<p>Just visited/interviewed w/ S at Hotchkiss. I have to say I like everything about it other than the location. The school is far off major highway (we came from I-90) and seems to be in a REALLY quiet/small town. (We lived in the town of Andover for over 10 years and knows towns in NH very well.) Would someone (Hotchkiss students/parents) care to comment about the school location and the life there?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>When I had interview there, they did not have cell phone since the reception is pretty bad due to its isolated area. In winter, parents have a tough time in visiting their kids due to bad road conditions.</p>
<p>?????????</p>
<p>No problem of cell phone service, I talk to my friends in Hotchkiss every weeks. A small town but not isolate. Winter road condition? It's NE, we all know about it.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I did have low--> none cell signals near the school, but that might be different depends on the carriers. The drive to Hotchkiss is very enjoyable in the summer/fall but winter might be another story all together. </p>
<p>I am trying to picture my kid's life at Hotchkiss outside of classroom, I do that with all the schools we visited. (When we were at Exeter we were told the students can walk to town and back on their own.)</p>
<p>Ok I replied about the roads last night....where did it go? Probably under another topic.
Anyway, I'll try again. Yes, there will be some days when it would be hard to get there - but ONLY DURING the storm and maybe the day after if it's really bad. Otherwise, it's New England. They take really good care of the roads, it's located on a pretty busy "main" road and I'm sure it is well maintained.</p>
<p>When we went there everyone told me, "You expect cell phone service? We can tell you're a visitor..." I was told they have access to land lines sometimes(Maybe the dorm's or advisor's personal line?). </p>
<p>I didn't even see a town at all... I drove up from Kent though. I was told that students call ahead for a cab to pick them up on the weekend and take them to NYC. This is not 100% of the students and I am sure that they don't do that every weekend. That was the main thing I heard about as a weekend treat.</p>
<p>That would seem to be a pretty costy taxi ride..</p>
<p>Italianboarder,</p>
<p>Your post is a bit off. There are certainly towns within a few minute drive, basic amenities are easily available on school shuttles such as groceries, movies (in Millerton, NY 5 min away) and it is a 15 minute drive to Wassaic train station which will get you to Grand Central in 2 hours or so. The school is certainly rural, that is a given. However, every student has a landline in their dorm room and while cell service is spotty for those with certain plans, it is perfectly fine for many others. theharpist, Hotchkiss will not provide an urban or suburban setting, it is distinctly rural but the school does an excellent job bringing in outstanding music groups, artists etc. There are plenty of wonderful spots to eat (remember, many NYC folk own 2nd homes in Lakeville and the food choices are impressive for a rural community) and the school itself is a vibrant place on the weekends. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Cell service in all of Litchfield County, CT is sporadic. They like it that way up there ( fif is in the business). </p>
<p>Hotchkiss is about a mile south of the village of Lakeville, which has a good restaurant (The Boathouse) and a lousy Chinese restaurant. One bank and some antique shops etc. About two miles further is the village of Salisbury with the White Hart Inn, a good pharmacy and a quite good grocery store.</p>
<p>Nearest decent sized town is Winsted which has a movie complex.
Also, Millerton, NY is nearby with several amenities.</p>
<p>Bottom line -- yeah, it's in the middle of nowhere, but the setting is spectacular and Litchfield County itself is beautiful and offers a lot for those that like hiking, boating, rock climbing etc. </p>
<p>You can get a train into NYC from a station in NY State (about 20 minutes away), but I doubt that even the TFB's take a lot of cabs into the city.</p>
<p>Incidentally, fif has no love for the over-baked luxury resort in Lakeville, but he is rooting for them to win a fourth straight Erickson League Class A football title this weekend.</p>
<p>If you live in the NYC area, you are less than 2 hours from home. This is a real draw for many parents, but is a mixed blessing to others. It means that students can easily get to NY. Between that and the number of students whose families have 2d homes in the area, there is a real off-campus party scene which has been posted about in other threads.</p>
<p>the remote location makes it easy even for tafties to pull a prank</p>
<p>I think the location is spectacular. IMHO it is one of the most beautiful parts of the world within 2 hours of NYC. Montauk would be another -- but there are no boarding schools there!</p>
<p>I truly enjoyed the year my son spent at Hotchkiss' cross-town rival! There are some very nice places to eat in the area between Salisbury, Lakeville, and Millerton. Wassaic train station is not that far -- cabs take the kids down to the train.</p>