A postgraduate, or "PG year" as it is often called, is a full academic year of study generally pursued between graduation from high school and matriculation at a college or university. A PG year is offered at many independent schools throughout the country and usually involves a residential experience. Bridgton Academy is the only accredited college preparatory school in the nation devoted exclusively to the education of young men in a postgraduate year of study.
Reasons for pursuing a PG year are almost as varied as the interests, personalities, and ability range of any broad cross-section of college bound students. A student may need another year after high school to develop basic academic skills. A student-athlete may have put more emphasis on athletics and less on studies in high school, or a student may have discovered a latent athletic talent too late in a school career to gain the notice of college coaches. Another might have graduated a year younger than most classmates and may feel the need for additional maturation before college. Still others find themselves with college choices which no longer match their needs, but are beyond the point at which it is feasible to begin a new college search and still meet deadlines; rather than commit to an inappropriate college choice, such students might use the postgraduate year as a second chance at the college admission process.
Actually, the only common characteristic of all postgraduate students seems to be their common desire to improve themselves in preparation for a college education. Students who successfully complete a postgraduate year invariably enter college directly after graduation. Further, the traditional PG year lessons in personal organization and confidence building, combined with development of genuine intellectual curiosity, have lifelong value which transcends the college years.
How do colleges view students who complete a postgraduate year?
College admission offices generally appreciate any program or course of study which enhances the probability that students will be well prepared to succeed upon matriculation at their institutions. Hundreds of colleges across the nation enroll students each year from postgraduate year programs and have done so for a long time, for the concept of a postgraduate, or "prep," year between high school and college is not new: founded in 1808, Bridgton Academy's first graduating class included students who spent a year "prepping" for their college entrance examinations in Latin and Greek!
The environment of a residential, college preparatory school provides the key to the success of a PG year. Small classes, faculty who care and are available throughout the day and into most evenings, facilities which mirror those of a college campus, programs designed to develop the skills needed to meet the challenges of a college experience, virtually all aspects of a school created with only one goal-college preparation-contribute to the success of a postgraduate year.
Because Bridgton Academy specializes in college preparation for young men through the postgraduate experience, the Academy is able to tailor its environment to the needs of the student in transition from high school to college. At the Academy, the daily class schedule, academic year calendar, use of advanced technology, dormitory life, and athletic programs are designed to reflect what the student may expect in college. In addition, the fact that all students begin their year at Bridgton Academy as "new students," who are able to enjoy a fresh start, provides them with the opportunity to progress through the postgraduate year as a common experience.
Are students in a postgraduate year able to compete in sports?
At many independent schools which offer PG programs, a postgraduate student is eligible to play on varsity teams, but some schools are members of conferences or leagues which prohibit PG students from competing or limit the number of postgraduates on teams. At Bridgton Academy, athletic traditions run deep, and interscholastic sports are integral to school life.
Participation in sports during a PG year does not affect NCAA eligibility and may actually enhance a student-athlete's chances to play a sport in college. Since all students at Bridgton Academy are postgraduates, athletic competition frequently involves collegiate opponents in contest with college freshmen or junior varsity teams. Student-athletes at the Academy gain the valuable experience of competing at the college level and having the opportunity to perform in front of college coaches while still preparing for the academic challenges of college.
How and when does a student apply for a postgraduate year of study?
Most students who consider a postgraduate year are concurrently exploring college options. Some students apply for admission to colleges, wait for the results of the process, and then decide to apply for admission to a PG year in the spring of their senior year. Others may incorporate the option of a postgraduate year within the college admission process and apply to a school offering the PG year at the same time as filing college applications. This latter plan is preferable, for it allows the student to make decisions with a clearer view of all available options and, hence, to have more confidence in establishing his plans for the future.
Applying for admission to Bridgton Academy is much like completing a college admission application. The Academy requires: a completed application form with fee, an application essay, recommendations from English and math teachers, a character/personal reference, an official high school transcript, results of SAT and/or ACT, and a personal interview. A parental reference is optional.
