior at a well- known BS. Like you, she was young for her age. When she came last year, the school carefully put all the new junior girls together in one of two dorms, which really helped her fit in. It still took a couple of months (because many friend groups were already formed), but since then she has been totally happy and convinced she made the right choice. She said the extra year gave her the chance to do very advanced classes senior year, as well as some serious research over the extra summer, and is applying to excellent colleges. She said the move taught her independence and gave her a lot of confidence. She, too, went to a private day school before boarding school, and pointed out that, because there are often many “repeats” in boarding school, from freshman year on, one’s actual age wasn’t much of an issue. I do think, from what she said, that it might be more difficult to enter a small school as a repeat junior— just because fewer new juniors (repeat or otherwise) would be coming in together.
The bigger schools have a group of new 11th graders - some have specific classes (i.e. English) for new 11th graders. My cousin started in 11th grade at a well known school and loved it for two years. She only wished she had started earlier. Ask the schools how many new 11th graders they have and how they are integrated.
Do you know if she applied to a number of boarding schools? Or did she have her sights set on just one? @Daykidmom
I don’t know about Daykidmom’s interviewee but my cousin applied to several schools (and had choices).
Did she have an extended date to apply or did she apply within the regular deadline? @MA2012
Regular deadlines as far as I know.
I’m also applying to boarding school as a repeat junior to Hotchkiss and Andover. Do you guys know if these schools would allow me to apply to college while I am a repeat junior and allow me to graduate with the class of 2017? If I don’t get into any that I want, I wouldn’t mind staying the extra year and graduating with the class of 2018. Also, how much more/less selective are admissions as a junior compared to a freshman/sophomore?
Thanks
Hi @dreamingsky13739 and @TheTennisNinja,
I can offer a little bit of insight–though I am not an actual repeat Junior at a BS. Rather, I am the parent of a repeat Sophomore at a BS.
First, repeating is very common in BS. My child was also young for her class at her prior school (her birthday was a week from the cut off date). At first, she was reluctant to commit to an extra year of high school, but once she realized the benefits, she has not exhibited any regrets. That extra year was awesome, she got to get know the school better. It helped socially. Academically, it was a dream. She got to continue to progress in math and languages. The English curriculum had no overlap from the year before. Now, as a senior, she is a more natural leader. And, it did not negatively impact the college admissions process. If anything-- it helped. She will clearly be very prepared when she enters college.
Junior year is the hardest in high school, from my observations, and having the chance to do it again, but not be as stressed out could be a tremendous opportunity. So, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go for it. But, I don’t think you can waffle which class you will graduate with @TheTennisNinja. You will have to choose one class or another.
Getting accepted to the 11th grade (repeat or not) is highly competitive. There are many more applicants than there are spots (there are other College Confidential threads that have recently discussed this topic.) So, either cast a wider net or don’t get your hopes up if you are not accepted.
And you still have a bit of time before the applications are due. Also, you can think of the BS admissions process is a precursor to the college admissions process. You will be better versed at asking for recommendations, writing essays, and clarifying what you are looking for in a school.
Best of luck!
:)>-
thanks so much for the great response! very helpful. I know you said the repeat year helped your daughter socially, but did she find that friend groups were already formed and it was difficult to acclimate because of that? @CallieMom
@dreamingsky13739 , about my daughter’s friend groups in BS… She integrated with both new kids to the school as well as existing students. Also, some BSs have Post Graduate students who are obviously older. I can say that finding friends at BS was about 95% easier than say moving to a new middle school. Your classmates will be more accommodating and the chances are very great that given a little time, you will find your peeps! [-O<
how much homework did your daughter have per night? Did she have enough free time?
@CallieMom how was the transition to boarding school life? was she homesick? Did she attend a boarding school far from home?
Hi @dreamingsky13739 & @TheTennisNinja , I will try to answer your questions with one post…
How was her transition to BS, was she homesick, does she attend school far from home?
