PG Year Experience

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hi - My Sr D (class of 2012) is hugely interested in doing a PG year. I was just wondering if I could get any information (before we sit down with her current CC and get her take) on how hard it is to get into some of these "better" prep schools for a PG year. Basic info is.. D is a good but not great student at her current private day school, which she has attended since grade 5. The school has an excellent reputation among Independent Schools and highly selective colleges, which I suspect will give her a SLIGHT bump on her GPA. She does play lax, has been the starting goalie since sophomore year and is Sr capt (spring 2012). BUT even though she is truly really very good, she's not convinced she really wants to play in college. Although she would definitely want to if it were the college she wanted to go to (vs the objective of just looking to be recruited to play). Mostly she has taken the "regular" college prep curriculum 9-12 with the following exceptions:
Jr year: AP English, CIS Chinese I
Current schedule: AP Euro, AP Stats, CIS Chinese II </p>

<p>She has also been the editor of the school paper since second semester sophomore year.
Unfortunately, she has never tested well on standardized tests and after taking the ACT twice has only managed a 26 so far having raised everything by two points this last time BUT went down three in reading so all the improvements ended up being a slight wash.</p>

<p>OK.. tell me what you think and what you know... </p>

<p>BTW - Does legacy matter for a PG year?</p>

2

<p>Being a PG girl is often a very difficult experience, especially if you are not specifically there for sports. I was one in the late 80’s. I was very young for my class. I definitely learned a lot that year, but it was by far one of my least happy times. I had come from a very competitive private day school, and I turned 17 mid-way through my senior year of HS. There really weren’t any other options back then and now there are SO many opportunities for a gap year. travel, nols, community service, etc. I think you can gain valuable life experiences during a gap year that might set you apart even better when you apply for college, especially if she does not want to play LAX in college.</p>

3

<p>Hi Moda – fancy meeting you here! (Even though S graduated in 09, I still hang out here once in a while.) Anyway, fishlinlady makes a good point about girls doing a PG year. I can’t say with absolute certainty, but when S was at Loomis Chaffee (day student), out of the handful of PG students, if there were any girls they were very much in the minority. So, it would certainly make sense to check out the numbers for any schools you’re interested in. Also, you’d have to take a look at the course progression available for your D at the schools. (I’m sure you’ve thought of that.)</p>

4

<p>Oh, for Pete’s sake. Hi Moda and CBBBlinker - I came here to learn more about it. Ha! See you at “home”!</p>