Hillsdale Blog

Edward Everett Oratory Competition: Dylan Hoover

We talked to Dylan after he won the competition about his speech-writing techniques and involvement with the Speech Team as well as Mock Trial. We thought his speech-writing traditions were pretty unique.

Mary Randall Preschool: Laughter and Learning

How often do college students get to build castles with wooden blocks or make snowmen out of shaving cream? I can happily say that I have recently done both. At Mary Randall Preschool, these and other similarly delightful activities are everyday occurrences. Play is the order of the day, and the children enthusiastically welcome college volunteers to join in their fun.

10 Phone Interview Tips

When was the last time you actually talked to someone (other than your mom) on the phone? Most of us have little use for calling people. Want to order pizza? There’s […]

Spotlight on Dr. Weaire: Dead Elephants and the Art of Latin Grammar

By the time I applied to Hillsdale, I had a pretty good handle on Latin grammar, and I tested into the 201 level. I suppose that I thought that I had seen it all. One Latin class is the same as any other, right? Wrong.

Hillsdale is a Home

At the beginning of the year, you get asked the same five questions over and over again: name, year, potential major, hometown, and why you chose Hillsdale. Through this litany of questions, I began to realize that the way I had found and chosen Hillsdale College was perhaps not the most typical amongst my peers.

Coping with Shakespeare: Why Writing Hurts

About a year ago, I walked into the office of one of my English professors, sat down, and struck up a conversation. Purportedly—as far as he was concerned, and, even as far as I had convinced myself—I was there to talk about graduate school. And we did, for quite a while.

Professors of Influence: Dr. Stephens

A short, square man strides confidently into a classroom full of chattering freshmen. They don’t notice him. They are too busy arguing about Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, attempting to show off all that they learned from the preparatory assignment that Hillsdale prescribes to all incoming freshmen. The short man stops at his desk, looks ‘round the room quizzically, wondering at the air rich with arrogance, and slams his portfolio down hard. The sharp slap of paper on desk mutes the debate, and all students turn their heads to wonder at the man standing before them.

Continuing the Legacy of Hillsdale Mentors

I was in eighth grade the first time I heard about Hillsdale College. My band teacher and middle school track coach graduated from here. Back then, I played the clarinet and ran the 800. I attended The Classical Academy—a K-12 charter school founded by parents in my home-town of Colorado Springs. My teachers all believed in classical liberal arts educational values, and I grew to believe in them as well.

Dr. Yaniga: A Passion for German

As anyone who has chatted with Dr. Fred Yaniga knows, he is passionate about everything German—the language, the culture, and the country itself. Walking down the hallway or in the cafeteria, Dr. Yaniga converses with students and professors in German as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and for him, it is just that.

Dressing for Success: What to Wear for a Job Interview for Men

We’re all familiar with the expression, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” This becomes a little more literal when interviewing for a new position. Of […]

Spotlight on Dr. Somerville: A South Korean Childhood

As many students already know, Dr. Somerville loves storytelling. Yes, as an English professor, he has a vested interest in telling stories—fictional or not—but in almost every class, he seems to sneak in just one more anecdote about his past. He certainly has had an interesting life.

Hillsdale History: Ransom Dunn, The Grand Old Man of Hillsdale

Ransom Dunn, a professor and preacher, shaped the early history of the college over the course of a half-century. He helped the young, fledgling institution grow into a prominent academic establishment.