Hi everyone! I am currently a Prep (Freshman) at Hotchkiss, and I would be happy to answer questions anyone might have regarding the school and my experience there.
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Thanks for the offer! I have several questions, but please do not feel obligated to touch on all of them. I am sure you are quite busy! As background, my daughter is leaning toward Hotchkiss and will be doing a revisit day in a few weeks.
Most importantly, what made you choose Hotchkiss and has this first year gone well? Any surprises, either good or bad?
What are the pros and cons of the school’s location? The campus is as picturesque as any, and it seems potentially a great place to quiet one’s mind and focus in the sound/fury that is 2022. Does it feel too isolated?
Have you found the community to be as supportive/collaborative as it has been described elsewhere?
If a student loves theatre / performing arts, any recommendations as to how to navigate the two term sports requirement during the prep year? Is it okay to show up with limited sports experience and is there one play/musical that is the flagship? I saw the pictures of Mamma Mia, which looked incredible. Is a winter musical the school’s biggest theatre production?
How are the Saturday night activities on campus? Given the near 100% boarding population, I am assuming most students are on campus each Saturday?
How was adjusting to Saturday classes?
How is the food?
Thanks again for your help - much appreciated!
Thank you for the offer! Me too, my daughter got accepted to Hotchkiss. It is her top choice, so she will go to Hotchkiss for 9th grade this fall. @Paipt pretty much has most of the questions I would like to ask. I added a few. Again, please don’t feel obliged to answer all of them.
We are from Hong Kong. So we are unable to go to a revisit. I am wondering how was it like for you last year on the day of welcoming new students. Would the new students and parents get to walk around the campus a little and meet some faculties and dorm parents or advisors? Or it was really a very short “drop off” and say goodbye?
Do freshmen have study hours? Do you stay in your room during those hours or you are allowed to do homework and study with your other classmates together?
Do freshmen need to share a room or you can choose a single room?
Do you have a “light off” policy? Are the students allowed to carry their phones around campus or talk on their phones?
Would you and your friends be able to finish your daily classwork before light off (if any)? If you can’t finish your work before light off, what can you do?
Thank you so much!
Just wanna say Hello 
since we’re from Hong Kong too! My D22 is now in California, all busy busy for College auditions and decisions. Stay in touch 
Hello, 
I pm you
sure 
My son will be attending as a repeat sophomore, I would love to hear the answers to the above questions as well. Not sure if you responded on private messages. Thanks!
The main differentiator that caused Hotchkiss to stand out was its excellent music program, amazing course catalog, and the general impression we received from the school. Out of the schools I applied to, Hotchkiss was by far the most responsive to any questions and concerns I had. My admissions contact would respond to emails in hours, and would always do his best to answer any qualms I had. If he couldn’t answer the questions, he would always forward them to someone who could. I loved the responsiveness of the school and felt they were more “on the ball” than other schools. Now that I’ve been at the school for 1.5 semesters, I’m very happy with my choice. A main surprise was how fun JV athletics are. They have a real team feel, but don’t involve the pressure of varsity.
The campus doesn’t feel isolated at all. Just a mile walk away is a nice selection of great restaurants in Lakeville, and every weekend shuttles go into Millerton, about ten minutes away. Yes, it is true that if you need to buy something there is a good chance you should look online, as there aren’t that many shopping options. However, I’ve found this a great way to stop myself from excessive spending!
Yes. I don’t think there’s that many schools where the whole varsity lacrosse team would sit in the front row of the musical, but at Hotchkiss, it’s almost expected that the whole school will turn out. My main pursuit outside the classroom is music, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many students and faculty showed up at both the orchestra concert and my solo recital.
The “Two term sports requirement” is a misnomer, as Hkiss is very lax in what they consider a sport. If your student loves theater, there is actually a theater co-curricular that (I think) counts as a team sport. It is definitely ok to show up with limited sports experience! I hadn’t played soccer since 6th grade, but had a great time on the school’s JV soccer team. I would encourage your child to play team sports though, as some of my favorite memories at Hotchkiss so far have been playing soccer and basketball (also JV). The winter musical, which was incredible, is the schools biggest theater production.
Saturday nights are fun, but they don’t get carried away.
Coming from a regular LPS, I was also vexed about Saturday classes. In reality, they’re ok. Only two classes, combined with knowing that the weekend is ahead of you, make them quite bearable.
The food is good, but not amazing. A lot of it is locally sourced, organic, etc. Think better than a normal public high school, but not **that ** much better.
Hope this helps!
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I don’t know about everyone, but because I got to campus a couple hours early, @ameridad and I had plenty of time to walk around and meet people. However, plan ahead in this regard. Don’t expect to be able to have formal meetings on move-in day. I would advise you to try to set up Zoom meetings with whoever you want before move in day if you want to connect prior to Parent’s Weekend.
Freshman have study hall from 8-10 Mon-Fri. At least in my dorm, we have to stay in our rooms during these hours.
Incoming students fill out a housing request form where they can request a single or double. A majority of Preps live in doubles. However, I requested and live in a single.
Lights off is at 11 PM. There is no limit on how much and when you can use your phone, but you are strongly encouraged to not use devices after 11. The wifi does shut off at 10:45 Sun-Thurs.
Some can finish their HW before lights out. However, students with a more rigorous schedule wake up earlier in the morning to finish it. The wifi turns back on at 6 AM. There have been a couple nights where I work up to 10:45, and then wake up at 6 to finish an English essay.
Happy to be able to help!
How is the cellular service on campus? I read mixed things but not sure how far back that was.
@Amerikid , thank you so much for your reply. We will definitely get there at least a couple hours earlier so we can walk around the picturesque campus and meet people.
May I ask what kind of musical instrument do you play? One of the reasons why my daughter likes about the school is the music program. She feels the school has a lot of support and opportunities for students who play piano.
I heard some students would go skiing on Sundays during winter. Is it true? I could be misheard.
How do you find the visual art program in Hotchkiss? Do you see a lot of students’ artworks displaying over the campus?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the thorough set of responses - incredibly helpful! It sounds like a great community and it is wonderful that your first year is going well.
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Spotty at best, and non-existent at worst. However, the Wifi is perfect and is available in all campus locations.
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I play a string instrument. However, I know many pianists who all love the piano program. Mr. Witkowski, the music director, is an excellent pianist and teacher.
There actually was a skiing trip just a couple weeks ago! I haven’t heard of any others.
Student artwork and sculpture are displayed prominently throughout Main Building. I have many friends who are visual artists, and all speak highly of the program. However, it is challenging for a student to take both piano courses for credit as well as visual art courses. I know of only three Preps who take music and another art, and only one of the three receive course credit for their music work.
Awesome! My daughter loves skiing. Was the trip organized by the school?
Wonderful!
Thanks!
Yes.
Hi,
May I know where is the nearest place/town the students will go for drinks and food during weekends? By what kind of transportation?
Thanks!
Others can correct me if I am wrong, but I think the most common destination is Millerton, New York (just across the border). The school runs bus shuttles there regularly on the weekends.
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Also, some students will bike/skateboard/walk to Lakeville or Salisbury on weekends. The restaurant Boathouse in particular (Lakeville) is extraordinary.