I think this question has been addressed in bits and pieces along the way…and I’ve read everything I can find on the forum (including applicants who reapplied and repeated, pros/cons to either scenario etc etc etc).
But has anyone actually done this? i.e. split their applications between repeating 9th and continuing/entering 10th? The SSAT part of the equation is a nonissue as it is based on current grade. All of the school inquiry forms have been submitted (and yes, one needs to declare which grade on the inquiry form but this is not hard and fast); this question will be posed to each school during interviews. (I already have a sense as where it could make very good sense and where it might actually be more frustrating than helpful–that is, to repeat 9th.) Has anyone actually done this? Or have very specific insight?
If I’ve overlooked this specific topic thread, please direct me.
p.s. I do know that not all boarding schools look favorably on this thing of repeating a grade + I do know about the “odds” with respect to FA, etc etc etc. I’ve culled all of the data points a few gazillion times (Hidden Gems etc etc etc). My question is whether or not anyone has first hand experience/insight in doing this?
I think it is a great idea to do this. While we did not last cycle, knowing what I know now, there are schools where it may be better odds to repeat and others to apply as a sophomore. From a pure numbers perspective, there are are certain schools that accept a large amount of sophomores such as NMH. Loomis typically adds 15 new sophomore boys for boarding (as opposed to 30 in the freshman class).
I have to say that I have the opposite reaction. Trying to game the application situation based on your estimation of which schools might be more open to an application for repeat 9th vs. 10th seems fraught with problems. You’d have to be pretty sure that you knew which school was which, and even then, you don’t know how they’d view you in particular. I would instead be very open about the willingness to go either way, and maybe you improve your odds. I’d just be very up front in interviews (both the student and the parents) – “I’m really enthusiastic about [name of school]. I’d be thrilled to attend as either a repeat 9th grader or a 10th grader. I wonder if you have some thoughts on kids in my situation [whatever the issue is causing the consideration of repeating, i.e., young for grade, playing a certain sport, coming from a non-challenging school, etc] do at [school] if they come in as a 9th grader vs. a 10th grader.” I think it can actually be positioned as a positive thing – both showing flexibility and also maturity of considering the pros and cons of various options.
I agree @soxmom . That conversation will definitely be had (as indicated in original query). We’re not trying to game anything/anyone. I think that typically students feel obliged to choose one OR the other, as opposed to seeing that at some schools a repeat year might be a perfect “fit” and that at other schools, moving forward is the way to apply. I’m wondering if anyone has first-hand experience or specific insight. I’ve had several private conversations with students/parents who went one way or the other but am asking if anyone has done a both/and. ?
Telling a school you’re open to either is ok in a conversation but in the end (i.e. by application deadline) the applicant needs to decide which pile/grade of applications they’re going to sit in.
I would not necessarily assume that you do have to make a firm decision by the application deadline as to which group the applicant should be considered with. During the interview/follow up process, some schools may well steer you in one direction or the other, and obviously you’d be wise to heed that. As for any schools that just say it’s up to you, I’d explicitly ask whether you need to make a choice before the admissions committee considers the file, or whether both options can stay alive. It doesn’t strike me as at all crazy to think that at some schools, perhaps particularly a smaller school, an AO would actually appreciate retaining the flexibility throughout the admissions decisions process (in other words, I’m picturing a situation where the AO with the file really likes the kid and advocates for admission, but in the discussion process it turns out that the kid doesn’t stack up so well against – for instance – the 10th grade applicants, but looks better in comparison to the 9th grade applicants).
We did this, not to better the odds, but because we thought some schools were a better fit for 9th and others for 10th. Schools were very open to the discussion and helpful. Child was accepted under both scenarios. Some things we considered included whether the school was an academic reach or not, size of student body (more likely to feel three years was enough at a smaller school), the possibility of a PG year if entering as a 10th grader. I have also heard of cases where a child applied for 10th and was accepted for 9th, and that became a decision point for the parents. In at least one case, this seemed to arise because the family (surprised by the 9th grade acceptance) perhaps hadn’t been as clear about what they were looking for as they might have been.