I go to Hotchkiss, and I do really love it. There is no doubt that there are difficult days and stress sometimes, but no more than you would find at any other prep school. One of my favorites things (besides the clichés like people, which is obvious; we do have a great student community) is the fact that we’re 96% boarding. That’s not always for everyone but it was a big factor in my decision because it means we consistently have events and opportunities on the weekends, rather than being a “suitcase school.” All of my teachers have been so engaged and responsive, and the administration has as well. I am the head of a club and we actually just planned a school-wide event-- and even brought other schools-- and the admin was extremely supportive, communicative, and helpful; I wouldn’t take the admissions team to be the end-all be-all indicator. Another thing I really like about Hotchkiss is that it is relatively politically balanced, and certainly more so than many other prep schools; a diversity of thought, experiences, and views was really important to me in terms of critical thinking and actual preparation for interactions in the real world. Also re: research programs; I am a Hersey Scholar (historical research program at Harvard) and will be doing my research this summer before heading into my senior year. About 8 out of 60 were accepted, so competitive, but not impossible. It was about the same for the English program at Yale (Macleish). They are also adding Math and Environmental Science at Cornell and ?. Academics are strong in nearly all areas, but I can admit there is some organization lacking in lower level math classes. On the STEM side, lots of physics electives including guitar building, everything from inorganic & organic chem to a class partnership with Stanford in genetic engineering with fruit flies. On the Humanities side, a very good lowerclassmen framework, and an infinite number of very strong and unique upperclassman electives; I would take a look at the course catalog if you have not already. Additionally, although this is not the focal point, we have two lakes (Wononscopomuc is the one you hear about, but there is another) and probably about 600 acres of hiking trails between the lakes, the farm, and the woods in general, which is one of the perks of being rural. We do have a few nice towns in the immediate vicinity though, and I encourage you to check out Millerton, Sharon, and Great Barrington. We also have shuttles to Target, malls, skiing, etc.
As for Choate, they are also an extremely good school. I visited and interviewed, but decided not to apply because it was not the right school for me for a number of reasons. They do have a very nice campus and their athletics are stronger than ours in most (but not all!!) areas, but both schools are athletically competitive. I have a close friend who goes to Choate and loves it; there is community and so many different people to find and enjoy at both places. The special interest/Capstone programs are also certainly of note at Choate. I know that was all a lot, but at the end of the day, it will be hard to go wrong. I love Hotchkiss, I play two varsity sports, one JV sport, club soccer, am the head of a club, and take an additional art class; there is so much to do and so many ways to take advantage of them (I didn’t even play two of my sports when I came here)! I am a tour guide and one of the biggest things I tell people is I wouldn’t spend my free periods giving tours here if I didn’t truly love it. Both great schools, and I am happy to answer any other questions you have!! Good luck!