<p>Hi,
I’m currently a freshman at a private day school, but I fell in love with the boarding atmosphere over the summer and want to apply to a few prep schools. However, my parents are set against this for a couple of reasons. I know I have to work on applications soon, so any advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>1) Living across the country. I’m very independent and my parents understand this, as I’ve done summer residential stays at colleges before. My mother especially tells me to wait until college before I leave the house.</p>
<p>2) “Repeating” a grade: I want to repeat 9th grade to get the full experience and be able to study abroad during the school year without worrying about course credits. Am I correct in saying that being a repeat 9th grader at prep school isn’t the same as repeating in a regular school? It would also be a little weird to graduate a year later than my current classmates, but I would adjust: my birthday is end of May, so I wouldn’t necessarily be the oldest, either.</p>
<p>3) My current school is a top STEM school and has a conservatory program, but it’s very grades/AP-focused. I’m interested in the Harkness method as well as immersing myself in academics and the arts 24/7, rather than 8-6 on school days.</p>
<p>My parents are currently paying tuition for both my sister and I without financial aid, so to board at Choate without any additional costs I would need $15,000 in aid (preferably by scholarship), including airfare. If you have any other suggestions for schools, they would also be appreciated!</p>
<p>As far as I know, repeating grades in prep school is fairly common, especially for students who don’t enter in 9th grade. As for credits, I know that some schools allow you to transfer credits over from your previous high school so you can meet the graduation requirements. But as a repeat you will be not have to repeat the same courses you took in your previous high school. So if you took Geometry in 9th grade, you will not be taking Geometry again at prep school despite the fact that you’re a repeat. </p>
<p>I too am in your situation. I’m applying to some prep schools, one of which is Choate, and will be a repeat student at some. I’m probably applying as a repeat to TT ones, specifically Andover and Exeter. But I’m doing so for (1) sports performance/training, (2) academics, since I’m currently a freshman in a public HS thats not as rigorous as prep schools, and (3) for a richer social experience. Feel free to PM me!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t have athletics as a reason to repeat. I’ve all but dropped sports from my ECs because of too many rehearsal conflicts. I guess that an additional year of performance experience is also helpful, but it’s not a strong enough reason to convince my parents.</p>
<p>So far, I think that the main conflict is that they don’t see why I want to leave home if I have a perfectly good school so close by. I’m trying to make them understand that I’m not just trying to get away; rather, I want a fuller experience than I’m currently getting.</p>
<p>I think that if I can even convince my parents to seriously let my apply, I’ll be well on my way. Still working on the “applying does not equal acceptance, and acceptance does not mean I have to go” part.</p>
<p>(Sorry for the double post, edit time expired.)</p>
<p>My mother seems to be concerned that I’m not serious about applying, and she thinks this is proof that I’m not a “stable person”. I’ve talked to my father too, and he’s been more reasonable when we were discussing this, but my mother seems to fly off the handle whenever I mention my desire to apply.</p>
<p>Help?</p>
<p>I’m also open to mostly-boarding schools in CA (I live in the SF Bay Area). I’d probably be applying as a new 10th grader. Do any CA schools have a good arts program (like Arts Concentration at Choate) as well as strong academics?</p>
<p>Any information about Stevenson and Cate would be appreciated.</p>