Repeating my senior year (on purpose!!)

Personally I would consider anyone who voluntarily did a 5th year of high school strange, no offense. You haven’t been there long enough to realize this but you will outgrow high school long before you are done. AP courses are not equivalent to college courses; they are just massive, tedious, superficial surveys that represent hoops you have to jump through for competitive college applications. If scheduling conflicts prevent you from taking some, your guidance counselor should note that in his or her letter. And most rigorous courseload is a category, not a contest; it gets your application looked at, but it doesn’t get you in. Every year there are students who are shocked that taking 2 years of college level classes with A grades (I may exaggerate slightly, but you know what I mean) was not enough to get into an Ivy. I’m all for taking an extra year to do something interesting and different, like study abroad, but an extra year of high school at home sounds unpleasant, unnecessary, and likely to make admissions officers look at you funny. And also, if you take a gap year, do it for you, not your resume-- apply to college during senior year instead of ruining a gap year stressing about how to get your applications done.

You should focus on finding and developing your interests, not on building an attractive college resume. Paradoxically, that is much more likely to make you attractive to an Ivy than 4 years of carefully manicured classes and activities – provided you meet academic standards for admission. In any event, you should never set your heart on a reach school. Admissions to Ivies are a crapshoot-- you can be superbly qualified and not get in just because there are so many more superbly qualified students than there are spots in a class. And there are many, many schools that can give you an outstanding education and experience – it’s ridiculous to imagine that one school will somehow be better than all the rest, or even that you can make a rational evaluation of your dream school based on a few visits. I wish you luck, but I think you need to take a hard look at what you are doing.

There IS something called 13th year, and some elite boarding schools have been offering it for years, yes, in preparation for elite universities/colleges. Google is your friend… I also have to recommend you have a frank discussion with your parents about your idea/plans and whether they agree and can afford it.

@happy1

  1. yes, I did. she said “you could do that, but I doubt by the time you are in 12th grade you will really want to” She’s probably right.

  2. yes, I agree. I see that now.

  3. I also know that. I’m an overachiever and to me, if it’s not 100% it’s 0%, but I understand what you are saying.

  4. ok, you’re right. I fit neither of those categories. Plus there are NO prep schools that are less than like 2 hours’ drive away.

  5. I know that, too. That’s why I’m trying to do everything within my power to increase my chances just a little. A step up the ladder is still a step up the ladder, even if it doesn’t get you to the top.

@DoctorWho2016 Lol

I thought I had seen everything on CC, but this is a good one. You think that you will show more rigor by volunteering to stay an extra year in high school? That’s just ridiculous. Good luck with your plan.

MODERATOR’S NOTE:

Columbia, or any school of that caliber, is not interested in filling a class with academic grinds. You want to show colleges your academic strengths, certainly. However, they also want to see what you’re all about outside of the classroom as well.

@happy1 's post basically sums up the answer to your original question. Since there is nothing more to say, and the thread is starting to go around in circles, I’m closing.