Hello! I am currently a lower-mid (sophomore) at Hotchkiss and have had a really great time here. From my experience, freshman year serves mainly as an adjustment year since new students are transitioning to boarding school life and a different academic environment. That being said, teachers recognize this change for freshmen so they may be more lenient with the homework load. That is not to say that classes are not challenging, but more consciously manageable during a time of significant adjustment. I would definitely say that there is an increased amount of expectations as a lower-mid (especially academic) compared to freshman year, but I’ve been able to manage the workload for my classes, co-curriculars, and club leadership well. What I find especially helpful is study hall, which occurs from 8pm-10pm on school nights (with the exception of 8pm-9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays) so that I have time specifically cut out to complete my homework/studying. If you do not finish all of your homework by then, you can also request “late-lights” from your proctor so you can complete homework past lights-out.
Hotchkiss is an academically rigorous environment, but I would say the key to balancing everything is good time management. I have found that on extra-heavy workdays, getting an early start to my homework during my free periods or extra-long lunch blocks is helpful in addition to study hall. Of course different study and time management methods will be different for different people, especially considering the fact that people may be taking classes of varying levels (honors vs. regular, different math/language difficulties, etc) whose workloads may differ.
Hopefully my insight is helpful to you and your daughter, and I would definitely recommend that you come to Hotchkiss’s revisit days!