Students sitting on campus

The Unexpected Community of Hillsdale

Compiled by Emma McCormick

We experience classrooms for thirteen years before coming to college to learn in a classroom environment for another four years. Classrooms abound! And at Hillsdale, we expect the education to be superb, so the rigor and excellence of the academic environment rarely surprise freshmen. The unexpected part of Hillsdale comes in the form of community. I asked some fellow freshmen what it is about Hillsdale that surprised them the most this first semester, and relationships and experiences outside of the classroom come out on top.

“I’ve met so many people from Hillsdale who are super nice and thought, How can this be that people are this nice everywhere? Everybody is so genuine.”

– Alexander Green

“I wasn’t expecting how vibrant the dorm community is. The seniors go out of their way to say hi and eat with me, or sit and study with me. I really appreciate that.”

– Sammy Roberts

“The strong sense of community in Simpson dormitory surprised me, in a good way. All the upperclassmen are so open with you. You don’t have to try to be part of the family; you are. It makes you want to be a part of people’s lives and impact them.”

– Christian Yiu

“I didn’t expect that everyone gets to know each other quite well. The interactions are all tight-knit close and comfortable.”

– Henry Listenberger

“Even though I grew up around Hillsdale, it still surprises me how the college offers so much more than academics. Every week there’s something you can do. I thought it would just be academics and athletics. The activities throughout the week lessen the stress. People take breaks from doing school work all day, which calmed me down a bit.”

– Kelsey Lantis

“I thought that I would have more down time and free time, but there’s a lot to fill time with. There’s a lot to do and a lot of time for socialization. People take breaks.”

– Lauren Schlientz

“I’m never bored. There’s so much to do. I thought I’d run out of things to do because it’s small, and there is nothing in town. There are people around, and they’re always doing something: movies, games, studying. It’s not boring.”

– Kathryn DuHadway

“Not everyone thinks the same way. There is a diversity of opinion I didn’t expect. It’s refreshing because there’s variety in conversation. From starting in the same common place, faith in God and a conservative worldview, going out from that, there are a lot of things to talk about.”

–  Chloe Kookogey


Emma McCormickEmma McCormick, ’19, is from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and plans on majoring in economics. It is still too early to call her a full-fledged member, but she participates in mock trial and the firearms club, and volunteers at Mary Randall Preschool.