<p>** The Hotchkiss Culture **</p>
<p>This is probably the single best thing about Hotchkiss and it truly differentiates the school. I touched on the humility Hotchkiss students had earlier, but that is only part of the story. They ethos of a Hotchkiss man or woman cuts much deeper than that. I can truly say that Hotchkiss changed me as a person and the way I approach the world, I am forever grateful for that. </p>
<p>The longer you stay at Hotchkiss, the quicker you begin to realize that Hotchkiss is a family. It feels and behaves like one. That is one of the advantages of going to a smaller school (but not too small that it limits the amount of people you meet). Everyone says hello to everyone else every morning. You know most people’s names, no one is a stranger. You’ll find lower class-men and upper class-men sitting on the same table at lunch talking to each other. Most of my closet friends were underclassmen, I cherish the fact that Hotchkiss’ small community allowed me to develop that. </p>
<p>Though some have pointed out that Hotchkiss is in the middle of nowhere (which is not entirely true, Millerton has a cinema, shops, a Mc Donalds, and everything else you would want in a small town, and NYC is a train ride away). Though I was upset with that at the time, I cherish it now. I spent my time at Hotchkiss exploring nature in ways that I wish I could do now. My friends and I would trek through the hills of berkshire, swim in the lake, and play a few rounds of golf on our golf course. It was great fun, and I am a happier man for it. Hotchkiss also has a main building - a very distinguishing feature. The entire community congregates in the same place after class and that fosters the opportunity for you to interact with your peers and make the friendships that make the relationships I talked about earlier possible. No school I know of has a similar set up, I really feel that it adds tremendously to the culture.</p>
<p>I already mentioned the humility of Hotchkiss students so I will not repeat myself on that point, but one other remarkable thing I found about Hotchkiss was the lack of cliques. If you go into the Hotchkiss dinning hall, it is almost impossible to find a table without more than one race sitting down. Many will have mixed age groups as well. Hotchkiss prides itself of its internationalism, but that internationalism is made meaningful because people interact with each other regardless of race, creed, and color. It is a utopia that I miss and have not observed anywhere else. </p>
<p>Hotchkiss students are very industrious. Hotckiss works you hard, that is no secret. I think that our motto, moniti melioria sequamur - after instruction, let us move onto better things, encapsulates the Hotchkiss attitude towards work perfectly. I remember being worked very hard and not liking it at the time, but looking back that is one of the most valuable skills Hotchkiss gave me - a work ethic. Now that I face my peers that did not go through a similarly strenuous experience, I have an advantage. BUt you learn together. It is not uncommon to see a group of friends helping each other the day before a difficult test late into the night.</p>
</p>