<p>Now we are getting a little nervous about acceptance and scholarship package.</p>
<p>Great Article in The Collegian:</p>
<p>Applications to Hillsdale have increased 24 percent (more than 1,800 applications) over the past year, even after a 20 percent gain last year.
Director of Admissions Jeff Lantis gave several explanations for the increase.
"The 18-year-old population is higher," Lantis said. "Technology has made it easier and cheaper to apply."
Although Lantis said vigorous recruiting has not necessarily increased, the Kirby Center has attracted more students from the East Coast, historically a smaller demographic on campus.
Admissions Counselor Shannon McCleary said another reason for the prodigious influx of applications was the work of talk show hosts Sean Hannity, Mark Levine and Rush Limbaugh.</p>
<p>"Hillsdale is being advertised on national radio every day," McCleary said.
The increase has meant more work for the 12 counselors, directors and support staffers working in the admissions office.
"It typically takes two-and-a-half to three hours to process an application," Senior Admissions Counselor Jennifer Brewer said. "Which means we are definitely busier."
More applications have also meant more students turned away. Lantis said that although 55 percent of students who applied were accepted this year, that number will probably go down. This results in freshman classes that Lantis said are "getting stronger."
"As our averages go up and as our pool of perspective students widens we can be more selective," McCleary said.
"We don't recruit for specific disciplines," Lantis said. "We recruit students who are ambitious, academically talented, willing to work, who understand the liberal arts, who demonstrate leadership and are intellectually curious."
Brewer said she believes applications to Hillsdale will continue to increase: "Our culture is hungry for truth, and not many institutions proclaim that there is truth."</p>