Hello everyone,
I love to travel. Like, REALLY LOVE to travel. I’m deciding between a few boarding schools - two of them being Hotchkiss School and Deerfield Academy, which are incredibly similar. I would really like to know which of the two schools has better international travel programs. I’ve looked at the catalogs for both schools, but these kinds of programs change every year. Overall, I would like to know which schools provide a wider variety of travel opportunities, better-organized programs, and more opportunities for 9th graders year after year.
Thanks!
I would guess they are not very different in this area too. I am familiar with Hotchkiss and not Deerfield.
There are organized, longstanding programs, with many schools participating, such as Round Square and SYA. Then there are faculty and school specific trips, and these do change year to year. There will be more of these than you could possibly take advantage of.
Agree with my friend @cinnamon1212.
Kiddo was supposed to go overseas for Spring vacation with the school and it was cancelled. The trip to the Kings School is something that many Deerfield students look forward to. There is funding available for community service projects overseas and study abroad (think both schools have this). We know a couple of kids who did SYA, so PM me if you want more info. For Deerfield, you can go to the website and look for GSCS or Global Study & Community Service. One of the popular programs is to Tanzania. If you want to do research, also, on a particular topic - like water and environmental studies - those experiences are available. Another one is studying theatre in the UK.
No matter where you decide to attend: Both schools are great and students generally love being on campus, so relatively few kids choose to do SYA. For summer and vacation programs, you have an expansive “menu” of options. I will say that it is very tough to decide between overseas programs and also if you want to do SYA. There are so many options!! I wish BS had a 5th year just for overseas study or wish they offered a Gap year program just for international study.
FWIW - you can begin travel in 9th grade for trips during school breaks!
@Golfgr8
Do you get travel opportunities as a 9th grader in both schools? I know the two schools have incredibly similar programs, but if you had to choose one school for their international programs, which one would you choose?
Not @Golfgr8 (we’ll tag team on this thread 
) but yes, you can travel internationally in 9th grade at Hotchkiss.
Again, not her, but you really shouldn’t use International Programs as a way to make your decision because there just isn’t a lot of difference between the two schools.
@Golfgr8 would you say there’s as much of an international presence at Deerfield as at Hotchkiss? One of the previous heads of school at Hotchkiss had a global vision and prioritized bringing kids to Lakeville from all over the world (not just Asia) and his influence, though lessened, persists.
If you want more information OP I would reach out directly to the schools. Dave Thompson is the Director of International Programs at Hotchkiss, shoot him an email!
Yes - we have met Dave Thompson @ Hotchkiss! He worked with someone we knew thru Round SQ also. Dave is really knowledgeable and a great resource. In my opinion, Hotchkiss does a better job of celebrating the international community and really gets their students excited about global learning in a big way. Deerfield is more quiet about it, but their programs are amazing and really popular. Many kids kick it off the first Holiday break in 9th grade.
Deerfield used to be involved with Round square - now they have their own internal programs and also has a relationship with the King’s School in Jordan. Both encourage global service and learning.
One of the interesting opportunities at Hotchkiss is being able to work nearby with their farm. That has not been mentioned on CC recently. But, that was something my kiddo was really interested in and liked about the school. Maybe @cinnamon1212 can share more on that, also.
Deerfield does have a large international student community - I think more than 45 countries this year. Kiddo had friends there from Spain, Switzerland, Russia. Poland, Italy and China. I believe @ Deerfield they have flags for each country in the dining hall represented and they have an international dinner with students in procession at the beginning of the year. The global service opportunities are great. Honestly, the school needs to do a better job at sharing this information! I am just one lonely golfer here in the swamp, sending info around the world from my fishing boat today! Even the gators are hiding.
Thanks @cinnamon1212 and @Golfgr8 - you two were really helpful! I think I’m going to create a few more threads based on criteria that are important to me in this decision-making process. The two schools are really similar, so this is a tough choice! Thank you for the help!
As @cinnamon1212 mentioned, I would not choose a school based on international programs. Both schools FWIW have expansive offerings for global learning and global service.