Curious to thoughts about NYT’s piece. As a current Hillsdale student, our student body is fairly upset at the coverage and portrayal of the college and the student body by the NYT.
What do you and the other students think the NYT got wrong, @kypdurron ?
Firstly, several of the student’s names were misspelled. Secondly, we felt the article greatly overstated the West Coast Straussian flair of the politics department. A lot of students wish they represented more of the student body’s diversity of thought–not everyone here subscribes to the administration’s brand of conservatism, and I’d say a majority of people come here for academics instead of politics. Also, the bit on the core curriculum is incorrect The Title IX claim is at the very least misleading. The dog-whistling on race was noticeable too. The whole point seemed to be this: “conservatives think Hillsdale is a hidden gem, but they are wrong on the nature of the Western tradition and American constitutionalism. So there.” The lunchroom exploded today over this ludicrous claim: “They laud the reading of original texts, gleaning eternal ideas of right and wrong rather than dwelling on the often less noble historical contexts.” Finally no one cares for the patronizing pleasant-surprise reaction this journalist had upon discovering that we read Samuel Beckett.
I have always been a fan of Hillsdale. I am always amused by folks trying to “figure it out.” It is truly a classical liberal arts education…a quickly vanishing thing and a campus full of discourse and discussion from many points of view. I think the NYT got some of it right but they projected some things that just have little bearing on the learning experience for most students and graduates. I had hoped my oldest would have taken a closer look. Don’t go there unless you really want a liberal arts education like it used to be.
The only person I ever met who went to Hillsdale transferred as soon as possible. His experience and dissatisfaction resembled the NYTimes article’s observations very closely (although to the best of my knowledge he didn’t misspell anyone’s names haha).
My only impressions of Hillsdale come from hearing it hyped up repeatedly on far-right talk radio shows, especially Mark Levin’s show. I’m glad to hear that OP is having a good experience there, but I think he may be seeing more criticism in that NYT article than is actually there. The article is pretty complimentary overall.
I know this isn’t why you posted the article, but I am beginning to wonder just how many presidents of conservative Protestant colleges Trump interviewed for Secretary of Education. (Fallwell of Liberty says he turned down the job.)
I thought it was fairly complimentary also. It is one of those colleges where the kids come out the the other end with much more mental horsepower than when they entered.
The article seems quite complimentary - the nyt readership would respect the academic rigor as presented, and it’s clearly shown as a ‘hidden gem’, which for many outside of cc, it is. It is also a college for conservative students and it’d be disingenuous to deny this, just as it’s be disingenuous to deny Oberlin is liberal. Within that ideological tradition there are many currents of thought and I don’t think the article makes the school sound monolithic but rather intellectual.
I don’t know anyone who went to Hillsdale for their academics. There are several more highly ranked colleges in the area that are more affordable to boot.
Everyone I knew who went there went because it was a conservative, Christian school. And that’s fine- people are allowed to pick schools for the religious/political slant.
My physician of 18 years here in AZ is a Hillsdale grad. Although I grew up in Michigan, I am not familiar with the college. My MD is anything but conservative, so I’m surprised to have this peek into his education. May give us something to talk about at my next checkup.
I’m not sure about higher ranked in the area…u of m of course but that is a huge uni. I would not compare Hillsdale to U of M. Only a third of the students come from Michigan so it comes as no surprise that some Michigan kids might not know someone who went there…it is pretty self selecting bunch and does tilt higher SES instate. I recall over the years the posters who chose Hillsdale or had kids who chose Hillsdale and their reasons are generally very specific. The most recent I recall was a poster looking for a classical curriculum and a linquistics major. It is very much an expand your mind quiet national niche college. The fact they don’t accept any federal aid and don’t ask about gender or race in the application scares off conventional applicants.
I had never heard about Hillsdale until @warriordaughter was posting about it and chose to go there. I thought the NYT article was complimentary over all. In fact one of the comments to the article complains that it’s an advertisement for the college and not an article at all. After I learned about it here on CC, I’ve mentioned it a few times when newbies come here looking for a conservative leaning college and are reflexively told to go to BYU or Liberty.
