If you’re going to do a Post-Graduate year, you need to come in with the full understanding that you will receive texts and phone calls from your friends partying in college while you are stuck in the library studying for an 8AM Economics test,” Coach Peter Newman of the Westminster School told me upon entering his office for the first time. While one may assume that most 18 year-olds would forgo the test in exchange for the party, the number of students choosing a Post-Graduate (PG) year is increasing because of the unique opportunities a Prep School such as Westminster can provide.

In addition to having another year to mature, my year at Westminster allowed me to acquire the time management skills necessary to succeed as a student-athlete at the collegiate level. In deciding if I wanted to essentially repeat senior year of High School, there was no first hand guide on what the experience was really like from a student’s perspective. Through this article, I hope to provide a first hand take on why one may choose to do a PG year, what the atmosphere is like when you’re there, and how it helps to form a more efficient college student.

There are various reasons why one may choose to do a Post-Graduate year, but in each case, the student must be fully aware that a PG year is another senior year of high school. You’re going to have tests, family style dinners with teachers and 14 year-old freshman, and even go through round-two of graduation rehearsal. Ultimately, you may very well question your decision a few times along the way.

Frankly, no one likes waking up on a rainy fall Saturday morning to finish the 6-page paper for the AP Class you avoided taking all of High School and now need to take as PG. However, if you embrace the small-school culture that exists in Prep School and stay focused on the end goal of getting into the best college possible, the experience will prove to be both rewarding and memorable.

In my case, I picked up lacrosse as a sophomore in high school. Therefore, I decided I needed another year to develop my skills, become a bigger and faster athlete, and gather the necessary exposure through an extra summer on the tournament circuit.
Be it that your game developed later than others, you need another year of maturing athletically, or you just picked up the game late, a PG year provides a student-athlete with the necessary time and coaching to make any player better.

In other cases, a student may not be ready to enroll in their college of choice academically and a coach may recommend another year to boost both grades and SATs/ACTs. Lacrosse can absolutely be used as a tool to help get someone into a better college, but elite Universities must ultimately adhere to an academic standard. Even Duke University, winners of this year’s National Championship, have encouraged some of their recruits to take a Post-Graduate year not because they do not have the talent to compete at the Division I level right away, but because they could not fulfill the academic standards required of Duke’s student-athletes. Make no doubt about it, college coaches will not recruit a player they know will not pass through admissions. Better SATs/ACTs and grades, which can be achieved through another year of High School, means more options for college.

Another reason for taking a PG year is that a parent may decide their child is better suited living alone, but in a restricted setting with more adult guidance, before earning the freedom that comes with being an undergraduate. So whether it is athletically, academically, socially, or more likely a combination of all three, another year of High School provides the boost necessary for many student-athletes to get into their destination of choice.

Coming into a small school as a fifth-year senior came with its fair share of anxiety. I had been going to the same school since sixth grade, knew basically everyone there, and had the same group of friends for the majority of my life. All of a sudden, I was thrown into an unfamiliar environment, full of questions and doubts regarding the year to come.

All doubt was quickly put to rest as I got to know my fellow PGs and senior classmates during orientation week. At most small Prep Schools a senior class consists of only about 12-15 Postgrads, so therefore a PG must integrate themselves as part of the “Sixth Form” – a term used at boarding schools to denote the senior class including PGs.

Each school provides a unique opportunity to do so through various activities. In my case, I was able to quickly find a friend group made up of both PGs and seniors as I began to open up with my fellow classmates. In this way, being a new student and going through the process of ingratiating yourself into a new school helped prepare me for a similar process that would to take place a year later at Wesleyan University.

Academically, I was challenged as I took classes in disciplines that were unfamiliar to me, such as AP Economics. However, the thing I found most difficult scholastically was staying focused. It’s not always easy to get that extra hour of studying in when you have already committed to a college, and you have friends from back home calling to remind you how awesome the college party they went to last night was. Scrolling through Facebook to see the college “glory days” while you’re adhering to the same rules as freshman in High School can be slightly discouraging at times. I questioned how I could possibly have more freedom living at home than on my own. However, this was part of the maturation process for me, as I learned how to properly deal with frustration and remain steadfast in my belief that a Post-Graduate year was the right answer to getting into my college of choice.

Athletically, Prep School proved to be the perfect stepping-stone between the High School and Collegiate level. I learned under the tutelage of one of the nation’s best High School coaches in Peter Newman, who helped me develop both on and off the field. New England Prep Schools are full of excellent coaches dedicated to developing great men and women. The athletic programs at these schools are excellent, as players from all parts of the nation travel to New England to play against excellent competition. Similarly, through competing in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse I learned that sports were a way for me to organize my time in a more effective manner, which was yet another step in my own maturation process.

Having now been an athlete in college for a season, I know that Prep School athletes have a similar schedule to the one they will see at the college level. Each “First Team” athlete – boarding school speak for Varsity players- has a six-day a week schedule with four practices, and games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. My athletic schedule at Westminster, including the long bus rides all over New England, looked very similar to the one I had competing in the NESCAC conference this past spring, thus preparing me for what was to come.

Doing a Post-Graduate year allowed me to mature academically and athletically, but most importantly it helped me grow as an individual.

As with senior year of High School, there are going to undoubtedly be highs and lows, incorporating all the joys and disappointments that come with grabbing a second diploma in as many years. I was challenged not only in the classroom, but also on the field as I played some of nation’s best athletes in the highly competitive Founder’s League. Socially, I met people from different backgrounds, experiences and even countries, with each person bringing a different, unique flare to the boarding school community. I transitioned from life in New York City, where I grew up, to life in suburban Connecticut as I learned how to live by myself under attentive and caring guidance.

With the number of capable student-athletes increasing and college admissions becoming an extremely competitive process, a Post-Graduate year can help provide the necessary boost for one to get into their college of choice. Assistant Coach at Wesleyan University and Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Famer Rick McCarthy told me during one of my initial visits to Wesleyan, “Westminster Post-Graduates just seem more prepared for playing at the college level.” I feel safe saying that this applies not only to Westminster but also to each Prep School- not just because it makes for a better athlete at the college level. More importantly, when a coach recruits a student taking a Post-Graduate year, he knows he’s getting a young man who has made enormous strides both academically and socially over the past year.

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Greg Pietroforte is the LR News intern this Summer. A rising sophomore at Wesleyan University, Greg grew up in the New York City area. After graduating from Poly Prep High School, he decided to head to Westminster (CT) for a Post-Graduate year.