<p>After debating the idea of applying to a couple rolling admission schools, my family and I have ultimately decided that it would be best for me to stay at my current school for another year, then reapply next year. This was not my preferred choice of action, but my current school's deadline for a deposit has already passed, and if my parents do not pay soon, I will not have a guaranteed spot anywhere for next year. So I will be reapplying next year, but right now I am debating to either apply as a repeat 9th grader, or to just apply as a 10th grader. </p>
<p>I am considering applying as a repeat because, for one thing, I am very young for my grade, and if I did repeat a year, I still wouldn't be considered old. Also, since I am staying at my current school for another year, I won't be offered the same opportunities I would've had if I was at a boarding school, and by repeating I would have an extra year to further explore my interests at a new school. I am also worried that my courses here won't prepare me enough for the sophmore courses at boarding school, if I am accepted next year, so I won't do as well as I would've done had I went to that school for my freshman year. </p>
<p>Right now, I'm looking at the following schools to apply to:
Deerfield
Milton
Hotchkiss
Thacher
Lawrenceville
Mercersburg
Northfield Mount Hermon</p>
<p>So yeah... any opinions? I'm trying to get a headstart on the application process this summer, since last year I didn't write the essays until December. xD</p>
<p>Thanks in advance,
aaralyn</p>
<p>If you’re applying to Mercersburg and Lawrenceville, you may want to look at Peddie!</p>
<p>Sent from my SPH-M920 using CC App</p>
<p>Lawrenceville is not good. For a private school, it’s worse than many public schools nearby (Princeton, WWPHS). Go to PEA.</p>
<p>@laughalittle; Oh yeah! I am also considering Peddie. It just slipped my mind when I made the post. xD My bad. </p>
<p>@morpheus44; Do you have any factual proof of that? Not to be snide, just curious about how Lawrenceville is worse than public schools in the area. Princeton High School is a great school, I have a close friend that attends there, but better than Lawrenceville? :O</p>
<p>Either way for you, it is not a loss. I’m not an expert, but I believe people who repeat ninth grade at a BS went to previously poor schools that didn’t prepare them for academics in BS. If you think this is the case for you, then go ahead! Good luck aaralyn!</p>
<p>@circlemidnight; haha my parents think I’m insane for wanting to repeat because that’s an extra 45k they have to pay… so I don’t think I’m going to, since my current school has adequate academics and I should be able to transition smoothly. At least, that’s what my friend’s older sister who applied for the 10th grade from my current school says. :P</p>
<p>If you are that young, I would recommend (and possibly many schools will too) that you repeat.<br>
Certainly ask at each interview what their thoughts are. We did that with my daughter and 1 school actually said “why would you want to repeat” and the others said either way would be fine. They also said she could apply for 10th and make a note that she would be willing to repeat, which is what we did. She was accepted at 2 schools as a 10th grader, one as a 9th grader and WL at the one that said “why would you want to repeat.”</p>
<p>Cool, aaralyn! I’m also going to be applying again for sophomore this year too! Good luck!</p>
<p>If you feel there’s room in your schedule to supplement the school’s curriculum, that could help you prepare for 10th grade at BS.</p>
<p>Actually, in terms of the financial hit, if your parents were planning on you going to BS for 9th grade, the idea of repeating a year is NOT costing them an extra $45K. It’s deferring that cost for a year. Or, if you’re in a private school now, it means they’ll incur an extra year of THAT expense before they start the deferred big bucks expenditure they were planning on all along.</p>
<p>You have an interesting choice to make. I agree with the advice to talk to each school about what they think you might do. You might take different approaches based on the schools you apply to. When you explore that question with the schools…look beyond the admissions office personnel for guidance. Line up a contact who can deal with you in terms of academic life and give you answers not clouded by irrelevancies, such as the need to drum up 10th grade applications this year, etc.</p>
<p>Finally: Ignore the trollish advice about Lawrenceville, too. The logic – don’t go to Lawrenceville because some excellent public schools are in the same vicinity – is every bit as specious as one might expect from a PEA supporter. ;)</p>
<p>I’m not saying to not go to Lawrenceville…but yes, I would definitely say PHS and WWPHS are better in terms of ACADEMIC standing. SAT score averages, competitive teams (especially WWPHS), alumni colleges. But of course Lawrenceville is a reasonable school</p>
<p>So morpheus please educate me, where do you go to school and how do you know so much about Lawrenceville to critique it so?</p>
<p>Sorry about insulting ur beloved school, I’m just trying to give the OP something o consider when selecting a school…also would u say Lawrenceville is a better school than PEA? U wouldn’t know rite, since u dont go there?</p>
<p>Precisely, which is why I do not make such comments. I agree that it is great for the OP to know about other schools and options (that’s part of why the CC community is here, right?), but there is not much reason to degrade other institutions without grounds. And you did not answer my question… I’ll be fair and take some criticism - no school is perfect. I would just hope that you have something legitimate to back it up with.</p>
<p>To the OP, I do not want to steal your thread so morpheus you can pm me if you want. I think repeating is a fine idea.</p>
<p>@Linda S; I’m not like extremely young (December 1997), but young enough that there are plenty people in the grade below me that are older than me. I will definitely remember to ask at the interviews though! Yes, I think I will probably end up applying as a 10th but make a note that I’d be willing to repeat too. Where do you make the note though? And which option did your daughter end up choosing, if you don’t mind me asking?</p>
<p>@circlemidnight; Oh that’s good to know! I’ll have someone from this admission cycle that I already know for next year. You’ll stay on CC, right? 
