I’m applying to PA and PEA (I would only go to BS if I get in to one of these, my home school is just as good as any of the safety or mid-top-tier schools).
I skipped 8th grade.
I’m in 9th now at my local hs, I kinda hate it a bit which is why I’m trying to apply to those schools.
I’m taking an extremely rigorous curriculum, with 3 APs (chem, lang, psych) and 3 DE classes (calc 1, calc 2, into to ethics) and 4 honors classes (debate 2, art, french 3, rocketry 1)
I havent taken the SSAT yet, but I expect a very high score bc i got a perfect score on the psat 8/9 and am scoring very well on practice tests.
People (my mom, people on this site) have been telling me to repeat 9th grade because it’ll be an easier adjustment socially.
My problem is, will I be forced to take lower level classes than I may have been placed in if I applied for 10th? Will i run out of math classes?
Does the classics diploma actually carry much weight? Would it be worth it to stay back just for that?
My birthday is in early November, making me one of the oldest kids in my current class. I honestly kind of like being around kids older than me because then there’s less of an expectation for me to be the most mature, and it makes me feel like I have a cushion; if I say or do something kind of stupid, I can just mention my age and it absolves me
What math do they have after linear algebra? I looked on their course schedule, I would be taking multivariable and linear algebra the first year, andover i think has diff equations, but i think exeter stops there
what would I do for math after that?
Study of classics that involves study of Latin & Greek languages can help with college admissions as some classics programs are struggling to attract students.
“The absolute best” is very relative, to be honest. It’s all about what you want in a school and you should try looking at other schools before you fixate yourself on just those two.
You will not run out of math. There are several 9th-grade students at my son’s school who are taking AP calculus BC this year. They have zero fear of running out of math because a teacher will simply create and tailor a class for them.
While Andover & Exeter have the two largest endowments among boarding schools in the continental US, it is unclear how to rate them as the top two best prep boarding schools.
Assertions such as: “They’re the absolute best…” without more explanation suggests a lack of knowledge about other boarding schools.
It is statements like this that made me think you might be young/immature for your age. Hence my suggestion to repeat.
If your own mother suggests you repeat why on earth would any of us need to convince you? Listen to your mother, she knows you far better than we do! We are strangers on the internet vs your mother who cares wholeheartedly about you and your future.
she meant it as an option, not as the thing i should do. She knows nothing about BS.
My school choices are just because I know the most about these schools, and they have the lowest acceptance rates, highest necessary SSAT score, and a lot of rigor. I’m a davidson ys, and my mom’s talked to a bunch of parents from all over who are also members and they’ve all said that they’re unmatched.
How about letting the schools know you’d consider repeating, and let them decide? I know two kids who applied last year and got acceptances (to acronym schools) both for 9th and 10th grade. The admissions people are best suited to see the class composition and decide where you fit. And yes, if you go to 9th grade you will take most classes with other 9th graders, that is the point. You will get placement for math and foreign language. Starting with LA in 9th grade is OTT even for top boarding schools though, BC calc is the highest level class any 9th graders are in.
BTW: Most top schools have Math faculty with PhDs. If you exhaust what is in the current course catalog, they are perfectly capable of creating a class just for you.
I’d let the schools decide what is best. They know the culture and social environment best. You want to thrive emotionally and socially, too, not just academically.
Where is @CaliMex when you need her to dispute admission % claims?
Ok, I jest, I jest.
There are three totally incorrect statements in that quote:
Firstly, Exeter and Andover are not the most selective BS. Lowest acceptance rate goes to Thatcher and Groton.
Secondly, there is, quite literally, no such thing as “necessary SSAT score.” I know kids at Andover who scored abysmally on the SSAT. ABYSMALLY!
Thirdly, your mom is not getting good advice. It’s basically people who don’t really know, don’t know what they don’t know. Those schools are absolutely “famous” but definitely not “unmatched.”
Finally, the best school is the one at which you, the individual you, can succeed and be happy. That is not the same for every kid and cannot be chosen simply on the basis of academic rigor. I personally know schools that give Andover a run for “most rigorous.”
(Your definition of “absolute best” reflects a lack of understanding of boarding schools. There are lots of brilliant people who are lousy at standardized tests and yet go on to achieve great things in the world. Admitting those with high scores is one way to game school rankings that are based on scores. But having students who are good test takers does not mean that your teachers or curriculum is better. BTW: There are schools with even lower acceptance rates than the ones you are applying to…)