I am a junior in college in my spring semester. I currently have a cumulative gpa of 3.8 and have an SAT score of 1550(first time taking sat score). I have been enrolled in AP classes since sophomore year and have taken honors classes since freshmen year. I have volunteered with my churches youth group since sophmore year. I am currently volunteering at my Congressman’s District office and have been here since December. I will most likely increasing my volunteer activities in the summer which will be the summer before my senior year. I intend on applying early admission and will do the interview with a faculty member and attend an event in my area that the college is hosting. I am a conservative fiscally but am a social moderate and am a hispanic who comes from a low income household in southern California with one parent. I am Catholic and active in my faith. I will be applying in the fall of my senior year to a community college and taking courses there. I am just wondering if you could tell me how likely I am to get into this dream college and also what I can do to improve my chances. I will most definitely trying to increase my SAT scores. However I am also curious what are the lowest they might accept which is not to say I will am for that.
Thank you so much if you can help me with this question!
Also can anyone tell me how good there financial aid package for early decisions is as well as how many loans grants and scholarships will contain?
Joshua, while I have heard of kids with 1550 getting into Hillsdale at one time, I am not sure if that is typical lately. I assume your 1550 is on all THREE sections? That will not hold you very well, I’m afraid. Take, retake, retake, study, study, study, As you are undoubtedly aware, average SAT scores are considerably higher than yours.
All that said, your status as a hispanic youth will have no impact, good or bad, on your Hillsdale application.
Hillsdale is well known for its excellent financial aid packages. As you know, they accept NO federal or state monies, not even the GI bill. We have found that their privately funded aid is equal to or better than any program that includes the federal handcuffs. The College has many MANY privately funded scholarships, and as you know, its COA is less than almost every other private LAC (some cheaper, none better).
You will find many west-coasters there, but realize that Detroit is 80+ miles away and transportation, while available, takes some planning.
The College is gorgeous, the education excellent, and the people there are truly a cut above those you will find at 99% of other colleges.
I suggest you contact their admissions department and meet with them when they are in your area.
Reminder: Michigan is NOT SoCal. If you are not used to winter, you’re in for a bit of a surprise.
Yeah it was my first time taking it and had really underestimated it but retook it last weekend after some intense studying and think I did really well on all three sections.
Thanks for all the other helpful information btw.=)
But I would like to update my status. I am currently a junior however I will be graduating this year due to the fact I have completed all course work necessary to graduate. So graduating early and enrolling in community college for a year as I wait to enter the University that accepted me that I chose. So not sure how graduating early and enrolling in community college to gain credits will look. Hopefully improve my chances.
Graduating early and taking community college credits should help. When I was accepted in 2005 they stated their average (old school) ACT scores were 27, with average SAT scores over 1550. I got in without personal interviews with scores significantly lower than that, but I had spent two years at Kent State University, presented at literary conferences, and had a 4.0 and letters of recommendation from several professors. Those community college credits may go far if the GPA is high and you can acquire recommendations from those professors. I’ve heard Hillsdale is lately attempting to improve their average scores (odd as a number of Ivy league schools are beginning to consider disregarding the scores in favor of more accurate forms of assessment).
You should be able to get in if not within a year perhaps if you apply later.
The financial aid packages vary, if you are accepted with scores that are lower than their average, your package will suffer. I had several friends who were accepted immediately, like myself, but who only received aid roughly 50% of their tuition/board through scholarships. The rest had to be through private loans. Keep in mind, the school costs upwards of 27K a year, and private loans can be difficult to manage post-graduation.
In contrast, friends with flawless scores/high school GPAs, recommendations, etc. managed to come close to a full ride. The key is how much you/your family can afford. My parents were low income and could not afford to take on the private loan that Hillsdale allowed them to qualify for. My loans after two years there were relatively small (18K paid off quickly once I received an assistant professor position) but four years would have easily doubled that.
Like I said, I’m not sure how low they’re willing to go score-wise these days, but if they want to up those averages that will at the very least impact the financial aid package you’re offered. Your decision might then relate to a pro/con for the situation.
If you don’t get in, don’t let it feel like the end of the world though. Perhaps because of my academic/professional focus (British & American Literature in undergrad, rhetoric & composition in grad school, feminist rhetorics PhD), none of the programs and universities I spoke with while job searching had any idea what/who Hillsdale was. That (coupled with the fact that my education pre and post Hillsdale was more challenging and rigorous than any coursework during my time there) lead me to the rather disappointing conclusion that Hillsdale’s quality and benefits had been sadly over-hyped. It’s an awesome school if you want to study political science/history. It’s pretty much designed for that. But if your interests are elsewhere it can only deliver a rather mediocre/average education.
But if you intend to go into politics the Hillsdale name will carry a good deal of weight in conservative circles, and it can be a sound investment if you can afford it.