By the way, just curious, is your username from the “Secret Circle” books by L.J. Smith? </p>
<p>@kraordrawoh; I’m sort of confused by what you mean. Do you mean that if possible, I should take courses similar to those of 9th graders at BS to prepare? Or something else? xD Sorry for my ignorance.</p>
<p>@D’yer Maker; Haha you make a good point, but my current school is already 25k+, so yeah… xD Yes, I could also possible apply for the 9th grade at some schools and 10th at others… Huh, I’ve never thought of that yet. Maybe apply for 10th grade at the smaller and nurturing schools and 9th at the relatively large ones… And yes, I will definitely be talking to my guidance counselor about applications.</p>
<p>@morpheus44; I admire how you’re bravely voicing your opinion about Lawrenceville and I will definitely do some more research about Lawrenceville, like I will for all the other schools also, before making the final decision of what schools I’ll apply to. I do believe that Lawrenceville is an amazing school though.</p>
<p>@LLVILLE; Haha it’s okay, I understand your loyalty to your school and why you’d want to defend it. :P</p>
<p>By the way - this is my 95th post! 5 more until 100! I can’t wait. :D</p>
<p>it’s much harder to make the “note” about repeating with the online applications since it is a check box for the grade. However, for Westminster - that accepted her as a repeat 9th grader - and the school that waitlisted her (Suffield), it was a paper application, so in the section that asks you to check the grade, she checked 10 and wrote next to it that she would be willing to repeat.<br>
For Deerfield and Hotchkiss that had the online application they both had sections of “any other info” or something like that and she put it in there. It could also be in the parent statement if the school requires one. </p>
<p>My daughter chose Hotchkiss, for lots of reasons, but not because of entering as a 10th grader. She actually has mixed feelings about it. </p>
<p>One other thing we asked at all the interviews is how many new 10th graders do they except. Not because we wanted to know the admissions rate, but if they only added a handful vs. some add up to 1/3 to 1/2 of the class - it is a different social dynamic. And from an academic standpoint, Hotchkiss has 2 programs that are 2 years - their science and Humanities. You would need to be sure you could fit in, especially in the science, as a 10th grader so you wouldn’t have to lose of year of science (or whatever class) to catchup, if that makes sense. </p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>@aaralyn-Don’t worry, I’ll be staying on CC. I wished I used it more last year. Oh well. BTW, my username did come from L.J. Smiths book, but it wasn’t Secret Circle, it was the Night World series.</p>
<p>Anyways. I’m birdwalking here. So, it seems that we have come to a consensus that repeating a grade isn’t harmful or makes you a pariah. It is for:</p>
<p>A) People who want a smoother transition to BS because there old school wasn’t rigorous enough to prepare them for BS.</p>
<p>B) People who want explore the school’s wonderful academic opportunities in a more in-depth level.</p>
<p>Additionally, repeating a grade in a BS does not harm you in the college admissions process. It is, in fact, quite common for many people in BS to do so.</p>
<p>@circlemidnight: I think that’s a perfect summary of the reasons why people repeat but I think there’s one more reason why people choose to repeat:</p>
<p>C) Athletes who want improve in their sport/s before college recruitment and who also want to have an extra year to play for the school’s team/s. </p>
<p>I fall under both the A and B categories (More B than A, though). There are just so many amazing opportunities to take advantage of at boarding schools both academic, and extra-curricular wise. Being interested in a wide range of things, I’m having trouble figuring out how to fit in everything I want to do in my three years. I would honestly repeat both my 10th AND 9th grades if I could but being a college freshman at 21 doesn’t seem too appealing…</p>
<p>Really 2010? You’re going to be a repeat freshman? I thought you would be a new sophomore, but okay. I hope you stay on and tell us all about being a repeat freshman!</p>
<p>Oops sorry, bad wording. I’m going to be a repeat sophomore next year. I’ll be sure to tell you whatever you want about repeating in the Fall. Send me a PM if you have any questions next year.</p>