<p>Despite looking through almost every thread, I find little info on Hotchkiss. Any students or parents, if you could just give your general thoughts and opinions that would be very helpful, thanks!</p>
<p>OMG ARE YOU KIDDING?! wow, you shoulda been here last year. i swear, everyone on CC could have written an 80 page essay on hkiss with all the info that the hkiss cheerleaders gave us…</p>
<p>do a search on kafkareborn. :P</p>
<p>I know, now noone seems to be interested in Hotchkiss!
But I am!
so if anyone has more info about it, come and post here!
BUMP</p>
<p>YES! Please do:)</p>
<p>I love that Hotchkiss has the main building. It seems like it helps them feel like a close community. And they don’t have to walk outside from class to class in the snow or rain. Their pool is awesome and there is a really pretty view of the lake from the admissions office.</p>
<p>yeah, it is!
when I visited it was just like in the DVD that comes along with it…lol
like everyone seemed so happy to be there and they were really nice to me too. Like when my parents and I ate lunch, a group of girls came over and asked how I liked the school so far, and talked to us more about the school :)</p>
<p>Lucky! When I went there it was summer so I didn’t get to see any students :(</p>
<p>I can’t wait for my interview there!:)</p>
<p>Flipp: :o ohhhh…so the campus was like empty?</p>
<p>I go to Hotchkiss, I’m a prep this year. Ask me anything! :)</p>
<p>ohhhh!
ok, why did you pick Hotchkiss out of the rest of the schools?</p>
<p>Are you TheGrammarFairy who posts on MLIA? probably not but you share a screen name…
I got the impression that Hotchkiss was more international than some of the other schools I looked at. Would you say that’s true?</p>
<p>Hotchkiss does indeed, by far , have the most internationally diverse student body out of any top prep school. We have kids from Palestine, Afghanistan, Uganda, Brunei, Colombia, Malaysia, Saudi, and last year we had a Rwandan girl who lived through the Rwandan genocide and was on Oprah. This has been Hotchkiss’ main focus in the past few years. The administration has gone out of f its way to make sure that the Hotchkiss community really is a reflection of the global community at large. </p>
<p>There really is just so much to learn from these kids. For instance, when I want to discuss the Taliban, I just walk up to my buddy from Afghanistan and ask for his perspective, and likewise when I want to discuss the situation in Palestine. That is one of Hotchkiss’ greatest strengths. Sure you can read about the Rwandan genocide and discuss it around a Harkness table, but that PALES in comparison to having a chat with a friend that lived through it first hand. Now that is true learning.</p>
<p>Now though I am an American, I have lived outside of America for most of my life so I can attest that Hotchkiss’ community really does have a very strong international presence. Diversity at Hotchkiss is not skin deep, it extends to cultural, religious and geographical diversity that enables you to have an unparalleled educational experience.</p>
<p>Thank you!
I really like that about Hotchkiss and it’s sliding up my list. Although at the end of the day i’ll go where I get the most FA.</p>
<p>Ha, good luck then. Guys feel free to ask me any questions you have. I’m done with college so my senior spring is going to be very relaxing, I might as well help you guys out.</p>
<p>What is the English program like at Hotchkiss? Besides its more International percspective what sets it apart from the other HADES schools? Thanks for answeing questions…</p>
<p>First of all, I will be the first to admit that the top New England prep schools are actually all very similar academically, some schools have niches and excel in some fields while others excel in others. Really, it all comes down to personal fit. </p>
<p>Now to answer you question: the English program at Hotchkiss, in my experience, is phenomenal. Now, all top prep schools probably read very similar books and most use the Harkness method in class, but what I think what sets Hotchkiss apart is the level of discussion among your peers. Sure, all HADES schools have plenty of smart kids but when reading literature having kids that are brought up in a different literary environment than you were can be very enriching. You are exposed to many different interpretations of any particular book and this is enhanced by the cultural diversity. So in that sense, I suppose what I am saying is that the English department is strengthened by the internationalism at Hotchkiss. But that aside, I will quote TheGrammarFairy’s post on this topic to show how Hotchkiss’ curriculum is different:</p>
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<p>15 months ago, my son and his family decided that he should apply to BS for a host of reasons. He and I circled about 20 schools for possible application. I had heard of 19 of these 20 schools sometime in my past, e.g. Andover, Exeter, SPS, Deerfield, Choate, etc. The 1 and only 1 school that was new to me was Hotchkiss. Since that date of discovery, my son (who is now a lower mid at THS), my wife and I have been constantly amazed by the school. It has almost always exceeded our expectations.</p>
<p>In that vein, here is quick list of things that stand out to me about that school: 1: It has a ratio of 2.4 courses per student, a ratio equalled, according to my calculations, only by Andover. 2: It has the second highest endowment per student of any BS, second to the incredible Hershey School. (In this tone, it is interesting to note tihat a major benefactor of Hotchkiss is the Mars Co.) 3. Its facilities are incredible and, in some case, such as its gym, pool and threatre, unsurpassed by any BS. 3: Its student body is extraordinarily diverse; about 20% of this body is foreign. 4: The school work is challenging, according to my son, but not crushing. (For the last four years, he attended a private day school that overwhelmed him with work but not knowledge; he is enjoying the reverse this year.) The list continues, and each time we speak to our son while he is at Hotchkiss, we often note another great thing about the school. </p>
<p>I hope that you apply to THS and soon start your own list of wonderful things about this school.</p>
<p>I actually ended up going to Hotchkiss partly because it was the only place where I was accepted (5 waitlists and rejected by Exeter :P), but about a week into my first semester I realized that I probably wouldn’t have gone somewhere else even if I had been accepted everywhere I had applied. </p>
<p>Hotchkiss’s academic and athletic flexibility really attracted me to the school when I was first applying. I’m a competitive equestrian at the highest under-18 levels of the sport, and would die inside without my horses, but I didn’t want to go to an equestrian school because the academics at many of these schools simply didn’t attract me. I’ve been able to arrange to ride off campus so I can continue to show on the A-circuit, and am so happy that the school has been willing to work with me on this. In academics, the course selection is really excellent. Graduation requirements are loose enough to allow you to take personal responsibility for furthering your education in core disciplines AND pursue electives in unfamiliar and favorite subject areas alike. For example, I definitely want to take neuroanatomy and forensic science, but coming in to school I was never really a “science person.” </p>
<p>Away from what we hear most about on CC, I’d like to touch on integration and dorms. I will admit that the Prep class self-segregated into two large groups at the beginning of the year with a few “floaters” (including myself) that were good friends with most everyone. Now, we’re getting our act together and now there is one group where most everyone is friends or at least friendly. This may seem like a clich</p>
<p>I just remember seeing your name when I was reading the commentry (im a chronic MLIA lurker) and thinking it was amusing and taking note. WHen I saw your name here, I thought it was quite unusual and thought that you might be the same person… I guess you are? Do you comment on MLIA? The internet is a small world.</p>