Hotchkiss School review by University of Pennsylvania student.
Hotchkiss is known for its rigorous academics. Academically its strengths lie in the foreign language, Science, and History department. The rigor of the academic work can be challenging for an incoming freshman, but will prepare you for life in college. The independence you are given during your 4 years is the aspect that has prepared me the most. The classes were more lectured based, but you were encourage to engage in discussion with your peers when possible. Class size was around 10 per class on average. The faculty were very accessible and will go out of their way to help you if need be. If you are very talented in a particular subject, and have been through all of the class levels offered by the school, you can request for an independent study in the class. You will be assigned a teacher who you will work with one on one on the chosen subject.
The college counseling was honestly the main reason why I am at the school I.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Hotchkiss School as experienced by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
The admission process was very competitive when I was applying and has only become more.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Hotchkiss School by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
The quality of life was amazing at Hotchkiss. Dorms for the most part tend to have all the amenities of home plus more. The food at Hotchkiss was decent. Some meals were amazing while others were the complete opposite. If the food at the snack bar does not suit you, you could always go to the snack bar in main building and order burgers or chicken tenders. Hotchkiss is located in a wealthy area of Connecticut so crime and safety were never an issue. Plus there are guards on campus 24/7 so in the rare occasion there is an.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Hotchkiss School as experienced by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania student — Login or Sign Up to access full review