The Academy is a Post-Graduate (PG) yearfor students who are college-boundbut not yet college-ready.
The Academy at Watkinson is a post-graduate year for day students who may take up to two classes per semester at the University of Hartford while strengthening their high school transcript with classes at Watkinson. Students start to earn college credit while still experiencing the benefits of a small community.
Productive independence. That's the whole point of college! But what if, for whatever reason, your high school years didn't adequately prepare you? What if your transcript isn't quite what you'd like it to be, or you don't feel prepared for the social, schedule, or academic pressure of college life? Or perhaps you'd just like to take one more year to learn more about yourself and your interests before choosing a college or university.
Enter the Academy at Watkinson. Part gap year, part post-graduate year, and wholly an extension of Watkinson's unique educational philosophy, The Academy allows students to shape their own balance of studying the world and learning more about themselves. The result is an enhanced ability to thrive independently in whatever college they choose.
The Academy at Watkinson welcomes international students from all over the world. International students enjoy a real American immersion experience, through living with an American host family on campus. The Academy offers tremendous learning and leadership opportunities through internships, high school as well as university classes, athletics, and the arts. Watkinson's outstanding college guidance program will assist you with the entire college application process and will help you find the perfect fit.
Reviews (1)
This is an excellent program...
Reviewed
on Nov/13/2013 by MB
This is an excellent program for anyone looking for an academically-oriented gap year program. My daughter needed a year to gain independence skills that she felt she were lacking. Not only did she gain those skills, but she was also able to identify an area of challenge that would have been much more problematic had she not discovered it until going away to college.
The gap year program at Watkinson is tailored to the individual. In my daughter's case, that meant taking a few college courses, retaking Calculus because she originally took it so early in her high school career, and participating in clubs. The college counseling she received during this program - which caused her to ultimately go away to school to the college of her dreams - was an invaluable benefit to attending Watkinson that will likely have far-reaching effects for the rest of her life.
Testimonials(1)
The Academy gave our daughter another year to "grow in to herself." It is a program for students who are intellectually ready for college, but still need more time to put all the pieces together in order to have success. We are very impressed with how well Watkinson faculty seemed to know their students; in our daughter's case it was even better than she knew herself!
- Alumni Parent of a 2014 graduate attending High Point University- June 15, 2014
This is an excellent program for anyone looking for an academically-oriented gap year program. My daughter needed a year to gain independence skills that she felt she were lacking. Not only did she gain those skills, but she was also able to identify an area of challenge that would have been much more problematic had she not discovered it until going away to college.
The gap year program at Watkinson is tailored to the individual. In my daughter's case, that meant taking a few college courses, retaking Calculus because she originally took it so early in her high school career, and participating in clubs. The college counseling she received during this program - which caused her to ultimately go away to school to the college of her dreams - was an invaluable benefit to attending Watkinson that will likely have far-reaching effects for the rest of her life.