<p>D is considering Hillsdale for English and Biology Majors. Will she find acceptance if she believes in creation instead of evolution? She has studied all sides of the issue, our concern is for professors who might not tolerate her view point which could result in poor grades.</p>
<p>i would think not. it is still a very conservative school so they probably wont care. i dont think the professor would mark her down just for what she believed, although if i was her i wouldn’t be overly vocal about it. by this i mean don’t try and argue with the professor about it.</p>
<p>Darwin will probably be on more bio tests at Hillsdale than creationism or intelligent design. If your daughter spends the time in the test explaining evolution when asked about it, she will be fine. If she ignores the question and launches into an essay about the failings of evolution theory, she will probably be marked down. It won’t be personal. </p>
<p>Perhaps it’s just your wording (a lack of “ism”), but if not you and your daughter should be open to the idea that one can believe in creation and evolution. It is a very complex topic and I believe that evolution has been far more effective as a weapon against God than as a scientific model, but the bio professors I had at Hillsdale believed evolution could be reconciled with creation, and they’re far better versed in the subject than I. If your daughter intends to “preach” against this every chance she gets, she will probably be alienated (more so by fellow students than profs). Otherwise, like my younger sister who was a bio major, plenty of evolution skeptics love the biology program and get along quite well with the professors. </p>
<p>In short, I believe it will be far more a question of your daughter tolerating evolution than it will profs tolerating creationism.</p>
<p>“In short, I believe it will be far more a question of your daughter tolerating evolution than it will profs tolerating creationism.”</p>
<p>Nicely said. </p>
<p>There is one wording I find very troublesome in OP’s posting. That is “believing”. Its like believing in UFO’s or that trees have souls. Any blind believing will get you shut down at Hillsdale (from what I have heard). Instead, suggest your daughter to put her “beliefs” aside and see if profs and other students can RATIONALLY (note that there is nothing rational about believing) convince her in their point of view.</p>
<p>P.S. And, no, I am not starting a debate on the existence of God here ;)</p>
<p>Thanks dalealumnus for a helpful answer. D doesn’t have an issue giving the “right” answer to test questions regarding Darwinism or evolution. She has studied theistic evolution (reconciliation of creation and evolution) as a hobby (I know, rather unique hobby). She does not feel it is her calling to debate every person with a different view than hers. In fact, she enjoys learning about all views on the origin of life. However, we have heard horror stories from other colleges that if the professor hears of a Creationist in the crowd, that the student is ridiculed and flunked when, for example, asked to write a paper on their personal belief. Your post was very encouraging to D. She is hoping to possibly pursue research in this field for grad school and beyond and she realizes she needs to be well educated in all view points.</p>
<p>if any school in the country is going to give tolerance to your daughter’s viewpoint, its going to be Hillsdale :)</p>
<p>Any student will be challenged to defend what they think and believe. Dr. Arnn told a story recently about a student who gave him the right answer immediately. He continued asking questions to ensure she really understood what she was talking about and could articulate her argument at a deeper level. Merely providing the right answer is never enough.</p>
<p>Yes, Hillsdale is known for teaching by the Socratic method.</p>
<p>Can your daughter support her opinions? Can she cite references (other than and in addition to as well as the Bible)? Can she express her thoughts and ideas clearly? </p>
<p>She will not be the only creationist in classroom (since my own kids are such), but she will be hard pressed to support and defend her idea(l)s. Which is what Hillsdale is all about.</p>
<p>I’m so impressed with the level of discussion in this thread, and the apparent tolerance for unorthodox views (from an academic perspective, anyway). </p>
<p>I think I was right in encouraging my daughter to apply to Hillsdale. It sounds like she could get a real education there, not just the indoctrination that sometimes occurs in college. </p>
<p>RE: the matter at hand, your daughter will just need to know when it is appropriate to share her personal views, and when she needs to stick to the curriculum. If she has spent time on this subject in the past, which it sounds like she has, she should already be sensitive to this.</p>
<p>Hillsdale is not (always) a conservative’s Nirvanna, though in today’s liberal academic climate, it may function as such. Academically, it is challenging, often difficult. They expect the student to think, to research, to LEARN. Some instructors who might personally be of a conservative bent actually will play devil’s advocate, challenging the student to support, defend, rework, reword, their opinions. </p>
<p>I was in the same luncheon with momoftwins when Dr. Arnn made that statement. It has been our experience that almost all of the prof’s at Hillsdale are of the same ilk.</p>
<p>We like what we are hearing about Hillsdale and are working on setting up a visit for April. D learned some important lessons in her Research/Debate class regarding doing enough research to defend view points. The most valuable classes have been Logic, Research/Debate and Applied Rhetoric. We tell our children to not believe everything they are told without researching it firsthand, we want them to think critically. We also stress that it is vital that they are able to clearing articulate their views and articulate why they have those views.</p>
<p>One of the things my daughter has learned at Hillsdale is to use primary/original sources. So much gets skewed when one uses someone else’s materials and ideas.</p>
<p>Homeschoolmom: sounds like your D will do just fine at Hillsdale. You can learn a lot more from talking with students and the adcoms. and, of course, what will really sell you on Hillsdale is the campus tour. It is just a beautiful little school, with facitlities that surpass any school its size that I know of (without out the $55K price tag).</p>
<p>Where else is your D looking?</p>
<p>Yes, the campus is lovely and the people are wonderful. My son (who didn’t want to visit ANY colleges during spring break) liked what he heard, but was completely blown away after attending 2 classes on his visit day. He couldn’t have been more enthusiastic. And, for the most part, the school has exceeded his expectations.</p>
<p>M.O.T.: it was the campus visit which nailed it for my S, too. Fantastic!</p>
<p>Enjoying all the Hillsdale posts! My daughter (HS Junior) is very interested in Hillsdale. Actually, it’s been #1 on her list since we visited in January. Last weekend we went to an Admissions Dept. reception in Chicago and were (again) so impressed. It was nice that the student who had been our tour guide was there…she and my daughter have exhanged a few emails, and she’s a delightful girl (Hillsdale Junior).</p>
<p>We also heard a brief presentation by one of the English profs…really impressive…and had a great conversation with another Hillsdale student who’s very active in theatre there. Since my daughter will probably be a music (double) major and is very involved with musical-theatre, too, she was delighted to learn what a great music and theatre dept they have.</p>
<p>For the sake of due diligence (and to compare financial packages, which will be important), we are continuing to visit other schools and have seen some we liked, but Hillsdale will be tough to beat. Fortunately, decision time for us is still a year away.</p>
<p>You can’t beat Hillsdale’s competitive rates…they are the best. In my opinion, you won’t find much better out there unless your daughter is a National Merit Finalist. Was professor Sundahl the english professor you met? We have attended other Hillsdale events in our area and seen several of the great professors from Hillsdale. My son has been accepted to Hillsdale for the Fall and we really hope this is where he’ll go.</p>
<p>Susie, congrats on your son’s acceptance! It does look like my D will be a National Merit finalist so we’re also looking at schools that will give her full or near full tuition…possibly a bit more because some have music scholarships that are stackable.</p>
<p>Finances won’t be the whole decision-maker of course, but our financial situation has changed significantly during this recession, so it will be an important factor. I know you’re right that Hillsdale’s costs are lower than many schools, so maybe that will help balance it out.</p>
<p>The Eng prof who spoke to our group was Dr. John Freeh. He was outstanding.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son. Let us know what he decides.</p>
<p>Dr. Freeh spoke at one of the admissions programs we attended also. He’s a rock star at Hillsdale!</p>
<p>Dr Freeh has students to his (gorgeous) home for cook-outs etc.</p>