How different is going to boarding school your second year as opposed to entering as a freshman (like most do)? Do you lose much of the experience? Or is it the same? Or perhaps even better? I’m curious whether or not I should repeat ninth grade in order to enter as a freshman. Is it worth it?
At most schools, plenty of new students come in for 10th grade. Shouldn’t be an issue in adjusting at all.
Agree with @doschicos. Many foreign systems have their typical “break” in sequence after grade 9, so many foreign students find that a more natural place to start. And of course, there are also American kids who start then. You would not be alone.
Agree with the posters above.
Many kids go to a junior boarding school through 9th grade and then join the BS in the 10th.
I’m about to go in as a sophomore, so I’ll let you know what happens XD
I was a little bit on the fence about reapplying for ninth grade, but I decided not to because I realized didn’t want to graduate a whole year later. You might think you don’t care now, but you could potentially regret it, so take extra care to think about that when you’re deciding!
Also, new freshman have the terrible but often true stereotype of being very cringe-y and embarrassing. If you’re like me and are lucky to have finally journeyed through freshman year as a shiny new 10th grader, you might find the kids in the freshman class, even at your new school, to be too immature/awkward for you to handle.
All that being said, different grades definitely interact with each other more at boarding school, so it all depends on your preferences. Being in a certain grade isn’t likely to impact your friend group if you’re active on campus-- aka, joining clubs and reaching out to others in your dorm. Even some of your classes may have mixed grades.
Going to particular schools in 10th grade rather than re-doing 9th can also help you avoid some graduation requirements, like computer science or biology. If you’ve taken a high school science in 9th grade, they aren’t likely to ask you to take it again, unless you redo the 9th grade (even then, they might not force you to retake it, it varies.)
Good luck with your decision!
I started boarding school my sophomore year, and found the experience to be great. Your experience is likely to change based on the schools you are interested in though. Depending on each schools culture, boarding requirements, and other factors your results may differ. Personally, I valued having the perspective of experiencing the alternative. Having transitioned from a public school to a private boarding school I think I was able to appreciate the uniqueness of the experience more than some of my peers who started in 9th grade or earlier (as day students). Lastly, I’d suggest asking the admissions office, it is likely that they know of students at their school who started sophomore year who would be happy to answer your questions. Good luck!
If you are still growing and sports requiring size are your thing, you might enjoy coming in as a new 9th grader.
If financial aid is a concern, you may find it easier to get as a new 9th grader.
If you need to show something more in your academics to be accepted to the school of your choice, you might want to repeat.
If you have to get away from your hometown school choice and cannot stand the idea of staying another year, you should go as a new 10th grader.
Otherwise, if you are a normal student with normal expectations, you should be able to fit into the school community just fine whether you start as a 9th or 10th grader, and by the time you graduate, no one will care that you did not start until your sophomore year.
I was one of just a handful of new sophomores at my school, and neither my roommate (also new) nor I found it to be a problem. We made friends quickly, and very soon we were completely blended into the community.
I loved being a new sophomore, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Freshman year is a rough time, so I appreciated that I was leaving it behind. Also, having gone to a public school/day school before gives you perspective. A lot of boarding school students don’t appreciate how much better their high school experience is than most others’, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Even when I was struggling, I knew that my boarding school was the place to be.