<p>I'm applying to four elite boarding schools for Fall 2013 and I'm considering repeating 9th grade. Do boarding schools frown upon this? I'm a year young anyway, and I want a more complete experience and to be stronger academically if I go?
Would this hurt my chances?</p>
<p>Repeating 9th grade is a great option. I know of plenty of kids who have done this. Applying as a repeat 9th grader rather than a new 10th grader won’t really effect your chances.</p>
<p>So many people do this, and it’s not frowned upon at all. While I started in tenth, and didn’t want to repeat, I do wish I had started boarding school a year before, in ninth. Ninth graders have rules that force them adjust to the new workload (like no phones after a certain time and lights out). Also usually they all live together so you get a bond from the beginning. You don’t get that as an incoming sophomore, you are expected to just come in and be ready to deal with the work and noisy dorms, not to mention the separation between new and returning students.</p>