Boarding school life is far different from a typical high school experience. The Hill School is unique for boarding schools in its day student population. The one year boarding requirement eventually turns day students into boarders. For day students, this transition is often made during their senior year. That transition appears to be less daunting in comparison to their four year boarding counterparts.

Director of Residential Life Laura McConney gave her thoughts on the matter.

“During a day students transition to becoming a boarder, they at least know how the school works, which is hugely important,” McConney said.”

Prior experience is a unique advantage for former day students. McConney highlighted the importance of utilizing the tools, like prior experience, given to us.

“A lot of day students have the habit built-in of reading Today on the Hill, which is such a useful resource for them.”

Some activities, however, like extra help are difficult to realistically attended as a day student. Time constraints and other factors limit day students with respect to these resources. On the other hand, when asked about the academic impact, McConney said, “I do hear anecdotally, at least day students just talking about feeling like they have a lot of time back in their lives.”

Audrey Choi ’23, previously a three-year day student, had some takeaways from her first few weeks as a boarder. Audrey highlighted that she spent a lot of time on campus prior to being a boarder. This experience made her transition easier.

“The transition has been pretty easy for me because I normally spent a lot of time on campus before I was a boarder,” Choi said.

Choi also has not felt the impact on some of the challenges to same extent that some boarders do.

“I haven’t been as homesick as I expected, but I have missed home cooked meals,” Choi said.

Kerr Redner ‘24 had thoughts he wanted to share on his transition to boarding life. Kerr, also a three-year day student, started this year as a pre-season athlete. Redner believes that “coming to preseason makes the transition much easier.” Preseason is a unique opportunity for some students to move into Hill more casually.

Redner highlighted his likes and dislikes of boarding life, stating, “I enjoy not having to drive an hour a day, but dislike the feeling that my day is always structured.” For day students, the structure ends at the final commitment. It makes sense that bringing structure into your life twenty-four hours a day can be a tough change.

When asked about homesickness, Redner said, “I don’t feel homesick since I live thirty minutes away.”

Boarding school life can be daunting at first, but The Hill School ensures every student has the tools to transition from home life smoothly. The day student population has proven to have a much smoother transition into boarding life, which can be attributed to their previous experience at the school. While this is a great tool to have, McConney made a point that better encompasses the standard for boarding life.

“I say this to all the dorms that I’ve ever lived,” McConney said. “I don’t think everyone needs to be best friends but I want everyone to feel like they can go to everyone else in this hallway and have a conversation.”