<p>Hi, I'm a ninth grader at a private day school who is going to apply to boarding school. I was wondering what the benefits and drawbacks are for applying for 9th as a 9th grader. </p>
<p>P.S. I was born in 12/93 if that helps.</p>
<p>Since you're already in a more "elite"/"advanced" school I'm thinking you should be fine. I do believe boarding schools will normally help a little bit for students coming from a more basic curriculum. I might be mistaken though.</p>
<p>My son's private day school helped us with that decision. Given your b'day - you would be fine going as a 10th grader - not one of the youngest. What grade does your current school go to? If you have a placement counselor, I would ask them what they think. In my son's class, it was mixed if they repeated or not. Most of the kids who are young - or turning 15 June or later - are repeating. Most who turned 15 before June are not. That's certainly not a hard and fast rule, but just seems to be how it went this year with one group of students.</p>
<p>I'd just want to maybe try and get a full four years in, if you know what I mean. The school I go to is K-12.</p>
<p>What level math are you in this year and what level of a language? Are you currently in the top level (honors, or whatever it is called at your school) and do you make A's in those classes?</p>
<p>I ask because repeating a year can help with getting another year of math/language and help you place a little higher in the other classes in respect to honors level. If you are already at the top and doing geometry or higher in math, and the second year of a language or higher -- you would probably be fine going into 10th grade.</p>
<p>However -- wanting a 4-year experience at a BS is a valid reason, you might let the school know that you would be willing to place into 9th or 10th, depending on where they thought you belonged.</p>
<p>A couple of my son's friends applied for 10th - were waitlisted and then called from the list and one was asked to go into 9th (September birthday - just going to be 15) the other was given the choice (June birthday, would have been the 3rd youngest 10th grader).<br>
While they were both in geometry in 9th grade and had already had 2 solid years of a language, they were both fine with repeating. It will give them the opportunity to take more math and language and explore more science electives.
At a few of our interviews we asked about repeating and after interviewing my son, they said they wouldn't recommend it based on his maturity and the classes he was taking as a 9th grader, so I think that it is perfectly fine for you - or maybe better, your parents, to ask during the interview.</p>
<p>The biggest reason cited by many people for repeating 9th grade is that a lot of friendships are formed then. That doesn't mean you can't make a lot of friends later, but it is easier when everyone is new. Many people who came in the 10th grade (or their parents) say they wish they had repeated for that reason. Sports are another reason. If you are a year older, your chances are that much better of making a team. Another reason, for boys, is that girls are supposed to mature sooner, so competing against them is harder for the younger boys. Most of the boarding schools have so many options for math and languages and sciences that you are unlikely to have to repeat a subject. They will give you a placement test to determine where to put you.
It is becoming increasingly popular for kids to repeat. I even saw some who repeated 2 years, although not at the same school. There are some drawbacks. If you are too mature, you will not enjoy your peers. You may also be bored if you repeat subjects you have already covered. Finally, if you have been really pushing, there may be a burn-out factor, and the repeat strategy may just backfire. You will mature a lot between now and a year from now, so you may feel differently about repeating then. It definitely is not a stigma, but it is not something to do without a lot of thought either. As you look at different schools, you will see that some are much more strict and some are more relaxed. Repeating where there is a lot of freedom might make sense whereas repeating in a stricter environment where you won't have as much freedom as you might have at home might be more difficult.</p>
<p>hsmomstef- I take Algebra 2 Honors (Our math goes Algebra I, II, and then Geometry) and Spanish 2, but I'm switching into Honors.</p>
<p>MDog...I was just remembering old posts - I thought we applied late to a few schools for this fall...obviously that didn't work out. I know you were considering some of the schools my son applied to then. What's your list liek this year?</p>
<p>Well I actually got into Pomfret and Kent, but I didn't feel like either satisfied me enough (well Kent actually kind of did, but I knew i needed another year to mature)</p>
<p>Here is my list:
Choate
Loomis Chaffee
Hotchkiss
Gunnery
Westminister
Blair
Kent
Taft
Deerfield (maybe)
St. Pauls (maybe)</p>
<p>With math and Spanish at that level, you would be fine as a 10th grader. You can let schools know that you are open to entering as either a 9th or 10th grader, depending on where they think you fit best.</p>