The Hotchkiss School
Planning a Visit
Your campus visit will give you the chance to imagine the excitement of your own Hotchkiss experience. When you are on campus observing the interactions between students and teachers, you will get a feel for the pulse of the Hotchkiss community. Some things will feel comfortable. Others will feel new and different.
In addition to observing life at Hotchkiss, during your campus visit you also should plan to have your admission interview. The interview is an important requirement for application to Hotchkiss. It is a time when you meet on your own with a member of the admission committee to ask questions about the School and tell us about yourself. It is also a time for your parents to have their own meeting with an admission counselor to ask their questions.
Scheduling a Visit and Interview
Please contact our office as early as possible in your school search to arrange for a visit and on-campus interview.
All candidates for admission are required to have an admission interview. Applications will not be reviewed until the interview has been completed. Visits and on-campus interviews can be arranged during the following dates:
September 17 - November 16, 2007
November 26 - December 6, 2007
January 4 - 25, 2008
January 28 - February 15, 2008 — limited interviews available
April 14 - May 23, 2008 — resume regular interviews
June 16 - August 21, 2008 — summer interview schedule*
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
between 8:00 a.m. and 1:35 p.m.
Wednesdays and Saturdays
between 8:00 and 10:30 a.m.
* During the summer months, we offer interviews Monday through Thursday. The office is closed Friday through Sunday.
Though we remain open during February for campus tours and encourage late applicants to visit the School, we cannot schedule on-campus interviews during that time. If you can only visit then, or are unable to visit in person, we are happy to arrange an off-campus interview for you with a member of our Parent and Alumni Admission Council (PAAC).
When you call to make your appointment, feel free to let us know if there is some aspect of the Hotchkiss program in which you are particularly interested -- music? Art? Science? Modern languages? Tennis? Hockey? If you let us know in advance, we may be able to make arrangements for you to meet with coaches, department heads, or teachers. You might also check our athletic schedule and arts calendar. If there is an event that is of interest to you, please talk to us about including it on your itinerary.
Once you have made your appointment, you will receive by mail a printed confirmation with directions and a list of local accommodations. If you are visiting other schools on your trip, we can provide directions to help you get to your next destination.
While You're Here
Please allow approximately two hours to talk with a member of the admission committee and to see the School with a student guide. You and your parents will tour the School together but will have separate admission appointments. These appointments give you and your parents the opportunity to discuss freely your hopes, dreams, and concerns about boarding school in general and Hotchkiss specifically.
You may also find it helpful to keep a "visiting journal" in which you can record your questions prior to your visit and take notes about your observations and impressions after each school visit. Try to capture the details and the "feel" of each school. This will help you distinguish them once you're back at home. It's helpful for parents to keep their own journal, as well.
Come prepared to have fun and to ask real questions. This is your opportunity to see Hotchkiss in action and to gather the information you need to make an informed decision about the school you want to attend.
We look forward to meeting you and to welcoming you and your family to Hotchkiss!
