Revenge of the NerdsThis may seem curious, but we think it is good—also fun. Hillsdale College has become superb at teaching mathematics. Of course, we are well-known for teaching the humanities: history, politics, literature, economics, philosophy, theology––all these and more. But math? In the next two years Hillsdale College expects to have the largest percentage of graduates in math areas in the country. This year, 38 students will, we predict, graduate who major in math or applied mathematics, which is about 11.5% of the graduating class. Similarly, next school year it looks like math majors will comprise about 10.9% of the graduating class (notice the digits beyond the decimal points; mathematicians, painfully precise, suggested we add more).
Typically, the top 5 colleges with the most math and applied mathematics majors include the likes of Amherst, Williams, Macalester, Pomona, Carleton, Swarthmore, and Harvey Mudd.
In 2020 and 2021, Hillsdale ranked in the top 10. This year we expect to come in first. Look at the numbers below:
2019-2020:Amherst College had 10.6% of its graduates in math fields for 1st nationallyMacalester College: 9.9%, 2nd nationallyHillsdale College: 7.2%, 8th nationally
2020-2021:Amherst College: 10.7%, 1st nationallyWilliams College: 10.4%, 2nd nationallyHillsdale College: 7.5%, 10th nationally
2021-2022Hillsdale College: 9.5%, expected to be 4th nationally
2022-2023 (last academic year):Hillsdale College, 8.7%, expected to be 8th nationally
2023-2024 (current academic year):Hillsdale College, projects 11.5%, expected to be 1st nationally
2024-2025 (next academic year):Hillsdale College, projects 10.9%, expected to be 1st nationally We think mathematics is the purist of languages and the key to understanding the natural world, the sciences of which (chemistry, biology, and physics) are also strong here. We are therefore proud to have built a superb—and also popular—mathematics program. Also, we discover from experience that neither math majors nor math faculty are particularly nerdy. This is, I suppose, a sort of reverse revenge of the nerds. |
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