the benefits of a Post-Graduate Year

The post-graduate year is an extra year of high school, geared toward those who wish to further improve their hockey abilities in order to gain the attention of junior and university coaches. A post-graduate year can also be used to improve maturity, strength, study skills, and academic abilities before entering college.

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Some advantages of a post-graduate year include:

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• An additional year of exposure

• Potential to improve GPA and SAT scores 

• Develop better study habits

• No loss of collegiate eligibility

• Provide additional time for growth and maturity

• Enhance hockey skill, creativity, strength, and speed

 

In the simplest terms, a post-graduate is a student who has chosen to take an additional year of secondary school to improve and hone their hockey skills before moving into a junior or university team. Some students are late bloomers, some were under-recruited, and feel they would benefit from another year of hockey development.

 

There is no doubt that some off today's top players have benefited from an extra year of high school. The post-graduate year can be a great route for those who want to improve their hockey profile before university! But that does not mean a post-graduate year is right for everyone. Just as we urge families to do their due diligence in the college search process and find a school that is the right fit, we advise the same for those considering a post-graduate year.

Fall Semester

Post-graduate students attending OHA must take a minimum of three courses during the fall semester. Students are not required to take the physical education course, PAF4O, for credit, or attend the health portion of this course. However, they are required to attend the gym workouts associated with PAF4O which are part of the off-ice training program for their team.

Post-graduates may take any high school courses offered at OHA, online high school courses, or online college-level courses as part of their three course minimum. Students should discuss their selections with the principal in advance to ensure the courses chosen are consistent with future academic plans. Students are responsible for any fees associated with the delivery of independent study an/or online high school or college  courses.

Schedules permitting, OHA teachers are available as support for post-graduates taking independent study courses, however students are expected to complete these courses largely as independent work, and to first source teaching support offered by the provider of the independent study course.

Post-graduates are expected to make timely progress and to perform satisfactorily on all courses, whether offered locally at OHA or online as independent study. Similarly, poor progress and/or performance may result in lost ice time. All coursework must be completed by the end of the first semester.

spring semester

Post-graduates are not required to take any academic classes during the Spring semester, and they are expected to leave OHA at the end of the OHA hockey season. Extensions can be granted for a full class load and good academic standing.