I am a junior at Stuyvesant High School, and I really don’t like it. I have very good grade, AP and regents scores, and teachers that really like me, but I don’t like the academics, the courses, or the environment, and I just don’t see us going back to in person school any time soon, which is really important to me.
I am really considering applying to Philips Exeter or Andover and wouldn’t need financial aid. I’m more interested in humanities and very interested in Spanish and German, but I am looking to attend a top school or ivy (I have legacy at a few).
Is this a good idea? I think I would like Andover better, but is that true? Would I be putting my college future at risk in anyway?
You would be repeating junior year since it is very rare to be accepted as a non-PG senior. 120K to leave one of the finest high schools in the country - one with excellent college acceptance results - does not sound like a good plan.
Transferring in as a junior is HARD. Every kid I know who has done it (granted none coming from a school like Stuyvesant but some from excellent private schools) has struggled. It is learning a whole new world, while taking some of the hardest classes of your high school career, while trying to make friends…it’s just a lot.
If you were in a terrible school, not getting a great education, it would be different. If you were a social exile or being bullied, it would be different. Transferring to Andover or Exeter isn’t going to help you get into an Ivy, so if that’s the motivation I’d skip it.
I kind of have a different take on it…because this is such a strange year with COVID… I am hoping you take this as a supportive response to your question and give you some things to think about…
Look, 2 nephews attended Stuy and another nephew attended Bronx Science. You attend one of the most competitive schools in the country with exceptional teachers. For free. Both nephews who attended Stuyvesant have shared with me that they would have wanted the chance to attend a boarding school, in large part because of the rural/suburban setting (outside of the city), easier accessibility for athletics, perceived social life at BS, and seeking a community vibe. Plus, many of the boys they knew from middle school and/or club soccer went onto boarding school. Do you have friends attending boarding school?
During this time of COVID, there are added stressors on kids attending Stuyvesant - and other NY city schools. From what I hear NYC is a stressful place to be right now. Are you perhaps seeking an educational environment out of the city?
Like @one1ofeach stated above, perhaps you can reflect on your motivation for attending BS and your expectations of BS? There are a number of webinars happening for more information. You can check out Ten Schools organization to see if they will be having another one soon.
This is a strange time for boarding schools - some students are not even on campus yet. Limited or no sports right now, very limited social interaction between students, changes in academic structure, performing arts opportunities limited, and a challenging situation for new students on campus to forge friendships. Not sure if the “value” of the experience will even be there next year due to COVID. There are risks with applying to be a repeat. As noted above, transferring would mean repeating 11th grade - we know kids at BS who are doing this now and have done so in the past. Their motivations were not for getting into a certain group of colleges - it was more about the experience.
My motivation for maybe going to BS isn’t getting into a certain college, I more just want to make sure that it won’t hurt my chances at all.
I went to private middle school and absolutely loved all things about the environment (I honestly don’t know why I’m at Stuyvesant other than that it’s the “best”). I place a lot of value in humanities and languages, but they really don’t and I’ve had really bad luck with teachers.
Transferring makes sense if you’re looking for something unique.
For example, you might consider applying to Choate’s Environmental Science and Research Program housed in the Kohler Environmental Center (located in a wooded part of the campus). I doubt Stuyvesant has anything like that…
