Featured: McCallie SchoolAlumni Review #2, Class of 2003
About the Author:
College Enrolled
Brown University
Home Town, State (Country)
Lenox, MA
Years Attended Boarding School
4
Activities During Boarding School
I ran cross country in the fall and played on the tennis team in the spring, both of which were competitive a good source of diversion from academic life. I also played saxophone in the jazz band all four years, and actively participated in the outing club. My senior year I headed this club, helping to plan and lead events, as well as helping to organize Hillel's Jewish events on campus.
1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?
There's no question that Hotchkiss is one of the most rigorous and high quality schools in the Northeast. It is very traditional, requiring the boys to dress in jacket and tie for classes. The campus is compact in a rural environment, which makes for a very tight-knit community. Certainly the physical resources were phenominal, from the brand new gymnasium to the nine hole golf course to the acres of woods bordering campus. This allows for a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities, as well as many ways for teachers to bring the surrounding world into the classroom. Overall, Hotchkiss makes for a very involved education both in and out of the classroom that is intense, but also very effective.
2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?
Boarding school ended up being a collection of great opportunities. There's no question that I received an exceptional education. The resources that I had at my fingertips everyday were also phenominal. Finally, I was able to connect with amazing outside opportunities through school, namely funding for a community service based trip to New Zealand and Fiji the summer after my junior year.
3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?
I would have gone in with more balanced priorities, as opposed to being almost totally academically geared. There's no question that my hard work in boarding school came with significant rewards, but it also took significant tolls on my enjoyment of high school and overall balance in life; spread out your efforts and you'll have a better time.
4.) What would you never want to change about your school?
The resources, the opportunities, the overall objective of providing a top notch education.
5.) What things could be improved about your school?
The intense atmosphere and strict rules that really aren't necessary for an effective education, such as the dress code. It would be nice if it were in a more developed area, but there's not a whole lot to do about that.
6.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?
Try to take advantage of as much OFF the beaten path as possible. It's hard to manage your time with all of the work and other commitments, but is's worth the effort (and sacrifice of the conventional). Take the time to really get to know some people who are different from you. Go explore and spend time in the woods; what Hotchkiss lacks in entertaining surroundings it more than makes up for with the natural resources surrounding it. Try to become friends with at least one faculty member; if it turns out to be your advisor all the better.
1.) What did you like best about your school’s academics?
The teachers were largely excellent, and made for an active classroom experience. Small class sizes also contributed to an effective learning environment. Classes were by and large challenging, engaging, and well thought out. A very broad variety of classes are available for such a small school.
2.) What did you like least about the academics in your school?
The workload can be rather overwhelming at times, especially if the student is determined to maintain a hight GPA. Occasionally teachers are a little too specialized to teach to high school students, and not all classes are all that relevant to the "real world."
1.) What did you like best about your school’s athletics?
Hotchkiss requires all students to participate in some form of athletics each season. I think this is good as it encourages students to get out and be active on a daily basis- healthy both physically and mentally. The teams are competetive, yet there are options for athletes of all levels. A wide variety of sports enables students to stick with what they're familiar with or try something new. Facilities are outstanding.
2.) What did you like least about the athletics in your school?
At times varsity sports can become overly time-consuming, especially when you have a far away game on a Saturday and don't get back until 8:00pm. The coaches are also the teachers, so while this encourages student/teacher bonding it also means that at times they are not as qualified as a serious athlete would like. At times shared spaces result in sporadic practice schedules.
1.) What did you like best about your school’s art program?
Hotchkiss is really trying to revitalize its arts program, and has certainly made progress putting it into more of a spotlight the last few years. High quality teachers and equipment reflect this effort, which will be crowned by a brand new arts center to be completed in a couple years.
2.) What did you like least about your school’s art program?
Currently, the facilities are weak, and art has yet to really hit the mainstream at Hotchkiss. Therefore serious artists will probably find the current program lacking.
