I hope this is an appropriate forum to post this on. I’ve been very unsure on how to approach my particular situation, and after searching the site I figured that a bit of personalized advice would help.
I am currently a 9th grader at a public high school. Due to personal issues, I have found myself struggling immensely with previously manageable schoolwork, and my grades have dropped steeply. My attendance has been patchy and at this point I don’t believe I will be able to make it through the year.
My parents are considering allowing me to repeat ninth grade, and/or transfer to a private (day) school to have a fresh start. My counselor has said that with my situation, I would be allowed to repeat 9th grade at my current school. However, a family friend heavily involved with college preparation said that repeating in a public school would have a largely negative impact, implying remedial purposes. She also said that repeating at private school would be better, though colleges would still see the former year and would assume the worst, and that continuing to 10th grade would be the best.
I am unsure of what to do at the moment and would love any advice. I really, really would like the extra year to help myself develop better habits and overall learn to balance the mental health issues that I have had a hard time with this year. Could anyone shed any light on the effects of repeating/transferring?
I had mostly A’s the beginning of the quarter, but after failing several tests in a row my GPA went down to about a 3.6.
Repeating itself isn’t about the GPA though; I’d really like a year to catch up and prepare myself for 10th grade, since I’m sure 10th grade will be far worse considering my mental stability this year. Is the impact of repeating worse than the year I’ve lost in preparation?
If you truly want to and think you need to repeat 9th, do it. You’re mental health is most important right now (and you’re a freshman so you have time to work with before applying to college) and if you feel that by going on to 10th grade that the same problems from this year will affect you again, then you shouldn’t push yourself and take a chance.
Colleges favor upward trends, and I think they would rather you repeat 9th grade than tank sophomore year due to lack of preparedness and difficulty balancing your mental health (which would effectively bring your GPA down again).
I don’t recommend to anyone to sacrifice their health or mental health to get into top colleges (or dream schools). In the in, you will only chose one school and that school should love you for who you are.
Repeat 9th grade and do well and make sure that you take care of your health as well. If you decide to go on, make sure you have plenty support from your parents,teachers, etc (who are glad to help students exceed) to help you with your school work and emotional support. I wish you the best of luck!
Many kids who go to boarding school start by repeating the year they just did. If you repeat 9th at a new school, they typically will provide a transcript for the 4 years you did there and your first 9th grade year disappears. The primary difference is that at those schools, a repeat freshman does not repeat material.
Your GPA doesn’t really make a case for repeating at your current school. If you feel like you need to solidify your base, why not consider doing something academic over the summer?
You say your family friend is involved in college prep. Your friend advised going on to tenth grade. Listen to your friend. No one on this forum is going to tell you to repeat a year because of a 3.6 GPA. You don’t need to go to private school. You need to seek the help of a therapist, because your issues are going to continue or escalate.
If you transfer to a private school, do not repeat ninth grade. Do it for the fresh start and nothing more. And until you seek help for your issues, you should put the whole idea on the back burner. Focus on your well-being.
Thank you all for the responses!
I’m not sure if I mentioned it enough in my original post, but I really am not repeating for the grades. I’m sure I could pull up my grades with an upward trend, and regardless the private school has said that my first freshman year will still be sent in, just not considered. I really do think the year would provide me with a lot of benefits outside of academics, since I’ve essentially spent the whole year stressing, leading to a consistently downward trend of grades. While everyone has spent the year in clubs and trying out new extracurriculars, I have absolutely no idea what I enjoy doing. I’d like to spend the extra year focusing on developing new interests, which I really haven’t been able to do.
The private school has said that I will take placement tests to put me in classes. Many of their classes do not overlap with my current school, so most of the classes would have a great deal of new material. It’s just that the 9th grade transcript would be sent in as well. I considered boarding school but the deadlines were long passed, and I’d like to have 4 years at one school, instead of transferring.
I’ve been seeing many practitioners regarding my mental health and am constantly trying to manage everything, but again, this is really a last resort consideration. Only recently did I consider repeating, but I’m sure it would help a great deal. However, I just don’t know whether the benefits would outweigh the costs. Overall, I’m worried about the impact of repeating, and whether private school would be worth the hefty tuition.
If you had a 2.0, I would say yes, repeat 9th grade.
But for someone with a 3.5, I would say no.
Take the level of classes that doesn’t stress you out.
If you have the money, I would consider private school only if you think it’ll provide you with a significantly better experience over the next 4 years. Or 3 years if you can start in 10th. If it’s a toss up, save your money.
You know best, with your health issues, where you’ll be most likely to thrive. Repeating a grade and GPA should be low priorities when you’re deciding which environment will allow you to be your best, healthiest self.
