Hey everyone,
I’m an 8th grader who is deciding between the three boarding schools listed above. They’re all really great schools, so it’s not an easy decision. Help me out!
I play the violin, sing and do theater - I love the performing arts. I’m also a big STEM person, and I want a school that has good science, robotics, and engineering programs. I love tennis and soccer.
HOTCHKISS SOCCER IS PRETTY STRONG (BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS), THOUGH LOOMIS BOYS MAY BE SLIGHTLY BETTER, DON’T KNOW TENNIS. THEATER IS GREAT, YOU CAN PICK IT AS YOUR REQUIRED ART FOR THE HUMANITIES PROGRAM (YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HUMANITIES PROGRAM EVERYONE TAKES FOR THE 1ST 2 YEARS, RIGHT? IF NOT THAT’S ONE THING THAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT HOTCHKISS). CAN’T SPEAK TO STEM AS MY KIDS WEREN’T STEM FOCUSED, BUT I’D HAVE TO BELIEVE IT’S GOOD.
Below are some criteria I’m looking for. I have gathered some of this information online, but statistics don’t always tell the whole story.
- Environment: Is is a pressure cooker, hyper-competitive place or students cooperate and have time to pursue interests during free time?
NOT HYPER COMPETITIVE, THE STUDENTS ARE VERY COOPERATIVE. ALL ARE HIGH ACHIEVERS SO PROBABLY ALL FEEL SOME LEVEL OF PRESSURE. “TIME TO PURSUE INTERESTS IN FREE TIME” – IT DEPENDS. NOT TONS OF FREE TIME AT ANY SCHOOL (DON’T WANT THE KIDS GETTING INTO MISCHIEF) BUT IT CAN BE DONE.
- School Culture - Is it too strict/traditional? Or is it more "chilled out"?
I CAN’T COMPARE SINCE I DON’T KNOW THE OTHER SCHOOLS WELL.
- Diversity: All 3 look diverse on paper. Does everyone feel welcome? Asians, Indians, African Americans, Spanish - all represented?
HOTCHKISS IS SUPER DIVERSE! AND ALL ARE INTEGRATED WELL. OVER 20 YEARS OF WATCHING, ALL TABLES IN THE DINING HALL ARE MIXED – I LITERALLY HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ALL WHITE, OR ALL ASIAN OR ALL BLACK TABLE. THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM MY LARGE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL BACK IN THE DARK AGES, WHERE THE KIDS SELF SEGREGATED. ABSOLUTELY DOESN’T HAPPEN AT HOTCHKISS.
- International Opportunities - spend a semester abroad, go on trips, etc. I know they all have them - is any one of these schools particularly good at it?
A TON OF OPPORTUNITIES. WAY, WAY MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
- Ability to leave campus on weekends - are you allowed to leave campus on weekends? I may not want to do it, but could I if I wanted to?
SOME WEEKENDS ARE “CLOSED” (CAN’T LEAVE) AND SOME ARE “OPEN”. WITHOUT LOOKING, ID SAY MOST WEEKENDS ARE OPEN.
- Prestige: Which school has a stronger cachet (rankings fluctuate year over year)?
- Campus: School has beautiful, new facilities. Preferably, the campus should be big, and most importantly I want to be someplace where I won't be bored on weekends.
FACILITIES FIT YOUR BILL. “BIG” IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE. BORED ON WEEKENDS-- HIGHLY DOUBTFUL YOU WOULD BE AT ANY OF THESE SCHOOLS – AGAIN, THEY DON’T HAVE LOTS OF TIME WITH NOTHING TO DO, OR SOME KIDS WOULD GET UP TO NO GOOD. THERE’S ALWAYS A DANCE, PLAYS, MUSIC PERFORMANCES, MOVIES, ENTERTAINERS, SPECIAL DINNERS, MIXERS, FOOD TRUCKS ON THE MAIN CIRCLE, BONFIRES, ETC ETC ETC