1.) What did you like most about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
There are miriad clubs offered at Hotchkiss, and if one doesn't exist there is always the option of starting a new one. Clubs vary widely in participation/ seriousness, governed largely by the interest of the students though also affected by the efforts of the faculty advisor.
2.) What did you like least about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
Some clubs are more names than action, and it can be difficult to get sufficient funding from the administration to put on major events. Also, the student body simply isn't large enough to drive many serious clubs, so participation is often mediocre.
1.) What was the best thing about dorm life in your school?
The dorms are medium size (40-80 students) and pretty conventional in their layout. Each has one common room, and faculty members live on each floor with their families and are assisted by senior proctors. Dorm life is primarily contingent on the other students on your floor/ dorm, so it really varies a lot.
2.) What did you like least about dorm life?
Dorms are single sex and there is little option for co-ed visiting. Check-in is at 10:00pm each night, so if you don't get along very well with your floor-mates, you're largely out of luck.
1.) What was the best thing about your dining arrangements?
The dining hall is logically laid out with a good variety of food at each meal. The food isn't bad for institutional servings, and occasionally the service will try to spice things up with special meals.
2.) What did you like least about your dining arrangements?
The food still isn't home-cooked, and gets boring after a few weeks/months/years. Seating at the dining hall isn't conducive to a whole lot of mixing, and there are no sit-down meals to encourage the same.
1.) How welcome did you feel by the other students when you first arrived at the school
Hotchkiss has a very warm environment, especially when first starting out. Students to complain about being forced to fit the "Hotchkiss mold," however, and it can be difficult to maintain extraordinarily unusual habits without feeling somewhat ostracized.
2.) Describe the level of diversity and integration of students in your school:
Diversity is moderate; there's no question that upper-middle class whites from CT, MA, NY dominate, though. International representation is good for such a small school, though, and generally it is easy to make friends with other ethic groups if you wish. Self-segregation remains noticeable, though.
3.) Describe typical fun activities you did on a weekend:
The school made an effort to bring in entertainment, from bands to magicians to hypnotists. There are dances most weekends, and often movies or busses to movies. Weekends end up being pretty slow, however, and most students end up watching DVD's in their rooms by the end of the night.
4.) What was the town like?
Hotchkiss is in very rural NW CT, and there really isn't much in the surrounding area. Students can walk into Lakeville for (rather expensive) dinners out, or take a shuttle into Millerton, NY where there are a few dining options and a small movie theater. Cars are not allowed, so unless a faculty member is willing to drive or you don't mind paying for a taxi, that's about it.
Weekday
| 7:15 AM | Wakeup and Breakfast |
| 8:00 AM | Honors English Class |
| 8:45 AM | Spanish Literature |
| 9:30 AM | Free Period- Read in Library |
| 10:30 AM | Class Meeting |
| 11:00 AM | Multivariable Calculus |
| 10:45 AM | Lunch |
| 12:30 PM | TA Human Development |
| 1:15 PM | Back to Dorm- Check email |
| 2:45 PM | Meet w/ Advisor |
| 3:30 PM | Tennis Practice |
| 5:30 PM | Shower and Dinner |
| 6:30 PM | Outing Club Planning Meeting |
| 7:00 PM | Work in Room |
| 9:30 PM | Get Snack and Chill in Main Building |
| 10:00 PM | Back to Dorm and Relax |
| 11:00 PM | Bed |
Weekend
| 8:00 AM | Get up and Breakfast |
| 8:45 AM | Constitutional History Class |
| 9:30 AM | Biology |
| 10:15 AM | Meet w/ TA Partener |
| 11:00 AM | Back to Room and Emails |
| 11:45 AM | Lunch and Get Ready for Game |
| 12:45 AM | Leave for Tennis Match |
| 5:30 PM | Get back from Taft |
| 6:30 PM | Go to Dinner in Town w/ Friends |
| 8:00 PM | Listen to Band; Hang out at Snack Bar |
| 11:00 PM | Back to Dorm- Watch DVD |
| 1:00 AM | Bed |
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