Hillsdale is projected to have the most mathematics majors as a percentage of its 2024 graduating class. Courtesy | Pexels

The 2024 graduating class expects to have the largest percentage of math majors of any college or university in the country. 

“This may seem curious, but we think it is good — also fun. Hillsdale College has become superb at teaching mathematics,” College President Larry P. Arnn said in an email.

The college anticipates 38 students, or 11.5% of the senior class, will graduate in May with degrees in applied mathematics or mathematics, according to Arnn. An additional 10.9% of students will graduate with math degrees in 2025. This should be enough to place Hillsdale first for percentage of math majors both years. 

Previous contenders for the highest percentage of math majors in the last five years include Amherst College at 10.7%, Williams College at 10.4%, and Macalester College at 9.9%.

Arnn’s email was titled “Revenge of the Nerds.”

“About 10 years ago, we would get 15 or 16 math majors a year. I remember one year we got 18, and we were excited that it was so huge,” Associate Professor of Mathematics David Gaebler said. “In 10 years, the number of math majors has approximately doubled.”

Gaebler said many of the graduating math students majored in applied mathematics, a relatively new degree introduced nearly a decade ago.

“Much of the growth has been in the applied mathematics degree,” Gaebler said. “In this year’s graduating class, we have about three-quarters applied math and one quarter just math. That program didn’t even exist five or six years ago.”

Associate Professor of Mathematics Kevin Gerstle agreed the new programs are attracting more interest. 

“We also have a new computer science minor, which is now in its third year at the college under John Seiffertt,” Gerstle said. “It is not directly tied to the math major, but I think it has helped attract a variety of students to the mathematics department, especially given the importance of AI and programming in the modern world.” 

Gaebler said he thought the number of double majors at Hillsdale College contributed to the trend.

“I think one thing that sets Hillsdale apart is the higher likelihood of students pairing math with something that seems very different,” Gaebler said. “We have students combine math with art, history, politics, philosophy, and English. So I think that’s part of what gives us a leg up in this particular metric.”

The trend of pairing math with other majors initially surprised Gaebler, he said. 

“I remember when I arrived here, I was kind of surprised that students would major in French or art but then also math, but it’s something that we see a lot of around here,” Gaebler said.

Sophomore Maryellen Petersen, a math major, said she thinks Hillsdale students might love math because of its theoretical side. 

“Once you get past all the computational classes, all the classes after that are very theoretical,” Petersen said. “I actually think it’s very on brand for Hillsdale students since it’s so in the abstract.”

Arnn said understanding both nature and humans is vital to becoming an educated person.

“Math is a kind of language that can advance understanding of every kind. It is not the only way to know, but it is a fundamental way to know,” Arnn said. 

Gerstle agreed, saying the principles learned in math contribute to the larger liberal arts foundation Hillsdale cultivates.

“Coming out of high school, people expect math to be this extremely computational subject where we solve this equation for ‘x,’ or combine these really big numbers,” Gerstle said. “In truth, math is about so much more than that. It’s about finding patterns, looking for connections between different topics, and coming up with a logical way of thinking about the world.”

Historically, math has been a central part of the Western Tradition, Gaebler said. 

Gaebler said Plato thought geometry was preparation for philosophy, and Abraham Lincoln talked about using Euclid to help him sharpen his law skills.

“I think that same kind of ethos is prevalent here,” Gaebler said. “Students see the value, even in disciplines that aren’t directly connected.”

The skills and thinking patterns students develop through practicing mathematics will contribute to conversations and learning across campus, according to Gaebler. 

“There’ll be more and more math-literate students in other disciplines,” Gaebler said. “I think teachers will see this literacy and capability in philosophy and history, which is a rich opportunity. We will have students in our classrooms who know a lot about math and can bring that to the conversation.” 

Not only has the number of math majors increased, Gaebler said, the qualifications of the average math student have risen as well.

“It’s part of the rising caliber of students at Hillsdale,” Gaebler said. “Each freshman year has been smarter than the last with higher grades and higher high school achievements and more academic excellence. All these metrics keep going up, so we’re drawing from a stronger and stronger pool of students with stronger and stronger math backgrounds.”

Gaebler said the department loves the increase in students.

“We’re all very excited for them,” Gaebler said. “We’ve added more sections of advanced classes since we’re bursting at the seams. We’re hoping to hire an eighth mathematician just to keep up with demand.”

While all respondents agreed on the wide application of math skills, Petersen also stressed the mutual understanding, unity, and fun of belonging to the math department.

“We all still have to sit there and struggle through problems and proofs, but we all love it,” Petersen said. “I’ve never seen any irritation between any of the professors. They all just crack jokes about each other, and one of the profs found a random cat outside and then let it loose in one of the other professors’ rooms while they taught and then shut the door.”

Petersen said the comradery extends to the students as well as the professors.

“There’s odd unity in the math department because everyone recognizes that once you’ve hit a certain point in the math classes, you’ve got to be pretty nerdy,” Petersen said. “We are all bonded by voluntarily struggling through these really hard classes because we love it.”