Hillsdale College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: History
Minor: German
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male

Summary

I played in the Jazz Band and in the Classical Saxophone Quartet. I was in the Sailing club, Swing club, Ballroom Dance club, and Archery club. I also was heavily involved with dorm life in my [residential] building.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with a graduating class of about 180 students. About 20% of the students went to colleges in state and out of state. There was a large percentage who went to community college and the rest went to trade schools or into jobs.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: History
Minor: German

Extracurricular Activities: I played in the Jazz Band and in the Classical Saxophone Quartet. I was in the Sailing club, Swing club, Ballroom Dance club, and Archery club. I also was heavily involved with dorm life in my [residential] building.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Dorm life did because at Hillsdale so much of the campus life surrounds the community aspect of dorm life, so that formed a big part of my life and mindset there. Dorms at Hillsdale take on a life of their own. The dorms participate in homecoming activities in a big way because there’s a deep dorm culture. Dorms will host parties and have contests between dorms and dorms and frats will also compete. The dorms are a great community for people who don’t want to join Greek life but still want to be attached to a place. [See The Collegian article, “Teaming up: Sororities and residence halls work together to create stronger teams and unite campus during homecoming week.”]

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
The History major is structured almost completely around reading and essay writing. The type of essays you write varies year by year. Freshman year you have more frequent shorter essays and then by the time you’re a senior you have two or three long papers due either halfway through the semester or at the end of the semester.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think the History department is very fair and open about what their opinions are and don’t try to force a narrative on you, which I really appreciate. Almost all of the professors are incredibly qualified in their field. They are very personable people with a great understanding of the life of students. They are very intelligent and the majority of them go to church and are a good example of men and women to follow, although they are mostly men. [About 25% of Hillsdale’s full-time faculty are women and about 42% of part-time faculty are women.]
How accessible are your professors?
That is trickier because there are only so many professors to students. To get a meeting with a professor, you really have to set up an appointment most of the time, so sometimes it can be tricky. The professors would never turn you down if they had the time, so if you schedule it right, you could always go see them.
Do you think people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Hillsdale is generally very conservative and libertarian. People with opposing viewpoints would not be put down as long as they were respectful. Opinions that are more liberal would be in the minority and would be heard, but might not find much support. [See The Collegian article, “Ideology blocked real conversation between NYT, Hillsdale” and New York Times article, “In Hillsdale College, a ‘Shining City on a Hill’ for Conservatives.”]
How has the conservative viewpoint at Hillsdale impacted your academic experience?
I was conservative before coming here, so it’s difficult to speak on it unbiasedly. It reinforced my position of who I am, but made me think critically and challenge who I am. For me, it confirmed my ideas of what is right and good.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. I feel that the History major imparts so much learning and perspective into the human soul. History as a window expands far beyond the set departments because it applies to so much more. It’s taught me incredible critical thinking skills to look at many things.

Reasons to Attend

1) There is a great faith-oriented center. You have a great group of faith on campus to lean on.
2) It will teach you how to think and learn.
3) You’ll make incredible friends that are life-long friends.
4) It’s worth every penny in terms of what job you’ll get after school because people value a Hillsdale education. [70% of students seeking jobs are employed by six months of graduation.]

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s a bit pricey. [Total costs for 2019-20 were about $40,000.]
2) The town of Hillsdale is isolated. You’re living a sort of isolated existence for four years.
3) The difficulty of academics can weigh on you at times, so be ready.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman-Senior: Simpson Residence Hall with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown to Hillsdale, MI in terms of location?
It was quite difficult because I am from a very small rural town, so I was not used to a change of scenery. Hillsdale is also a small town, but it’s isolated and difficult to get to no matter where you’re from. The general adjustment to college was rough, but I think it is for everybody.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
You could go out for a beer at a restaurant and independent houses have parties that you could go to. There is always something going on with the Student Activities Board and they’ll host a party, event, or games you could go to. The Student Union has pool tables and a café you can go to. Dorm life is always very active and I was always involved in hanging out with people in the dorms. Generally, I would do a mixture of all of that. Sometimes I’d go to the Student Union, then to a party, and then go hang out in the residence halls.
What is the impact of Greek life on the weekend options at Hillsdale?
If you are in Greek life, you have a much wider array of options for going out. As an independent, you have some of that as well. But, if you’re in Greek life, you have better access to parties and events. All of the Greeks I know are very active with those and occupied with those. [About 21% of men join fraternities and 33% of women join sororities.]
How has being an independent impacted your social experience?
It depends on the type of independent you are. If you’re attached to a dorm, those are your weekend associates and, based on that, you could find a way to get into a party because you live with people who are in Greek life or know what is going on. If you’re an independent who lives off-campus, your options for parties is more just hanging out with independents off-campus. But, there are also lots of people who filter back and forth. It’s more about social circles. There is some exclusivity in Greek life, but people’s weekend options are more influenced by their social circle.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
There is nothing I would change. I’d like a few more restaurant options, but outside of that, I don’t think I’d change anything.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Almost all through dorms, but also a few through the Music department too.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Hillsdale?
Being from a rural area and not knowing the city nightlife, I think it was confined and cliquey and I didn’t think it is as open for people not in the clique. Generally, people are open and chatty and willing to have a conversation with you. But, after your freshman year, the social circles solidify strongly and tend to stay that way over the course of your life.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Race is not a big issue at Hillsdale. We are a majority White college, but I don’t think people care about that. Sometimes culturally the international students don’t totally fit in, but regarding the domestic races, I don’t think people care about that. I don’t think people feel discriminated against on campus. Regarding LGBT people, there are not many of them because it’s a conservative place and those people don’t tend to look at Hillsdale for college because of that. For those people, I think Hillsdale would be a pretty difficult place. [See The Collegian article, “Hillsdale policies don’t change after Supreme Court gay marriage decision.”]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Very widely and openly. There are so many different clubs on campus that the mixing is very broad and in-depth in multiple places. Greeks and independents in political clubs, sports clubs, and music clubs mix a lot. The divide happens more with on the weekends where Greeks stay with Greeks and independents stay with independents.
How do you like the size of Hillsdale College in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 1,430 undergraduate students at Hillsdale.]
It’s a double-edged sword because you know everyone, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The social circles solidify because it’s so small. There is so little wiggle room, so you’re very tight with the people you know. That can be limiting and feels very stale in the sense that it’s a very closed ecosystem.
How would you describe the Christian community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s very, very strong. The church is packed. I’m Catholic, and mass is entirely packed. On Sunday, if you don’t get to the first two masses early enough you won’t get a seat and the 5:30 PM mass is still packed. There are also lots of options for seeing the priest and connecting with other people who want to meet on a faith level. There are so many groups among Greek life, independents, and bible study groups. There are also groups who reach out to the community to work in their faith, like helping impoverished groups in town.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of Hillsdale by senior year? Do you think people leave loving Hillsdale?
I did not know many people who outright did not like their decision. Most of the people who did not like it here left immediately upon coming here. By the end of senior year, anyone who is still around either loved it or liked it enough that it looked past its faults. I only know one or two people who didn’t like it and were there senior year.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful are they?
They’re very helpful. They tutored me on how to write my resume and how to prep for interviews. They also set up the job fair where I found my job.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
No. Sadly, if you’re not in one of those fields where they specifically make you learn those programs, you probably don’t get much or any exposure to that. I had no exposure.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy are they to work with?
I did use financial aid. They’re excellent people and will help you out however they can. The accessibility is difficult because they are very small so you have to set up an appointment and be on time because the appointments are short since they’re in demand.