Since I am an RA in Dykstra, I get to interact with a lot of freshmen. I thought it would be fun to hear all their reasons for choosing Hope! Here’s what they had to say!
“I decided to come to Hope because it’s small and it’s really important to me to have good relationships with my classmates and my teachers. It’s a Christian school so I knew it would be a good place to grow in my faith. It also has a good science program and that’s important to me. When I came to visit it just felt good in my gut!”
–Ellie, Kalamazoo, MI
“I came to Hope because it was very important to me to create lasting relationships from my college education, and whenever I came to Hope they were always talking about the awesome dynamic that happens between professors and students and other students. They have a great education program and, in general, everyone was just really helpful and kind. And it felt right, honestly.”
–Macauley, Middlebury, IN
“I felt the most at home here. It was the only school that I had peace about, that I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my word, I’m going to college!’ It was exciting rather than terrifying. I like the Christian atmosphere.”
–Hannah, Zeeland, MI
“I felt like I could be academically successful here and I really like the atmosphere here.”
–Marissa, Lake Orion, MI
“I chose to come to Hope because of the good nursing program and I got to play softball.”
–Sierra, Wayland, MI
“I came because of the smaller class sizes and the professors, but also because it’s a lot smaller than most universities and it has more of a personal feel.”
–Clara, Mesick, MI
“I liked the small community and everyone makes you feel really welcome. It just felt right when I visited here! I felt like I belonged.”
–Marissa, Northville, MI
“The people were the main reason. When I came on my visit, the two girls on my overnight were very genuine and nice. You could tell that they really meant it when they said they loved Hope.”
–Kaley, Grand Rapids, MI
“I decided to come to Hope because I get lost super easily and it’s an easy campus to find my way around. I really wanted a Christian atmosphere and Hope is truly Christian; They don’t just say that they are and then just act a different way. They really care about God and have events like Groovin’ in the Grove and chapel where it’s packed and people really want to go to it.”
–Savanah, Dallas, TX
“I found Hope online and didn’t really think anything of it until I applied and got accepted. When I got here to visit, I fell in love with the way everyone said hi to me when I walked around. It made me feel like I already went here even though I was just visiting. I loved chapel, and when I found out how good the nursing program was here, it sold me!”
–Victoria, Bloomingdale, NJ
“I chose Hope because it was a school that allowed me to incorporate all of the things I love and continue to do all the things that I’m passionate about even though they’re all very different things.”
–Teagan, Sycamore, IL
People come to Hope from far and wide for so many different reasons, but they make up a diverse, vibrant, incredible student body! Hope is a place that so many people love and we are thrilled to see more and more freshmen coming in each year with all these different reasons for coming, and more!
Thanks for reading! You can keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17) and Instagram (@kathrynekrieger)! You can also send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.'”
–Jeremiah 17:5-8