Beyond the Classroom Archives

A Habit of Mind: The Things We Bring Home From Hillsdale

What do LaCroix costumes and summer reading lists have in common? The extraordinary people I’ve met at Hillsdale, who inspire me to keep pursuing excellence and fun, even when I’m not with them.

The Things I’ve Learned as a Freshman in Mock Trial

“You make too much eye contact,” said Bryson Phillipe, a captain of Hillsdale’s mock trial team. I stared at him from across the table, a bit surprised by the novel advice. “Eye contact is good,” he continued, “but too much eye contact can make people uncomfortable. Try glancing away every five seconds or so.”

Summer Class and Vacation: Marine Biology in the Florida Keys

Some subjects lend themselves to hands-on learning outside the classroom. That’s why Dr. Anthony Swinehart teaches a summer class that takes students to the physical place of the content they are studying: the Florida Keys. Why the Keys? Because, as Swinehart says, “It is the only real subtropical environment in the continental United States.”

Gravitational Waves and Great Walls: A Summer Abroad in China

Students in Hillsdale’s physics department take advantage of national programs to get the extra research experience they need–even as far away as Beijing.

Two women sitting under a canopy on the beach.

Five Ways to Keep in Touch over the Summer

Each year after dancing at Centralhallapalooza, stressing over finals, and final trips to Baw Beese, you say goodbye to your very best friends for a whole three months. You’ve invested in deep friendships at Hillsdale, so don’t let them waste away over the summer!

One of Hillsdale’s Finest: Ally Eads

Whether she is conquering a physics lab, laughing at the long table in the dining hall, or representing our school at national championships, senior Ally Eads takes advantage of Hillsdale’s small-school atmosphere to achieve multifaceted success.

Bowling Buddies

Many schools have programs for children with special needs but lack resources for adults. This is a void that SPARC and volunteers with the Hillsdale Buddy Program aim to fill—and do so with weekly trips to the bowling alley.

Distant country house surrounded by woods and snow.

Blue Christmas: Pain has a Place

Blue Christmas is a service that honors the pain of the past and provides a space for students to honor their story in light of the Christmas story. It all started in 2016 as a joint effort between Father Adam and Brock Lutz.

Beyond the Tea

Ask any one of the residents, and they’ll tell you why Waterman is so special. “We’re trying to make Waterman a place not to just eat, sleep, and study, but a place to actually live,” says Caroline Walker ’21.

What It Means to Be a Hillsdale Senior

Some of this year’s most impactful seniors on campus share their wisdom on college life gained from their four years at Hillsdale.

Two women conversing in their dorm room.

Dorm Life as A Reflection of Liberty

In a day and age when co-ed housing is in vogue for most colleges and universities in America, Hillsdale’s on-campus housing upholds a different tradition.

How Google Landed Me a Summer in England

As a college student, it’s easy to resent the question, “What are you doing this summer?” A simple Google search turned that resentment into excitement for me as it opened up an international opportunity I never would have dreamed was possible.