<p>Hello all,
I am a senior at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, and would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about it, or boarding school in general!
Ask away.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for doing this! I am a prospective applicant and I just have a few questions. How are the teachers? Is the Harkness method used? Are the academics great? How is the social life for boarding students? </p>
<p>@PrepHopeful9
Happy to be of assistance! I’ll try to be succinct, but I could talk about Hill for an excessive period of time.</p>
<p>How are the teachers?
Phenomenal. Outstanding. You’d essentially get the same answer from any prep school student about their teachers. We have faculty with multiple doctorates and we have faculty fresh out of college. I think what makes Hill’s faculty special is that they tend to feel like family. Most of them pride their ability to be available. All of the teachers I have ever had encourage your attendance at extra help sessions, and work their schedule to meet yours. Your English teacher might be your dorm parent and your coach. My favorite teacher this year has a PhD from Yale (as well as 2 varsity letters from them!) and encourages discussions about the insanity, or lack thereof, during study hall hours, but also believes candy and crayons lead to a beneficial learning environment.</p>
<p>Is the Harkness method used?
Yes. No. Kind of?
I’ve taken Chinese, English, Humanities, and Philosophy at Harkness tables. Even classes that don’t have a specifically accredited Harkness table tend to style their classroom in that way (for me, Art History and Precalc were laid out this way). But I’ve also taken classes at desks (Algebra 2, Biology, etc). Classes with layouts like this are more likely than other classes to have a “flipped classroom” where the students do the teaching. That might sound scary, but it forces you to comprehend the material, not just memorize it.
Bonus: one class room has a new layout with desks. But the desks are on wheels and the chairs are bouncy balls. </p>
<p>Are the academics great?
That’s a hard question to answer. Typically speaking, students say the classics department (history, Latin, Greek, and Humanities) is outstanding. I would argue that this is absolutely true. The other departments can be great. We offer 2 classes beyond CalcBC, 3 or 4 sciences beyond Physics, and a number of fine arts, programming, and elective classes.
As it is with any school, you have to make it great. It is absolutely possible to graduate from Hill with a 2.5 and no AP classes. But I have yet to meet a student with those stats. Most graduate with at least 2APs. One student will have taken 10 and maintained above a 4.0 GPA!
Are the academics great? I think so.</p>
<p>How’s the social life?
That is an exceptionally broad question. Some people love it, some people hate it. We are a school very proud of our traditions (like our dress code), and as we call ourselves “The Family Boarding School” we tend to be a close-knit community. Do we have cliques? Absolutely. But we also have football players in the musical.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have more questions. Hopefully this gives you some things to consider. Get that app done!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for that information! As for the academics and the teachers, I was just wondering what the general teaching style is. One of the main reasons I am applying to boarding school is that I can’t take sitting in classes such as biology and the teacher is reciting a powerpoint word for word, and we ultimately have to teach ourselves the material. Is this at all prevalent at Hill? </p>
<p>Goodness gracious no. My calculus teacher plays the guitar to teach us derivatives and my humanities teacher encourages debates. We are certainly expected to teach ourselves material that is not covered in class, some minute details that the teacher might not have time to cover. This is most prevalent in my psychology class, especially, where we do experiments, discussions, experiments and general ideas in class and then are expected to read the text book outside of class. However, we are not assigned to do this: it’s simply thought that we are bright enough to figure it out. But if you don’t understand the material, teachers are almost always available for individualized extra help. </p>
<p>I left public school for much the same reason you did. I also felt that I was decently above many of my other peers, and while my school had great remedial programs, they didn’t offer much in the way of AP classes and the like. </p>
<p>Let me know if this answers your question. If it doesn’t, I’ll say more!</p>
<p>@Marpessa glad to see a Hill student posting on CC. Hill is a fine old school with great traditions. More applicants need to know about it. Welcome!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info on the teachers! I am just a little worried about the surrounding town. From what I have read it seems that it is lacking in many areas. Also, how competitive would you say the student body is? Lastly, how harsh is the grading at Hill? Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate the detailed and informative answers!</p>
<p>@PrepHopeful9
This is absolutely nothing against you, but the mindset towards Pottstown as a whole. I simply find it very sad that potential students turn away from an amazing school due to its surroundings. In fairness, it is not the most beautiful town in the world, but that’s where Hill deserves more credit. Hill, especially in the past few years, has made amazing strides in cleaning up the town and engaging the community in artistic and sporting events. It is generally believed on campus that the city is making a recovery, however slowly that might be. And Pottstown isn’t actually awful! Right across the road from Hill is an outstanding pizza place, it’s just a short walk to McDonalds, Wawa, and the like, and we’re very close to many opportunities. Shuttles to Target, Philly, and King of Prussia (I believe it’s the largest mall in America) are offered nearly every weekend. And Hill keeps you busy enough that most students don’t spend any time around Pottstown. </p>
<p>How competitive? In what aspect? Some students are incredibly competitive in academics, some in athletics, some in the arts. In my friend circle, we are extremely competitive in academics, but we don’t think less of each other if one of us gets a lower grade. It’s an encouraging atmosphere; competitive but in a good way that allows room for growth, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>How harsh is the grading?
As with any school, I’m sure that depends on the teacher. I had one Chinese teacher who believed As should never be given, and I had another who thought that every test should be retaken until a 90 was achieved.
Overall, grading at Hill I believe to be much harsher than what I had at public school, especially in English and the classics, but perhaps not as hard as I had imagined it to be. The teachers are fair and understanding, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Don’t hesitate to ask more questions, and if these answers don’t quite seem specific enough, just let me know!</p>
<p>@Agincourt
Happy to be here! Feel free to chime in; another perspective is always welcome.</p>
<p>Marpessa - Why did you choose to go to Hill over another boarding school? Did you have different choices? Do you have any regrets?</p>
<p>@heartburner I applied to two schools: SPS and PEA. I got wait listed at both, and freaked out, so I applied to the other 8 schools of the 10 Schools Admissions Organization as a late applicant. My strongest impressions were of Lawrenceville and Hill. When I visited L-Ville, I quickly gleaned that it was an incredible institution. However, it felt very unwelcoming. Every door was locked, even though the people in the admissions office said to look around. And the people we saw didn’t smile or even look at us. Hill was the complete opposite. Everyone seemed happy and welcoming. In the long run, Hill accepted me first with financial aid, and I am incredibly glad I went there. It has provided me with best friends, teachers I consider family, and contacts like the governor of PA. Any private school will provide you will all of these to a degree, but I simply feel that my high school career would not have been as fulfilling elsewhere, as cheesy as that sounds. Let me know if this answers your questions!</p>