We live on the West Coast and she attends school in New England, so I would say it is far from home. ;
My child was pretty independent before, but there is nothing like traveling across country by yourself a few times a year to strengthen it.
She is sometimes homesick…as she will say to me in a small child’s voice “I miss my mommy”, but the vast, vast majority of time she is not. When people inquiry about her going to BS–because it is quite an uncommon practice out here–I was instructed to tell whomever asks that she does not just like it; rather, “it it her HAPPY place”. Her transition was quite smooth. She is a good student (read in she has good study habits), is curious by nature, and her school is not only beautiful but it has offerings our local wonderful public school could not hold a candle to. iphones are a God send. We can talk or chat so I don’t think she ever feels too removed from me or her dad.
How much homework does she have at night? I can not fully answer that because I am not there to witness. She plays competitive sports and has remarked this season that she LOVES her practice time because it is helpful in her focusing on her work when she finishes eating dinner. There is a lot of homework, but not killer. There are a couple of distinctions I can make for you. First, at her school, like in many colleges, not every class meets every day. So, she might only have to do Calculus 4 times a week instead of 5. When you are carrying 6 courses, this can help a lot. Secondly, the English classes have had far less lengthy reading than her public school peers had in either Honors or AP English. Her school, at least, focuses more on understanding the nuances in the writing, the author’s intentions and innuendos, so the student is not forced to plow through 100 pages per night. There is homework to be sure, and some of it is wonderful. For instance, her Russian teacher suggests that the students return corrections on their tests/quizes/and homework assignments. This may add extra work, but oh my gosh, the net effect is that the student literally begins to learn from their mistakes.
So, to make a long story long, the homework is in no way excessive. Many a Friday night I call my kid and she is watching a video episode of a television series. She has time to veg ,and surf, goof off, and have fun.
Hope that helps.
Take care! :-h
I work at a school with a relatively small cohort of new juniors. According to the ones I talked to, it took a bit of time to find the right group. The ones who panicked early said it was harder than the ones who came in knowing that it would be hard to find real friends. Being a new junior is hard, but not hopeless. There is always much interest in new juniors and their potential impact on the dating pool, and most kids find some people to pal around with immediately. Later, they make a slow migration toward closer friends. I know almost no one in any grade who met his or her best friend in the first week and remained close through all four years.
The big thing is to give yourself time. Lots of boarding school kids don’t really find their “true people” until after January, but from my vantage point, friend groups are more fluid in boarding school than in day school. Living together can intensify conflict (ending some friendships) while the ability to try new sports, activities and classes helps students mix around (kicking off some new friendships.) Challenge yourself to be outgoing. Enjoy your interim friends for their positive qualities. The reality of Boarding School is different from what it seems like during the dreaming and planning stage. It is less glamorous and more complex, much harder and more rewarding than it seems. It forces you to grow and adapt even when you do not want to grow and adapt. It doesn’t offer you a ready-made pod of kids just like you; it forces you to find common ground and bonds with people with lives different from yours. Boarding school is a lot of things, but it is rarely just easy, because negotiating your independence and your emerging adulthood and individuality are not small tasks.
Prepare yourself with realistic expectations, give yourself time, and you will make your way. I can’t think of any kid who came as a new junior who didn’t eventually fit in.
My daughter has a friend who is a new Junior at Hotchkiss this year. They put all of the new Junior girls (maybe 6 or 7 of them?) together in one suite or hall area. This has been helpful to her because it was an automatic “group” from the start. She is having a great experience and feels very welcomed & hasn’t had any trouble making friends with kids who have been there since Freshman year. I will say however, that she is a very confident & outgoing person who makes friends easily. She is also quite organized and mature (she did not repeat a grade, but she is on the older side). I think that what @Albion says is very true in terms of more fluid friend groups and finding common ground with kids different from you. As a new Junior, you will need to keep an open mind and “put yourself out there” socially, all while managing a very demanding academic course load. If you’re willing to put the work in, both socially AND academically, then you will be fine.