Writers Archives

Why I Chose Hillsdale: Sarah Chavey

Hillsdale was hardly on my radar during my senior year of high school. I wanted a big school, a place to develop as a music major and journalist. The impossibly difficult core classes at Hillsdale College did not tempt a girl who didn’t care about Homer and Aristotle.

How to Harrow “Hell Week”: Tips from Matt O’Sullivan

Matthew O’Sullivan, a class of 2015 graduate with a 4.0 GPA, gives his tips for surviving “Hell Week.”

History is Now: Dr. Yaniga Remembers the Day the Berlin Wall Came Down

Hillsdale’s chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom annually celebrates the tearing down of the Berlin Wall with a spray-painted drywall partition, which students and professors wreck with a sledgehammer. The experience is no doubt meaningful, but it’s hardly novel to Dr. Yaniga, who was actually in Berlin and helped tear down the real wall.

Demystifying Writing with PEN Award Winner Mark Richard

This fall, the Visiting Writers Program brought PEN (Poets, Essayists, and Novelists) Hemingway award winning author Mark Richard to campus. The fiction workshop he taught at Hillsdale brought the abstract concept of storytelling into tangible focus for all who attended. He used the power of simple metaphor to demystify the writing process. Here are a few tips he gave us for writing a story.

Taking a “Chance” on Hillsdale

Upon transferring from Western Michigan University to Hillsdale College this year, Chance Stewart may have lost his brand new car, but he gained the close-knit academic and football atmosphere that’s right for him.

A Conversation with Writer Mark Richard

In our interview, Mr. Richard told a story about his own time as an undergraduate learning from a visiting writer.

God, Sophists, and Planetary Motion

Although Kristiana Mork currently plans to double major in Politics and Speech, her first encounter with both subjects in high school debate was less than favorable.

Discovering Hillsdale’s Hidden Gem

From an early age, Lindsey Lewis knew that optometry was her calling in life. “I have horrible eyesight,” she laughs. “I also have an overwhelming desire to help people. And when I realized that my favorite day of the year was going to the optometrist for an eye exam, everything just clicked – I knew that I wanted to be an eye doctor.”

Small School, Big Opportunities

If things had gone according to his plan during his senior year of high school, Frank Bruno might never have even set foot on the Hillsdale College campus. As someone who grew up in an urban environment, Frank had his sights set on large universities in metropolitan areas. It was only at the urging of his dad that Frank applied to Hillsdale.

Science Outside Strosacker: Biochemistry, Humanities, and the Real World

Naomi Virnelson, ’16, is not your typical science major. “I was actually interested in Hillsdale College for politics,” Naomi said. By the time she made it to college, however, Naomi found herself in an entirely different discipline: biochemistry. “

Demystifying College Science Labs

Going into college, most students have prior high school lab experience, and every Hillsdale student spends at least one semester in lab-based physics and chemistry, but neither of those examples gives a comprehensive view of what science majors do on a daily basis. Introductory lab courses tend to be “cookbook” science, where the professor hands out a pre-made procedure and the students follow the steps until they arrive at either a correct or incorrect result.

Chemistry and Community: Heidi Hendrickson, ’09, On Her Hillsdale Education

During her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, Heidi also pursued a masters degree in educational studies. It was during one of her education classes that she encountered a misinterpretation of Plato in her readings – and she decided to challenge it.