Hi, I’m a current student at Hotchkiss and would be excited to answer any questions or concerns anyone has about Hotchkiss. As a ninth grader, I still remember the admissions process vividly and understand what it felt like.
MODERATOR’S NOTE::
Any student/alum/parent/friend is welcome to jump in an answer questions as well. Additionally, please do not put the student in an awkward position by asking questions that nobody outside of the admissions office can answer (e.g. no questions about getting off the wait list).
Hi! I’m joining the class of 2019 next year, and even though you were super helpful in the other questions I asked, I still have a couple more (:
What grade/gender will the new dorm they’re building house?
I know it doesn’t really matter but how is the food?
How is cell service (AT&T) and can you connect your phone to wifi?
Thanks@
Hello again haha @zeebee619
The new dorm, Redlich, is going to be a girls dorm, and the housing type is vertical (which means there will be girls of all grades living in it). In addition, all dorms are vertical housing so it’s not split between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen.
Overall I’d say the food isn’t that bad, and you can always make a sandwich or salad if you don’t like the food that day. Also, you can order out, which my friends and I like to do sometimes.
I have AT&T as my cell service, and it doesn’t work very well. There are a few spots where I can get service, but most of the time I just use the wifi. There is wifi in all the dorms and also the MAC which is the athletic center, so it doesn’t really matter that there is bad cell service.
@smartypants308
Why did you choose this school? What did it mean to you?
[How was the interview]
Hi, @Personof2017, as a member of the class of 2020 at Hotchkiss, I can vividly remember the admission’s process and why I chose Hotchkiss over others. To start, the atmosphere of the campus seemed friendly, but still focused on future goals and endeavors. The campus is also near a beautiful lake, which certainly did not hurt. After doing some research on the Hotchkiss website and some here, I soon discovered about the Prep and Lower Mid Humanities courses. These are 4 classes [English, Philosophy and Religion, History, and your Art (Photography, Music, Theater, Dance, Visual Art, etc.)] that all explore different texts or primary sources pertinent to a single time period. Thus far, it has surpassed my expectations by a great deal. In the first few weeks we were introduced to the types of discussions we would be having, but the teacher mostly led the conversations; however, as time progressed we (the students) began to have more say in our articles of text or books rom the prior night. Often times, the teacher will introduce a topic and then the students will fully dissect the topic and in most situations create our own themes of discussion.
My interview just about a year ago went quite well here. It was a fluid conversation with an easy-going, but still inquisitive. I spoke with a teacher, rather than an AO or coach for athletic team. We spoke for 30 minutes on topics ranging from my credentials to how I would utilize the plentiful opportunities provided by Hotchkiss (These being travel abroad opportunities, course diversity and vast amount, etc.)
My tour at Hotchkiss went smoothly and helped ease my nerves going in. The tour guide answered many of my questions with great depth and experience, while still being able to show me around the school.
Good Luck! Go Bearcats!
@Torn2020 Thank you so much! Can you give me examples of the interactivity of Hotchkiss courses? What electives are available? Are teachers available after hours to work with you?
@Personof2017 All of our courses are very interactive. Student-Teacher discussions and Student-Student discussions are not restricted to the classroom. Often times in our student center, during a free period, students will talk about what they learned in class and help each other with work and understanding what happened that specific day in class. There are many electives at Hotchkiss, and because of that it may be best if you specify which area of learning or subject you want to know more about. Some electives include: Macro/Microeconomics, different areas in English (i.e. poetry, prose, creative writing), history classes based in certain areas and geographic locations, and studies in philosophical ideas (ethics of war for example). Teacher are always available after schools hours to with you. You can meet with them during breakfast, dinner, time between sports and study hall, and study hall itself (8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. except on Wednesdays when it is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
Go to this link for more on our course selection: http://hotchkiss.schoolsuite.com/academics/coursecatalog/index.aspx