What makes a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy different than those offered by other prep schools?
The characteristics of many college preparatory boarding schools include challenging academics, a diverse student body, highly qualified faculty, small classes, and individual attention. Bridgton Academy offers all of these characteristics as well. What makes Bridgton Academy the preeminent transitional experience between high school and college?
College Retention
The United States Department of Education reports that more than half of all male students who begin college never complete it; most withdrawals occur during the freshman year. Of those who do complete a bachelor's degree, only 34 percent do so within four years; the average amount of time in which students are earning these degrees is 6 years.
Bridgton Academy alumni report a college retention rate of 70 percent, with the average completion rate of a bachelor's degree in 4.5 years.
At Bridgton Academy, our goal is to help our students develop the academic skills, study skills, self-discipline, maturity and self-confidence necessary to succeed in college, rather than just to survive it.
Postgraduate Students Only
Bridgton Academy is the only accredited college preparatory school in the country whose student body is comprised of postgraduate students only; unlike other prep schools, we are not a high school which enrolls a small number of postgraduates into a senior class for a repeat of their senior year.
Because our students are all postgraduates, we are able to emulate the college environment and experience, yet to provide some structure and support which colleges do not. Consequently, we offer a true transition year, not a repeat senior year of high school.
Camaraderie
Because all of our 185 students are postgraduates entering in September, they share the postgraduate year experience, and progress from Orientation to Commencement together. No one is a newcomer entering a senior class in which friendships have been established and experiences have been shared during the past few years. Everyone must make new friends, learn to navigate the campus, and familiarize himself with the faculty and culture of the Academy. United by a clear, similar purpose, and a shared commitment to our program necessary to achieve it, our students develop a strong camaraderie among themselves, and life-long friendships are made. Positive peer pressure to achieve success in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and citizenship is widespread, and students help each other in all aspects of the program.
Combination of Structure, Support, and Independence
Because all of our students are college age, usually 17 years old or older, Bridgton Academy emulates the college environment and experience, yet provides some structure and support which colleges do not provide. As a result, our year is a true transition year, not a repeat of a senior year in high school. Since we do not enroll high school students, our rules and regulations are different from those at traditional boarding schools. Our students have more independence than they may have at a high school, and this independence requires them to take responsibility for themselves, just as they will have to do in college. Unlike college, however, we hold our students accountable for their actions and decisions. Consequently, our students leave Bridgton Academy with a maturity that they did not have upon arrival in the fall.
Twelve College Courses for Transferable Credit
Bridgton Academy has a partnership with the University of Southern Maine (Gorham, ME), the University of New England (Biddeford, ME), and Plymouth State College (Plymouth, NH), whereby qualified Bridgton Academy students may take actual college courses for transferable credit upon matriculation to their college or university. This program is called the College Articulation Program (CAP.) The benefits of taking CAP courses for our students are (1) the ability to demonstrate proficiency in an actual college course to college admission officers, and (2) to earn tangible credit which they may use in college.
NCAA Eligibility
Because our students are all postgraduates, our athletic teams compete against excellent college junior varsity teams as well as the best prep schools in New England. The benefits from this type of exposure and interaction, particularly with college coaching staffs, are many for our student-athletes as they prepare for college competition. As a result, Bridgton Academy graduates may be found on many prestigious college rosters nationwide every year.
Pursuing a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy does not count against the NCAA eligibility requirement providing for five years in college to play four. Upon graduating from Bridgton Academy, our student-athletes have five years to play four in college.
Participation in Athletics Is Not Required
Whether a student is a starter on a varsity team, or the dorm's computer guru, or an outdoors enthusiast, or an aspiring writer, he will learn how to:
manage time
take notes in classes
read critically
write effectively
set up a study schedule and stick to it
seek help when needed and take advantage of academic support resources
read, understand, and use an academic course syllabus
live away from home and make important decisions on his own
