Second of all, it was cool to have shared experiences with my classmates and put them out into the blogosphere. Now that we are all over the place and not in that God-forsaken and at the same time lovely town, it's harder to find experiences that we can all relate to. But I will charge on for all my loyal fans (mainly just Addison Stumpf).
So let's get down to the business of "It's Pronounced 'Emmaline.'" Hillsdale wasn't a place that was particularly interested in preparing you for the "real world." We learned things that helped us recognize the good, true and beautiful and over time made us into better people. But as we've all heard 1,000 times, a college education is also a life education (or maybe just my dad says that. Either way it's true). Small things that you hear in a class will resonate with you, when you're walking down the street or watching the news. You'll remember the discussions in class or conversations in Saga and realize how important they were to forming you as a person. So even though you didn't realize it at the time, Hillsdale was preparing you for the "real world," whatever that means.
1. Thriving in a Corporate Job - Accounting I with Ikawa
Hey 2015 grads - you're just finding out that this is actually a struggle. Or you're a teacher and you're still on summer break, you lucky bastard. Anyway, just like accounting, the corporate world is often not fun. But once you learn the ropes and buy a few blazers, you're smart enough to get by. And just like the accounting club, you can counter the boredom by throwing awesome parties with all the money you're making.
2. Finding Good Books to Read During my 40-Minute Commute - Dr. Moreno's U.S. and the World Since WWII
At Hillsdale, we often forget that books were written in the 21st century and not all translated from Greek and Latin. But spending a semester at WHIP and taking this class exposed me to all the great works that have come out in the last 50 years. Graham Green, Junot Díaz, Michael Connelly, Johnathan Franzen and Erik Larson are just a few of the authors that have accompanied me on the C train from Brooklyn into Manhattan.
3. Making True and Deep Friendships - Mr. Miller's Advanced Writing
This is sort of unfair thing. But because Advanced Writing was my favorite class (and Miller my favorite professor) and the people are the best part of Hillsdale, it seemed to work. Everyone says you have to pick only a few people who you want to be friends with after you graduate. Well screw everyone. Hillsdale gives us a connection that lasts a lifetime. And that's what makes Hillsdale so special.
I STRUGGLED through this class. Learning piano in your 20s is HARD. But learning anything after college while you hold down a job is hard. The important thing is that Hillsdale gives you the tools to keep doing it.
5. Politics are Stupid and Not Worth Fretting Over - Dr. Gamble's Western Heritage I
I literally have to remember this every day. Working at Fox News, I constantly hear that the world is ending. But thanks to Dr. Gamble and Augustine, I know it doesn't matter. Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, Conservatives, everyone is trying to create a utopia and it will never work in this lifetime. So who cares what the headlines read? They can all go to hell.
6. The Importance of Finding a Community - Dr. Jackson's Great Books II
I despised this class when I was in it. But looking back, it made me a stronger student and a better writer. I could go into what I learned about existentialism or orthodoxy, but you all know that and I'll sound pretentious. So instead, I'll tell you how important that class was to my social life, which it nearly destroyed. I bonded together with my fellow Honors Students over writing papers and figuring out what the hell was going on in "Notes from Underground." But most importantly, I learned that these friendships were the only way to go through life. Without them, what's the point?
7. Reading Latin - All my Latin Classes with Jones and Weire and Hutchinson
Yeah, so this hasn't exactly come in handy post graduation. But since I spent three years on it I feel like I just had to include it.
8. Appreciating Great Music - Dr. Condict's Life of Gerard Manly Hopkins
If you can take this class do it. You get to drink tea at a professor's house and talk about poetry. If that's not a cool college experience I don't know what is. But today's alternative music is akin to poetry in the Victorian era. It's where our artists express themselves and speak to our generation about spirituality, struggle and love. I would have never recognized its beauty without this class.
9. Surviving Winter - Macroeconomics
So winter in New York is basically summer in Michigan... but snow is snow and it sucks. Econ talked about businesses and how they made the best out of bad situations. Okay Econ majors I know I'm only a poli econ major and I am majorly simplifying the subject, but this is a stupid blog so calm yourselves. So from macro, I learned to plug in my electric blanket, buy a chic coat and get over the snow.
10. Appreciating Small Things - Hillsdale College
My favorite story to tell my New York friends is that I lived in a small town in Michigan with only three bars and no Starbucks. Their eyes get big and they ask, "How did you survive?!" Well friend, it's called house parties and road trips to Ann Arbor. But really, after living in Hillsdale, life can only get better. Even having 4 bars is an improvement.
Living in a bleak place gives you time to focus inward and develop as a person. It makes you grateful for the joy that the ideas and learning bring. It makes you rely on your friends and helps you develop a humble outlook. But most importantly, it makes Starbucks that much tastier every time you get it.
