<p>I'm a junior in high school and I might repeat this year at another school because I got really sick this year (mono- ugh) and missed over a month of school. Because of all the school I missed, I couldn't take my midterms and now, if I were to continue onto 12th grade, I would have to take my midterms along with my finals. The midterms have material from Sept.-Jan. and the finals are comprised of material from Jan.-June. It really is a lot of work and I could do it, but I would be miserable and even more stressed than I already am. The school I would transfer to is a school that I really love and I am not very happy at my school right now for numerous reasons. </p>
<p>Are there any benefits to repeating junior year? Do you have any advice? Should I not do it? I'm not excessively mature for my age and most of my friends are a year younger than me, but like... I don't know. It's a big decision. My parents are just like "do whatever makes you happy" and they feel like it could be good for me, but like... It's a whole year. Maybe I just need some kind of reassurance, or something, I don't know. What do you think about it? Do you think it's good? Bad? Okay? etc. </p>
<p>Lots of kids repeat, but note unless you're repeating 9th grade, colleges will see all of your grades. If repeating 9th it's ethical to send all grades too.</p>
<p>I don't have grades this year. I have W's - withhelds. I won't get grades unless I take all the finals and everything, and if I do that then I don't think I will repeat.</p>
<p>well i know a person who just wants to repeat b/c they want a higher then B+ average and there going to repeat it at my joke school(there about to start my school)and i betchya if they just went for senior yr they would get enough good grades to bring it up 4-5 points making it an A-/A</p>
<p>PP - Sorry to hear about the mono. DW missed a whole year in college because of it, so I'm definitely sympathetic to your plight.</p>
<p>First of all, it sounds like you have the support of your parents -- that's great! Secondly, the decision really is yours. I can easily make a case either for and against repeating eleventh grade. If you do decide to repeat, be aware that excellent grades are an absolute requisite. If you choose not to repeat, the whole mono experience might make an excellent application essay. Just be sure your heart and head are together on the decison. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Since I've seen you post on the prep school thread, I'm guessing the new school would be a boarding school? If you got into one you like it might be great to repeat just for the experience. There are LOTS of repeaters at boarding preps and I think most are happy they did it.</p>
<p>Colleges will see the Ws, the year won't be wiped away, so if you were doing it for that don't. But if you don't feel you've learned the subject matter and you want to, repeat. Jr. year has important stuff unless you've already done things like physics and calc and AP language etc (you never know, so many kinds from NYC did linear algebra in 8th grade!).</p>
<p>Thanks, NewHope. I get good grades anyway, so that's not really something I'm worrying about. This is a really huge decision, and I have so many pros and cons, I don't know what to do with them anymore. It's ridiculous. I tried making a list, but it ends up with an even number of +'s and -'s. I really need to think about this, I guess.</p>
<p>Suze, it's a prep school but not a boarding school. It's really good, though- it's one of the best in my area. I'm already in a school that's really good, and this one would be as good, but it's different because my school's parochial. I wouldn't repeat to erase the w's. I've done physics and my school doesn't let you take AP Calc till senior year so I took AP Stat instead, and even though I'm fluent in the language I take, no one is allowed to take AP language till senior year, either.</p>
<p>Repeating wouldn't be as academically beneficial to me as it would be emotionally. Like, I could "grow" at the new school and even though I'm smart, I'm not very organized or on time, and I could try to fix that in my extra year. The only con to repeating would be that I would graduate high school a year late, but I'm not racing. But still. It's a whole year. I don't know... I guess that's why I made this thread- I feel like I need some kind of advice. I just don't know what to do...</p>
<p>"This is a really huge decision, and I have so many pros and cons"</p>
<p>PP - This is the very nature of huge decisions. You can solicit opinions, which is an intelligent and mature thing to do. But the only "right" decision here is the one that's right for you. As Tony Soprano neatly enunciated "In the end you're alone with it all." If I have a contribution to make here, it's to suggest that you let your heart be the tie-breaker when your head scores the match even. (Am I allowed to do that, use an HBO analogy AND a boxing metaphor in the same post?)</p>
<p>I think I'm leaning towards repeating, but I just wanted to know if there were any reasons why I really shouldn't do it, besides the fact that my graduation year will change.</p>
<p>My son did a second junior year to start a boarding school. It worked great for him. He got to take some interesting classes and really focus on his college search. He had a solid second junior year which helped greatly with the college stuff. I see no downside to you repeating your junior year, especially if you are not worried about being too mature for your peer group. Go for it.</p>
