<p>Hey guys, I would like to know from alumni, current students and teachers, how is the experience of live and study in a boarding school? Is it so good as it looks like?</p>
<p>And the IMPORTANT question> would you come back a year just to go to a top boarding school? e.g I am a 10th grade applying to 11, do you think it is worthy to do 10th again?</p>
<p>There aren’t many people who come in for 11th grade, so repeating 10th is definitely a thought if you have the tuition, and from both a social and academic standpoint. I’m in with a lot of repeaters in my classes and they have already taken the classes last year, so with a grading curve its been pretty hard to compete with people basically taking a review year.</p>
<p>Live and study…well you are going to get different opinions on that, but it is NOT like the movies. New non freshmen students get the worst rooms and they will be small or loud or both. Everyone knows your business. You will eat a lot of chicken and pasta. You will also have very little free time and your classes may be harder than any you have ever had. There is also the travel time spent going to and from games, not to mention study hall Friday night. But there are also great things about boarding school and there are probably ways to lighten it up (jv vs varsity, lighter or easier class load). You will have friends from all over the world, you have independence, the setting is usually beautiful, and some–maybe all-- of your teachers will be great and you will know them well by the end. It will be up to you to balance the good with the not so good.</p>
<p>In regards to college applications, it would be a smoother transition to repeat 10th grade, than enter in 11th grade-- don’t underestimate how tough the academics are at the top boarding schools. It would be better to have that extra year’s “cushion” to adjust. </p>
<p>Socially, it would also be better to enter in the 10th grade. At the top schools, the class size nearly doubles in the sophomore year, so you would be entering with a critical mass of new students.</p>
<p>There are A LOT of repeats at the top schools, so you would not be the oddball. </p>
<p>The really big DOWN SIDE to repeating is that it will cost an extra year of tuition…</p>
<p>@GMTplus7
I was puzzled by the fact that in the sophomore year the class almost doubles why is that?</p>
<p>When I went to boarding school (admittedly, many years ago), I started as an 11th grader. It was fine. Yes, in hindsight, I wish that I’d applied and gone earlier. But I wouldn’t have re-done 10th grade just to be able to go in as a 10th grader. At my school, there were maybe 10 or so of us that started in 11th grade, and we all got integrated pretty quickly.</p>
<p>@Dan
In many school systems, middle school goes thru 9th grade. So natural entry grade to high school would be 10th grade.</p>
<p>But you guys think it really worthy because top boarding schools (SPS, Andover, Groton…) are such a nice place to live, so more years better? or only because of the fact of adjusting better to the environment…</p>
<p>It’s the time to adjust that’s key. </p>
<p>SPS, Andover, Groton… are academically tough! To compute your GPA, it would be advantageous to compile 2 years of grades (soph & junior) rather than just junior year grades when u apply to college, to smooth out any “bumps”.</p>
<p>Like I mentioned before, an extra year is EXPENSIVE!</p>
<p>what do you think I should do: send an email to the schools telling them about thator what?</p>
<p>Are u asking whether u should ask the school whether it would be advisable for u to apply for 11 v. to apply as a repeat 10?</p>
<p>Then, yes, it is worth asking their opinion. But you better hurry up. The application deadline is days away.</p>