Sir or Madam,
I have no axe to grind with SPS. They accepted my kid and were very kind during the decision process; I have nothing but fond feelings for it, actually. It was very hard for my family to say “no” to.
I know quite a bit about debate programs at the top boarding schools. Hotchkiss is much stronger than SPS. For what it’s worth, I have it on good authority that Hotchkiss did not attend the Groton debate, as it was during finals week. I don’t know about Choate, Deerfield, etc. If you don’t want to believe me concerning the debate programs, fine. Feel free to ask SPS’ own debate participants, if you like, or whoever you think would have an informed opinion.
Also for what it’s worth, two very fine student musicians who very recently attended SPS say that the orchestra does, in fact, rehearse in a basement!
As for skiing, OK, I made an assumption that because of its location, more students ski there than at Hotchkiss. I suppose assuming anything is dangerous. But I note that SPS does, in fact, have both boys and girls alpine skiing teams, while Hotchkiss doesn’t!
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Regardless, you still made incorrect claims about the debate program at SPS.
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The OP is a young teenager. So I expect the adults to behave more appropriately. Your debate amongst yourselves and ignoring the moderator is a bad look.
Any further responses from a user who has already posted needs to be directed to the OP.
Give your opinion to the OP and move on. As Skimom was fond of telling the younger versions of Skibro and me, “I’m not asking.”
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Congratulations on having such a wonderful hard choice to make!
The advice we received was to trust vibes on revisits, which has been working out so far it seems. Our kiddo didn’t consider SPS because it was just too far for her (and for us). The difference between a 2h and a 5h trip each way is real. It’s the difference between being able to reliably and consistently show up for a meet, game, performance, etc and not. This may not be as important to you or your parents as it was to us all!
But beyond that real and practical consideration, do your visits and vibe checks for sure. Our kid was surprised that one school felt much cliquier than she expected, and the kids less joyful than she remembered or expected, both of which were real turnoffs. You have your own list of wants and turn-offs, and have undoubtedly learned a LOT about what you’re hoping for in a boarding school community and experience during the application journey. Trust your judgment and self-knowledge. It’s maybe the first truly adult big decision you’re making (maybe not! But it is for our kid), and you’re ready to make the right one I’m sure.
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Hi everyone! Apologies for the delayed response, current Hotchkiss senior here. While I see no reason to bash SPS, being good friends with several debaters from there, I do concur that Hotchkiss has the objectively strongest debate record in DANEIS (our league) with Deerfield offering the staunchest competition among boarding schools. We don’t compete in the league’s two Cross-Ex tournaments (as they are an anomaly relative to the typical Parli tournaments and conflicted with Yale MUN this year) and the tournament won by SPS was one of these. Our music program is also delightful and I’ve enjoyed watching friends take advantage of the opportunities offered. I’ve immensely enjoyed my four years here and sincerely hope you choose Hotchkiss. Let me know if you have any questions at all!
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Current lower-mid at Hotchkiss. How was your revisit days? Let me know if you have any questions. Both are great schools and you cant really go wrong with either.
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Hello Everyone, thank you for your insightful responses. As April 10th has already passed, I have decided to attend Hotchkiss this fall. Thank you for your contribution torwards my post.
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Congratulations, and thank you for letting us know!
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Thank you. I will PM you with questions. Go Bearcats!
TYSM! I am sure I will have questions for you later on. Go Bearcats!
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Our son also picked Hotchkiss after visiting both !
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I would say the most important difference between these two schools is how much you value being able to visit home or have your parents come to visit. It is more important than you might think! As a Hotchkiss parent, I like to visit for games or to take my DS out to a nice dinner. These are things your cannot do nearly so easily at SPS! Also, if you enjoy golf at all, the golf course at Hotchkiss is a huge perk, the students can use it any time.
If your like both schools equally, I think the element of proximity should definitely tip the decision to Hotchkiss’s favor.