Hotchkiss and Andover are actually quite similar: more so than meets the eye. They both lean heavily on development admits. Legacy is huge at both more so than at other similar schools. A huge emphasis on old money wealthy donors and family legacy. They are both a little more laid back (good old boy) and more art/humanities oriented than say Exeter. Certainly Andover is a bit higher up the food chain but I view them as having a lot of similarities.
@Center You are describing the “traditional” traits of all the top tier prestigious prep schools. But while traditions die hard they are nevertheless changing.
Asians are the “new money folks” that these schools are courting now.
@panpacific these schools are still filled with those kids and more so than other schools who have evolved differently/faster . I know about a dozen between the two schools right now …very different from kids at other schools —examples od schools that changed much more proactively: Choate, Exeter, Milton for example
@center While I am the first who would question any statistics, I think here’s where we could use a little statistics. What is the percentages of legacy kids and development cases in these schools please?
And you think Hotchkiss and Andover are similar? Wait to find out how similar Exeter and Andover are! @Center
Go to Hotchkiss as it doesn’t make sense to go into 11th grade and try to compete with 1100 other kids. Save yourself from unnecessary stress.
I just wanted to clarify a few things that @sgopal2 said about Hotchkiss. There are no dorm rooms attached to the main building at Hotchkiss – you must have been thinking of some other school. The main building has the dining hall and all classrooms, except for science classes (which is right next door). All the dorms are separate from “Main,” so you do indeed have to go outside every single day. And as for ethnic diversity, I think Hotchkiss actually has some of the highest levels of diversity among boarding schools. The current stats are that almost exactly 1/3 of the domestic US students are of color. If you then add in the non-white students from Africa and Asia, you get a pretty darn diverse population.
This post is great help. I am almost in the exact situation now. From the standpoint of an academically strong athlete with no legacy whatsoever. What school do you guys recommend. I understand the academics are rigorous at both schools and I am up to the challenge.