The Class of 2016 continued Hillsdale College’s 10-year-long streak of rising incoming freshman grade point averages.
This year’s freshman class average high school GPA is 3.8.
“A whopping 0.03 percent higher than last year, and a few more students were in the top 10 percent of their class” Director of Admissions Jeff Lantis said. “The test scores are all the same, but it’s safe to say that this year’s class is at least as smart as last year’s.”
The average standardized test scores class of 2016 are the same as the class of 2015: 29 on the ACT and 1980 on the SAT.
However, Lantis said the best predictor for collegiate success doesn’t lie in GPAs or standardized test scores but high marks in college preparatory courses, such as advanced placement and honors classes. After those classes, Lantis said the next best indicators are overall GPAs and English and reading scores on standardized tests.
“A strong GPA suggests that students are willing to work hard over an extended period of time,” Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said. “Test scores indicate a degree of intellectual horsepower that will make for a better transition from high school to Hillsdale.”
High test scores on the English and reading sections of standardized tests also indicate that a student can handle the rigorous amount of reading, writing, and critical thinking that Hillsdale requires, Lantis said.
“You have to be intellectually curious and ready to work hard,” Lantis said. “We’ll take that over talent and laziness any day.”
But a student’s success in high school is not enough to guarantee success in college, the admissions and dean’s offices agreed.
“It’s really about responsibility,” Petersen said. “That’s the key.”
Petersen said the biggest challenge freshmen face is whether they can adapt to changes in their study habits.
“There’s usually a gap between a student’s GPA in his senior year in high school and his freshman year at Hillsdale,” Lantis said. “Our expectations are high, but we also provide students with the support to meet those expectations.”
Whether the class of 2016 will meet the potential its high GPA scores indicate it posseses is yet to be determined.
“They’re certainly smart,” Petersen said. “But, perhaps more importantly, they also seem responsible and hardworking. But we’ll see.”
