Q: Do all postgraduates (PGs) board on campus?
A: Yes. The Hill has a one-year boarding requirement; therefore all PGs live on campus.
Q: Do PGs live with other postgraduate students?
A: PGs will have a postgraduate roommate and will reside in dorms with a mix of sixth, fifth, and fourth form students.
Q: Is there an age limit?
A: To compete in athletics there is an age limit. In order to be eligible for competition on Hill athletic teams, a student may not turn 19 years of age before September. This is a Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) rule.
Q: Are there special postgraduate classes?
A: No. After careful review of a student’s high school transcript, Hill’s academic office will place PGs in appropriate classes that will challenge students and give him or her the opportunity for success. There traditionally is one section of “postgrad English,” but studentsalso may be placed in English 4 Honors and English 4 AP. A sample PG courseload would be an English, a math, a science, a Religious Studies course, and an elective. There is great flexibility in devising a program to appropriately challenge and interest you.
Q: Will postgraduates earn a diploma?
A: We encourage all PGs to complete a full year at Hill and earn a diploma. While PGs have the option of receiving only a certificate of completion, we recommend that they work towards a diploma. Fulfilling Hill’s graduation requirements through their entire high school and postgraduate year is all that is necessary to earn a Hill diploma.
Q: How many postgraduates attend Hill each year?
A: Hill annually enrolls 14-20 postgraduates.
Q: Where are these students from?
A: In just the last few PG classes, there have been students representing more than 10 states and four foreign countries.
Q: Why do students come for a postgraduate year?
A: The reasons are many:
• Desire more challenging courses than currently offered at their high schools;
• Interested in Hill’s wide range of extracurricular activities;
• Interested in a year away from home before the college experience;
• Interested in building on existing academic foundations to present a more
complete picture to colleges and universities;
• Interested in studying and living in a diverse structured and residential
community.
• International students often find it beneficial to spend a year at an American high
school before college.
For more information about Hill's postgraduate program, please e-mail Chris Bala '97, Hill's associate director of admission and postgraduate coordinator, at cbala@thehill.org.