I’m interested in learning from any existing/recent parents about Hill!
Here are a few things my child and I are hoping to learn more about
Social: Are kids generally friendly/bubbly, or is the culture formal and buttoned-up? I can’t quite get a read on whether kids are down to earth and relaxed or more stressed/driven?
Academic: Are students academically competitive or more collaborative?
Free time/flexibility: Do students have freedom to leave campus to go for a run or take a bike ride? It seems that faculty/staff keep a (very?) close eye on kids’ whereabouts that is, perhaps, dissimilar to some other schools. Does this feel cozy/familial/protective or stifling?
Other: I here that there are a couple of special tracks/programs: Can anyone tell me about the engineering track and or the writing center?
Feel free to post or DM, if you prefer. Any thoughts are appreciated!
Hi - my son is a current 4th form boarding student at Hill and I am happy to answer your questions.
Social - don’t let the more formal dress code fool you, my son’s friends are very friendly, goofy at times etc. While there is academic pressure, my son and his friends don’t let it overly stress them. I am sure there are some friend groups which may be more the “stress” type but my son has found plenty of like minded peers.
Academic - my son is in many study groups and they are not competitive with each other, they really want all their friends to do well. Again, there may be more competitive groups be he isn’t part of them.
Free time/flexibility - the students get more “freedoms” as they get into higher forms. As a fourth form, he said he goes into town with his friends and while they need to “check in” at predetermined times or sometimes use the app to notify when they are “off campus” - he says it’s not a big deal. (he didn’t go into town much last year as a 3rd form but I think that was more due to COVID rules rather than school policies) From what I have heard about some other schools, it may be a little more “strict” but not necessarily in what is allowed, just their willingness to enforce consequences for breaking the rules - the rules are clear, students are expected to abide by them, and if they don’t there are appropriate consequences (and this is about the serious rules which are there for student safety, not things like dress code… ). My son has not found them stifling, but maybe he will as he gets older?
My son has not chosen to participate in engineering so I can’t comment and I don’t think? he has utilized the writing center (yet?) as he feels he has gotten plenty of excellent guidance from his English and History teachers.
Overall, my son has been very happy at Hill - he is challenged academically but not overly stressed, he has made wonderful/close friendships and he really enjoys all of the traditions etc. The best thing I have found is how inspired he has been by all of his teachers. He works hard on his academics because he WANTS to, not because he is trying for a certain grade and he speaks very highly about all of his teachers.
I went to Hill for a few months before transferring because I honestly didn’t like it. I know this is not everyone’s experience, but I’ll let you know what it was like for me.
It depends. Kids in general were pretty social, but it depends on the group. Some were really open and amazing, while some came off as fake or pretentious. That’s probably every boarding school with money though.
Both. Depends on the class, but I generally found humanities classes very collaborative while STEM was more competitive.
I had too much freedom. I think that’s all boarding schools. To me, it seemed like they only cared where you were when they thought you were up to no good. Generally, the faculty won’t keep a very close eye on you unless you give them a reason to. I’m going to be honest, that upset me a little. I felt like so many adults on campus saw me struggling mentally and socially. I did go to counseling and advocated for myself, but I feel like people still turned a blind eye……this is my experience, some may have different ones.
It’s not anything special really. The “tracks” are just guidelines of what classes precede/succeed others. I knew quite a few people in the engineering program, as it was a common elective. My friend was in it for a week before dropping it since it was “boring.” I’m a STEM girl myself, (going to major in physics) and I found it more valuable to take compsci/other math electives than engineering, since it was a standard elective and was less challenging than coding.
Hi - I would like to understand how advanced the science and math curriculum is in the Hill school compared to the other schools in TSAO. Are there many courses beyond AP Calculus BC (like multivariable calculus, linear algebra, real/complex analysis), AP Physics C and AP Biology?
What exactly is independent study? (most schools mentioned that to my son as an option after exhausting their curriculum) - Is it like dual enrollment, where they enroll for a higher course with a college?
Hi - I haven’t looked at all of the TSAO schools course catalogs but I suspect they are comparable? Hill’s course catalog is available on their website
Independent studies are usually working directly with a faculty member and one of the things my son loves about Hill is how accessible and inspiring he has found his teachers.
Yes they offer AP Statistics, AP multivariable Calculus, AP Physics C, AP Biology…
I recommend you reach out to the academic dean or heads of the departments. When we were deciding, we found everyone at the school was willing to answer our questions and in an honest and transparent way. They were not trying to “sell” us - they wanted our son to find his right “fit” and be happy. No school is perfect and the honesty we saw from the school was one (of many) reasons my son chose Hill.
Edited to add - you may want to explore their Quadrivium Scholars program
Thank you @lindquik , yes, the honesty and warmth we saw from the school was very reassuring for us, too. We are international, and unfortunately have no way to make it to the revisit days. I am also considering for my son for this year. Thanks for pointing out Quadrivium Scholars Program. I think I will ask him to discuss his academic concerns with the academic dean, mainly he needs to make sure he would not have to repeat any courses I guess, and that there would be enough courses going forward in science and math, for 4 years.
I would like to understand if your son finds the culture too formal at Hill? Is the dress code just something you would get used to? We are from an extremely tropical climate and my son is not at all used to wearing coat
Hi - yes, they adapt to the dress code quickly. After the first week, my son didn’t even think about the dress code. They also have plenty of “academic casual” days throughout the year too. I would not call the culture formal at all - my son and his friends have plenty of normal teen fun and enjoy being around the faculty in and out of class. I would call it more a culture of respect - respect for yourself, respect for others, respect for your school…I feel it has encouraged a quiet/humble confidence in my son. And they encourage diversity of thought and intellectual debate - but again, in a respectful way. My son really enjoys the classroom discussions.