I think it’s interesting to compare the mission statements for the three schools. Liberty emphasizes “training champions for Christ.” http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=32964 BYU emphasizes the goal “is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life” with an emphasis upon the gospel. http://aims.byu.edu/mission_statement Hillsdale says "As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains ‘by precept and example’ the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law. " https://www.hillsdale.edu/about/mission/. I think it’s the combination of a religious background with an emphasis on Western thinkers and philosophical traditions, plus the reverence for the American system of govenrment that endears Hillsdale to conservatives in a different way than places like BYU or Liberty.
It’s definitely not for everyone and never on our radar, but an attractive option for many.
One issue I had with the NYT article is that it failed to mention the other LAC that promotes reading Great Books, which is of course St. John’s in Annapolis/ Santa Fe. The article seemed saddened, if I was reading it correctly, that only this self-described conservative school still found the Great Books a great foundation for life.
I St. John’s and I think it’s more even in its interpretation of the Great Books, more centrist, than perhaps Hillsdale.
Maybe there are other Great Books schools?
Here is one list.
http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/features/best-great-book-programs/
There are others, but in many cases you have to plan the course sequences yourself. The “Choosing the Right College” book by John Zmirick has suggested course offerings that best mimic a Great Book curriculum for each school he reviews.
As another current (and very happy) Hillsdale student, I don’t completely agree with @kypdurron 's assessment of the student body reaction to the article. Most of my friends were unperturbed. Personally, I wasn’t particularly surprised or impressed by the portrayal. It’s exactly what you’d expect of a reasonably neutral snapshot of Hillsdale, with an emphasis on the political atmosphere. But it’s also just that-- a snapshot. A surface-level look. What makes Hillsdale Hillsdale isn’t the politics, but it’s hard to explain that to someone who’s never been here. Easier to focus on the College Republicans, the statues, the Constitution classes.
I think this is an oversimplification. Many (most?) people don’t choose a college solely for academics, or solely for politics/religion for that matter. As is evidenced by the existence of CC, it’s a complex decision involving questions of finances, majors, location, and yes, culture/environment.
Hillsdale ended up being the most affordable of the 10 liberal arts colleges to which I applied. I wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t certain that I would be challenged academically, and I have been. (See http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18433763/#Comment_18433763). My roommate came for the phenomenal Latin program (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20187301/#Comment_20187301). Of my now-alumni friends, I know people who now attend a variety of strong grad/professional programs (everything from medicine to organic chemistry to linguistics to dentistry) and find the workload very manageable.
I knew I would get a phenomenal academic experience at Hillsdale, and I knew that the community (encompassing “feel” and personality of the student body, not just religion/politics) was a great fit. For me, it wasn’t an either-or, but a both-and.
I am a longtime subscriber to Hillsdale’s Imprimis. Long ago, (maybe 20 years?) when looking for good, carefully thought out, conservative opinion pieces, I stumbled across it. Have been a fan ever since. Why is the article upsetting? (and anybody can misspell a name).
I think of @warriordaughter as a great example of CC being a helpful resource. As I recall she was a very high stats applicant who went seeking fit and substantial merit aid and seems to have found both at Hillsdale. I know it wouldn’t be a fit for my D2 but that’s why it’s great to have choices.
I would not categorize Hillsdale as a religious school at all - if kids are looking for an alternative to BYU or Liberty, Wheaton in Illinois would be a much, much “better” choice. As far as “take no federal monies”…Grove City is “hillsdale-like” but has a more religious based conservative ideology than Hillsdale but other than the religious aspect there are similarities.
Sigh, I really hate when people try to take what I say and make it a generality. I am always careful to say that these are my experiences.
I live close-ish to Hillsdale but surrounded by several good, more affordable options. People that I KNOW who went there did it because it was a conservative Christian school and that’s what they (or their parents as was more often the case) were looking for.