<p>This school is boarding and day, but I'd be going as a day student. I would definitely get to take some cool classes, and that would be good... </p>
<p>It's just, isn't it going to be weird? Because most people repeat because they failed or something, and I'm not like that. And like, I'd have to explain it to everyone, right? Or do I try to hide it or what?</p>
<p>"I'd have to explain it to everyone, right? Or do I try to hide it or what?"</p>
<p>PP - Think of someone you respect a lot. (Since you're male, make that person male.) Imagine that this person made the same decision when he was your age. How would that person explain it? </p>
<p>If you believe with your head and your heart that the decision was right for you, chances are other people will agree. Hmmm. Maybe this will help: If you have to choose between the regret that you made the wrong decision, or the regret that a few people will hold whatever decision you make against you, which do you choose? Godspeed.</p>
<p>In prep schools a LOT of kids repeat for many reasons other than failing. Especially boys......often need an extra year to mature for academics and athletics. Don't worry about that at all. Was a complete non-issue for my son and many others.</p>
<p>I think you should talk to the college counselor at the school where you are planning to enroll. He/she will be responsible for telling your story and should be able to give you advice. When I was a college counselor, I had a student who was in a serious car accident mid-way through her junior year. When it became apparent that she was going to loose a lot of that year, we worked it out for her to complete math and foreign language, which enabled her to do an additional year in those subjejcts before graduating. In her case, I think it all ultimately worked out to her (educational, anyway) benefit.</p>
<p>I don't know if you'll "have to explain it to everyone," but you have a perfectly logical explanation: "I was out with an illness during junior year and I missed so much material that I felt it was better to repeat the work." You don't need to "hide it," but you don't need to explain it unless you want to. You can also add that you thought it would be great to have two full years at your new school.</p>
<p>I'm a girl!!!! (sorry, Newhope) - you're right, though. I shouldn't make my decision based upon what others think, obviously. It's just something I think about. </p>
<p>Ivyalum- I'm caught up in math and french, so I'm definitely going to move on with that, and I'd like to take ap physics next year. </p>
<p>jmmom- you know, you're right! but everyone knows how much work I'm usually capable of handling and everyone will ask me why i didn't just make it up. the answer to that is that the amount i needed to make up was ridiculous, but I don't know if that's good enough.</p>
<p>This is one of those things where no matter what I choose, I'll second guess myself. I'd like to believe that I'm ready for college but honestly, I don't know if I am and another year would help get all of the non-academic needed skills down like organization skills and finding a way to go to school, do homework, have friends, and do extracurricular activities and sleep at the same time. But it's just like, I'm more excited for senior year because of all the fun classes you get to take, and maybe nobody's ready for college. I'm very independent, so like, it isn't that I'm afraid of taking care of myself because I know how to do that, so I don't know why I'm even leaning towards repeating. Even though I just listed a few reasons above. Even though if I don't repeat I won't be doing anything out of the ordinary, I feel as though if I just continue on, as though I'll be like, skipping a year, even though I know I won't be. <em>sigh</em> I hate this. Everyone's like "do what makes you happy" or "only you know what to choose and I trust you'll make the right decision" and I just don't know which to choose. The biggest decision like this that I have ever had to make was what class to take for my summer program last year. And I have a better idea of where I want to go to college than whether or not I want to go in one year or two... It would be funny if it wasn't so frustrating lol...</p>
<p>I missed most of my sophomore year of college due to a personal crisis in the family. When I applied to grad school and to work after that, no one has ever even noticed. Your situation is different, but for an equally good reason. If someone does pry, just tell the truth, as jmmom suggested: I was sick and had to do 11th grade over. Everyone will understand that. It might also make a good "overcoming adversity" essay for college admissions.</p>
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I think I'm leaning towards repeating, but I just wanted to know if there were any reasons why I really shouldn't do it, besides the fact that my graduation year will change.
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<p>I do not think there are any negatives to what you want to do at all. </p>
<p>Why try and cram in all your missed work? That is not too good. </p>
<p>It is better for you to take that one year of your schooling over. You missed out on the bulk of that one year due to illness. Illness is beyond your control, there is no shame in it at all. This with the mono is actually a lot more serious than most people think. No ad com at a University will mind that you missed out on a goodly portion of one year of school due to illness. </p>
<p>You have articulated yourself very well and I think you will do very good at the other school. </p>