<p>Do the kids who attend Hillsdale feel it's just awfully small? (I have heard it called "Hells-dale" for this reason?)... </p>
<p>How horrible IS the weather?</p>
<p>And if you transfer in, have you missed a lot of the experience that people are going here for?</p>
<p>The size of any school is what a student makes of it. It's certainly easy to get lost in a large state university or to have only a few good friends. And it's just as easy to become involved in a big way at a small school. One of the advantages of a smaller LAC is the opportunity to get to know so many people and easily keep up relationships. That's tougher when you sit in a lecture hall with 300 students and may never see most of them again. I'll say that I've been surprised how my son has grown and tried some activities I never would have imagined.</p>
<p>Now, if you're talking about the town, Hillsdale, Michigan is definitely a small town. But there are opportunities to visit larger towns or the Michigan and Michigan State campuses which aren't far at all. Freshmen can have cars so it's simple to get around. In terms of the weather, it's definitely Michigan. I haven't heard a lot of complaining about the weather - even with the winter we've been having.</p>
<p>As for transferring, I think you'll still have an opportunity to take advantage of the incredible academics as well as have a chance to meet some great faculty members and fellow students.</p>
<p>My son transferred in and he has loved his Hillsdale experience. Many of the kids there are from cities and I have never heard anyone complain about the size of the town. There is plenty to do on campus and ample opportunity to get away as well. Hillsdale had a program the first day for all the transfer students so they knew someone right away in the same boat.</p>
<p>Michigan weather - well, it's not the U.P. so it is simply winter in the midwest. Cold, for the most part in winter, and there is snow aplenty at times. Fall is gorgeous there, though, and the campus is lovely in spring as well. My S's first roommate was from Ft. Myers, Florida, and I never heard him complain about the cold or the snow. Just dress properly (hat, coat, gloves, boots, socks).</p>
<p>While there are not 42,000 students on the H.C. campus (I think last count was around 1350), it does not feel terribly small. In fact, because of the layout of the campus, I thought there were certainly closer to 2500 kids there. </p>
<p>Good luck~!</p>
<p>I have a relative who goes to Hillsdale. This person’s mother and I visited for a weekend a few months ago. At 3pm on a Saturday afternoon there was no place open on campus to get a cup of coffee, and the bookstore closed at noon. My relative finds very few interesting on-campus options for weekends and has reminisced with me about other colleges where my relative saw bulletin boards full of news about entertainers such as bands and comedians coming to campus–it doesn’t happen there. It seems to my relative that Hillsdale’s efforts to keep costs down have negatvely impacted the college experience. Further, Hillsdale’s stated cost is artificially low for some athletes–my relative was required to write a specific number of letters to friends and relatives asking for donations to my relative’s athletic team. My relative’s parents asked the coach if they could just pay the required amount (number of letters times the requested donation) themselves, but the coach refused. </p>
<p>Just another perspective.</p>
<p>Cowbell, I would venture to say that on many campuses, finding stuff to do in the middle of the day on Saturday might be somewhat daunting. College life on a weekend doesn’t even begin until after dinner. If your relative is not finding enough to do, there are jobs, lectures, clubs, work out areas, etc. Much of the time, my son reported studying on Saturday afternoons to leave Sundays and Saturday nights completely open. </p>
<p>I am not the least bit surprised that athletes at Hillsdale write letters requesting donations. Hillsdale students who receive named scholarships often are required to write to their donar, and even to lunch with them on occasion, should the donar request it. Remember, we are not speaking of a huge Div I athletic program. And Hillsdale does depend on its donars to keep costs down.</p>