Group Profile: NSA PG Class

Post! Graduate

By: Celeste! Brown

An encounter with a post-graduate student around school is somewhat common for the folk of the National Sports Academy. Although we currently have 9 postgraduates at NSA, post-graduates populate other boarding schools across the country.

Postgraduates at NSA take this extra year for many reasons, to improve their academics, to better their athletics, to get a second chance, or simply because they are not ready for college and need an extra year to mature.

“Students not being ready for college,” Assistant Head of School John Spear said, “is the main reason students return to NSA for an extra year.”

Being a post-graduate myself I think what Mr. Spear says is true, but for the most part, taking a post-graduate year is just a fancy (and expensive) way for kids to screw around. Furthermore, it seems as though very little screwing off goes on with post-grads here at NSA but it seems likely that  at most other places in the country that is exactly what is happening.

PG's Celeste Brown and Gwen Schultz (among others)
seen here at the top of Giant Mountain.

In the the northwest part of the country the idea of a “Post-graduate year” does not exist.  If you are doing a post-grad year you are simply just taking a gap year before going to college to make some money, relax, or figure your life out.

Students here at NSA are basically doing that (the figuring life out part)…but without making any money or relaxing. However, though NSA post-grads don't have the opportunity to relax, they are figuring out their lives and bettering their academic standpoint by attending classes.

There is one main question with doing a postgraduate year. Is it worth it? Can you provide an answer to the thing that held you back from advancing? Or should one just jump into something without answers, take chances and learn from them?

It seems only the post-grads themselves can answer that. Here at NSA are we provided with an outspoken chance to better our future with one extra year of support from people who believe in us. You tell me.