<p>Hey guys, this is my first post so take it easy on me.
Right now I'm a sophomore at a school that is in alot of ways - terrible
extra curricular activites are non existant, as is varsity sport,
the school is brand new, and the coursework is hard (kids who got 2400 SAT's were getting 3.2 gpa's), but for some reason the weighting is small/nonexistant.
So I'm obviously looking for a new school to attend, and I applied to an elite private school which sends a decent amount of kids to ivys each year (more then any other school in my state), the problem is, i got accepted, and i got offered a full scholarship, however they dont take in any new students after sophomore year, so if I were to accept a place, I would have to repeat sophomore year.
This school is far better for my college chances, great sports program (sends rowers and track&field athletes to ivys every year), loads of extra curriculars, and IB classes, which i intend on taking, the only problem is, when i send in my high school transcript to colleges, they will see two sets of sophomore year reports, and im worried this might be detrimental to my chances, however, i am a year younger then everybody else in my grade, because i started school earlier, if i repeat the year i will be at the standard age.
If i go to this school, my gpa will be high (3.8+) and with weighting it would go over 4.0
My SAT's should be good, and my extra curriculars and volunteering would be top notch as well</p>
<p>What should i do?
thanks !</p>
<p>Not familiar with this specific situation of a day school transfer, but admissions departments see plenty of boarding school kids who do 9th or 10th grade a second time when they start at the boarding school. I would imagine that as long as you have a coherent reason for the transfer and can explain on your apps down the road, you will be fine. My son transferred schools in the middle of 10th grade – I think that, at least on the Common App, if you click the box that you attended more than one high school, you have to submit an explanation for the school change. For him, it gave him the chance to explain some lower grades which rebounded at his new school. </p>
<p>Sounds like a good opportunity for a well-rounded program. At the same time, as the parent of a senior boy, I do suggest that you focus on doing what you love in high school, and not focus on the ivy outcome as the reason to push yourself etc. These boards are filled with stories of incredible students who thought their achievements meant admission to their dream schools, even though 93% of the applicants – who are almost all as similalry extraordinary – are rejected from these schools. Having great transcript, testing and ECs makes a student a qualified applicant, but does not assure admission. </p>
<p>Good luck with the transfer.</p>
<p>It’s not a problem, many top high school kids repeat. One thing though, do not expect this kind of school to get you into an ivy. go for the education. Ivy success rates at elite schools typically have more to do with legacy and connections than the high school.</p>
<p>I go to an premier prep school in the northeast and have many friend who were repeats. None of them had issues getting into top schools, in fact I think the repeats were actually more successful than the non-repeats.</p>