A visit to Hope’s campus is a wonderful thing to experience. This is especially true if, like myself, you’re lucky to work for the Admissions Office. From this, you will observe the kind of attention to detail that goes into every student interaction. You’ll notice how excited my supervisor, Lance Pellow, gets when he’s waiting for a prospective student to show up or how my fellow tour guides work tirelessly to perfect their tours. You’ll see the thoughtfulness of professors when they chat with prospective students about classes or you’ll come across our everyday college students who offer smiles while saying, “Welcome to Hope!”.
Another benefit of visiting campus is that it gives you an opportunity to notice the things that might be difficult in college while also giving you the time and space needed to think of possible solutions. For me, my challenges have ranged from some slightly uncomfortable chairs as I’m about 6’3 to the struggles of being an international student from Nigeria at a predominantly White institution. For the former, I’ve learned to avoid certain study spots and for the latter, I’ve tried to advocate and work collaboratively with different groups to create spaces and foster inclusion.
In this way, being in Holland, Michigan, for a visit day, will allow you to literally walk among college students for a day, if not be one. You get to see the things that excite us and the ways in which we might be hangry college students. And you’ll get to notice the things that we love deeply about our school while paying attention to the things we are working to change.
You’ll even be one step ahead of me; an international student from six thousand miles away who didn’t have a chance to step on campus before hopping on a plane for my first semester. And as I often joke with my friends, Hope’s website really had me sold though you can come see us for yourself.