I think one of Appliance Brad’s kids goes (or went) there. I won a random Karma once and he sent me a Hillsdale College t-shirt.

I also have a friend who’s brother got a degree from Hillsdale and he’s always had nothing but good things to say about it.

Echoing the advice given repeatedly above, Hillsdale is a great option for liberal arts, or for preparation for an advanced degree where a liberal arts undergrad would be good prep, but it is not for everyone.

So also echoing the advice given above, locking someone into Hillsdale this far ahead of time would be short-sighted.

Pump money into that 529, invest it prudently and make the decision where to spend it later, when you know more about the grandson's talents and inclinations.

A friend from Lodge went there and has good things to say about it. He comes from a conservative background. Went to OSU after for a MBA I believe.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Trying to decide how much to say. Our daughter did, for one year. She did not have a good experience, culminating in a bad date with an heir to a prominent family of whiskey distillers. She would not give me details—at all. I don’t think she told my wife much either. She said that the students there could generally be divided into two camps: those who sat in their dorm rooms and read the Bible, and those who went out and got themselves stupid drunk, night after night. I didn’t want her to go there in the first place.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

I had the same reaction as ORC. By your own admission, your daughter was very vague as to her reasons the school didn't work out for her.

How does "a bad date with" have the least thing to do with the value of a school? And do you really believe the school's student body was so-sharply divided one half were bible-thumpers and the other half inveterate drunks?

I've done a little superficial research. Near as I've been able to tell, Hillsdale is well-reviewed and highly-respected.

How do i make a donation?

As evidenced by my response to lastman to communicate offline by email, I made the decision not to share details with the entire forum. I explained to him, as best I could, the reason I said, “I didn’t want her to go there in the first place.”

As far as your zeroing in on my “bad date” remark, it was much more than that, but didn’t feel it necessary to say more than that in the Forum.

My daughter said what she said, do I think that is an accurate statement about the entire student body, of course not, but then you knew that.

I’m sure Hillsdale is a wonderful place. It’s certainly a beautiful campus, and I found Larry Arnn to be warm and welcoming. It just didn’t work out for my daughter.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Trying to decide how much to say. Our daughter did, for one year. She did not have a good experience, culminating in a bad date with an heir to a prominent family of whiskey distillers. She would not give me details—at all. I don’t think she told my wife much either. She said that the students there could generally be divided into two camps: those who sat in their dorm rooms and read the Bible, and those who went out and got themselves stupid drunk, night after night. I didn’t want her to go there in the first place.

I'm pretty sure the emphasized portion of this particular post could, apply to nearly ALL colleges/universities. As such, that criteria should not be a primary decision driver on determining what school a student should attend. More simply, there will always be a portion of the student body that are focused students dedicated to learning and a particular lifestyle. At the same time there will also be a large component of the student body that is seemingly focused primarily on partying, and that lifestyle!

Students should select a school that best provides for their academic and long term vocational needs, while balancing lifestyle, location and affordability. Just Sayin'

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Well I don’t always think things through as evidenced in this post. Thanks to all for the great advice. Much appreciated!

Nothing wrong with planning ahead. What I'd be looking at is a 529 Investment Plan. You make contributions and they grow tax free. The beneficiary takes the money out tax free for education expenses: tuition, room and board, supplies including a computer. Before college, up to $12,000 a year can be taken out for K-12 tuition. The money in a 529 Investment Plan can be used at any school. If the student gets a scholarship, that amount can still be taken out of the plan tax and penalty free, but used for purposes other than education. The money in the plan can be used for the education expenses of relatives of the beneficiary if there is any leftover.

This is what we’ve done for our granddaughter.