<p>You do not have to be a varsity athlete to do a PG year at a BS. There are a number of kids whose high school records and years were badly disrupted by some event or other. For that reason they may truly be at junior level the end of their chronological senior year but able to make graduation with a truly lackluster record with some major problem. By going for a PG year at a BS, that year’s grades are looked upon in isolation, and if that school is truly a rigorous college prep school, doing well in those AP or AP equivalent courses and getting good grades there can be a plus. </p>
<p>The PG programs at a number of these schools are deliberately structured to showcase these kids and the main purpose is to give them the best presentation for selective college admissions. That is what these private schools do the best. Their teachers are well trained and capable in filling out those rec forms, the counselors often have connections via friendships and professional pasts with adcoms from colleges. The whole thrust of that year is solely to prepare that kid for college admissions. I know many parents who have been jealous and upset that the PG kids seem to have that focus on them more than their seniors at the same school. That’s because those kids have just the one year, really one semester to achieve their purpose, so everything is accelerate for them. </p>
<p>In my excellent school district (excellent by all national ratings I have seen), to get into certain AP classes, get certain activities is a highly competitive thing. That’s partly why my kids did not go there. You also can’t mix certain activities, certain courses; the whole culture is about finding ways to get those goodies, high powered ones. If you have a kid with a B average, s/he isn’t getting into the oversubscribed AP courses, for instance. And if you just moved into the area, you are likely to get overrun by the savvy kids and parents who know the system.</p>
<p>Go to a school that offers a PG year, they have that program specifically to meet your childs needs. He can get that AP calculus, English, Latin. If he’s interested in Photography, the art department will take him in hand, and help him with a portfolio and there will be a ready made situation for him to make his mark. No where else can you get the whole package so neatly wrapped.</p>
<p>Now the kid has to perform. You aren’t going to gain anything from a PG year when the kid is sick of school and ready to leave which is the case with most kids who could use that PG year. So unless a kid is an athlete or has some other striking reason that motivates him/her to really bust tail that year, it is not going to be beneficial. The schools I know who offer this don’t give one quarter in terms of what the student has to do do. The only give the opportunity and support. </p>
<p>It is not an easy go at all. It’s also an option for people with money, a lot of it because the cost of that year is what a year at a top private school would cost. Truly outstanding athletes and those with true economic hardships due to challenging home lives can get scholarships, and PG programs do also serve that function to those kids who were in a dysfunctional homes, inadequate high schools undergoing some rough circumstances. PG years often work hand in had with ABC, Prep for Prep and other such programs. So there is a social benefit for these programs as they do provide a bridge for those kids who need it to have a chance at a rigorous college both in terms of admissions and retention.</p>