Hillsdale College 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

Hillsdale College 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 3 essays of 250 words each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why

Instructions: Respond to each prompt in 250 words or fewer.

As elsewhere in the application, artificial intelligence tools may not be used in your responses to the short-answer questions.

Students at Hillsdale College enroll in a multidisciplinary classical liberal arts core curriculum, taking nearly half of their four years. Explain your interest in this educational approach.

The admissions department at Hillsdale wants to make sure you know what you’re signing up for—and that you’re excited about it to boot. What about Hillsdale’s multidisciplinary core curriculum appeals to you? Maybe you want to write about how jazzed you are to further explore your wide-reaching interests, like philosophy, chemistry, and creative writing. Or, perhaps, you’re hoping to expand your horizons and expose yourself to new ideologies, leading to a better understanding of the human condition. Whatever your reasoning may be, try to be as specific as possible in outlining why it’s a great fit for you and don’t hesitate to visit the Hillsdale website for inspiration.

As a result of your experiences at Hillsdale, who do you hope to become?

People don’t go to college just for the degree; they go for the whole experience: pursuing knowledge, meeting new people, making lifelong friends, networking with professionals in their industry, getting involved in the community, and learning how to microwave a chimichanga without the entire kitchen reeking of it for the next week. As such, admissions wants to know who you hope to become as a result of your experiences at Hillsdale. The obvious answer here is, “I want to become a scientist/teacher/nurse,” but this prompt is asking you to go beyond your future career or title. Who do you want to be in the world four, five, or even twenty years from now? What kind of impact do you want to have? Show admissions who you are now and describe the person you’d like to become with the help of a Hillsdale education.

The pursuit of truth leads to eternal questions, including the question of God. What role do you see faith playing in your learning at Hillsdale?

Given the faith-forward nature of this question and of their website, we imagine that most of you folks reading this guide probably already have a few thoughts on this topic. We’d be surprised if the religious affiliation didn’t factor into your decision to apply, but if you haven’t thought about it, now is your chance to reflect on the role faith will play in your learning experience. Writing about spiritual and religious beliefs is just as personal (if not more!) as any other topic you might cover on your college application, so don’t be afraid to dive deep. Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, faith is a central component of the Hillsdale College experience, and this is your chance to invite admissions into your own relationship with it.