I haven’t seen a Hotchkiss thread yet, so anything you write about Hotchkiss will be helpful. Social, Academic, Free time/flexibility, surrounding town, arts, athletics, etc. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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My son graduated from Hotchkiss and I truly can not say enough wonderful things about this school. It’s academically and environmentally superb.
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Paging @cinnamon1212
Does any school of a similar size have as many tennis courts as Hotchkiss?
Longtime lurker here, just signed up for an account but ready to start making a contribution.
Current child is at HK. I am sure much of what I am going to say is true of all boarding schools of HK’s caliber.
The academics are top notch, at least from what we can tell. Courses are challenging academically, everything academically is as advertised. Child was already a good writer; HK has taken child beyond what we ever expected in this area. Sports as well - my child is not a competitive athlete but has found a couple of sports where new athletes were welcomed into the fold. I am sure there are certain sports where that is not true, but thus far we have had a good experience with sports. I think HK provides so many opportunities it is possible to “choose your own adventure” with co-curriculars. Lots of possibilities. They truly want everyone to find their spot.
Socially it has been a mixed bag. We were new to the prep school life. We were shocked at the number of kids who are reclassified. For instance my child started as a freshman having turned 14 the spring prior. That is quite normal in our area, to start high school as a 14 year old and turn 15 during the freshman year. “Red-shirted” kids are typical as well; so kids who turn 15 in the summer before freshman year is not uncommon. However we were amazed at the number of 16 year old 9th graders at HK. For some younger students I am sure it doesn’t matter but it can set up a strange social dynamic.
My child does have some free time but when they are participating in a varsity level sport, that free time gets eaten up very quickly. Child has decided to not pursue a varsity level time commitment for every season because child needs a break for one season a year. Child is able to keep up academically but for their own mental health, really need that less time-intensive co-curricular once a year.
Overall child is very happy at HK, is challenged, has friends, etc. I worry a little bit about the stress child puts themselves under trying to keep up with the academic superstars that go there, but again, that is a lot of boarding schools. I would say the pressure to be successful academically seems to come mainly from child’s pressure on themselves (and some peer pressure), but not the faculty.
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