Four Down, Three To Go.

It’s incredibly weird to think that I am officially done with my sophomore year at Hope. I can’t really explain it, but it’s gone so fast and so slow at the same time. In the past year I have met so many people, fallen in love with so many things, been met with so many great new opportunities, and seen my life change in so many ways.

Finals were overwhelming and seemed never-ending. I finished my last paper of the year about fifteen minutes ago and I still feel like there is so much more to do. I’ll wake up in the morning knowing that all that is left to do is check eight residents out of their rooms so they can go home for the summer, check the rest of the building with my staff, and sing at two Baccalaureate services on Sunday, but it won’t hit me until I’ve been at home for a few days.

This year, I have written over sixty papers. I have consumed hundreds of cups of coffee, most of them at hours when humans shouldn’t even be awake. I have seen more new beautiful places in West Michigan than I can count. I have folded dozens of paper cranes and been struck by numerous pieces of literature. I have watched way too many episodes of “Cupcake Wars” on Netflix and cried every single time they announced the winner. I have eaten a lot of ice cream, but also a lot of spinach, which I’m pretty sure counteracts the ice cream. I have ridden more trains in the past year than in the rest of my life combined, most of them with my best buddy/boyfriend by my side. I have adopted the groutfit lifestyle shamelessly.

Groutfit
Groutfit Tuesday. Best day of the week. (Groutfit = grey outfit)

I have traveled through 11 states on choir tour, camp visits, and weekends with my family or boyfriend. I have driven to Grand Haven too many times just to go to my favorite coffee shop. I have taken spontaneous trips to Grand Rapids and Chicago with my best friend. I have written songs for the first time in years. I have changed my major and quit activities I was a part of and joined new ones I’m really excited about. I have cried a lot of times, and I have laughed a lot of times. I have gained a group of best pals in this year’s Dykstra Hall staff. I have launched a full-scale investigation into who was stealing my stuffed Jamaican banana and leaving me ransom notes demanding candy. I have driven to the beach too fast on last-minute trips to see the sunset. I have taken a lot of pictures. I have spent an entire week without speaking at all. I have learned a lot about the constancy of Jesus, even when I wander away. I have found comfort time and time again in the fact that I am known and fully known by the God of the universe. I have taken science classes and religion classes that made me more confident in the vastness and glory and omnipotence and eternity of the God who made all this happen. I have found peace in knowing that there are so many things I will never know. I have realized that the best thing to spend money on is gas. I have learned that people and sleep are both more important than homework (homework is important too though, but eventually if you don’t sleep, you can’t do homework… Trust me on this one.). I have realized that there’s probably never a bad time for a cheeseburger. I have sung in the Duke University chapel on tour with Hope’s Chapel Choir, which I am convinced is the most beautiful building I will ever see in real life.

Duke Chapel
Duke’s incredible chapel.

I have come to terms with the fact that I will never stop loving Dr. Pepper but I do not need to drink it every day (this is a major development, everyone). I have realized that I was born to be in the outdoors and at camp. I have rediscovered a love and wonder at the beauty of trees. I have experienced love from so many people like I never thought I could be loved. I have found passionate care for people on different continents who I will never know. I have cried over people I miss and people who are still here but I am already dreading missing. I have been to really great concerts. I have yelled during quiet hours sometimes even though I’m an RA. I have discovered a love for writing in many different forms. I have found an identity in something outside of music. I have checked “take a picture with Paul Boersma (one of Hope’s chaplains) and my best friend Allix” off of my Hope College bucket list.

Us and Paul
Us with Paul!

I could go on forever.

Actually, I probably already have. I’ll be impressed if you made it all the way here.

I am so thankful for the things I’ve experienced at Hope this year. I have had so many incredible opportunities through so many people and departments, from the music department to campus ministries. While this year has contained so many ups and downs and I am ready to move on to camp for the summer, I am so thankful for the experiences I have had over the past eight months. I’ve been here for four semesters, and I have three left. It’s so weird to think that this time in my life is over halfway done. I am so excited for the many things that are yet to come (some AWESOME things are lined up for next year), and I can’t wait to see how God continues to work both in me and on this campus!

Thanks for reading! Keep up with me this summer on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or shoot me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!

“For I am about to do something new.

 See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

– Isaiah 43:19

Ambiguous Clockwork

We’re good at forgetting, but we’re better at remembering.

I’ve heard people say time changes us, but I can’t say I agree. I don’t really think it’s time that changes us – I think it’s us who change the time.

We sometimes say we want things to never change. It comes mostly during the nights we stay up until 4 AM in the common areas of our living spaces talking about life – what’s happening now, what’s happening where we’re going, but especially, what’s happened where we’ve been. Because more than what can happen in the future, it’s our past that holds on tight.

The end of the year is wrapping up quickly. It’s the end of my second year, and I have one more left to go. It’s difficult to believe that May 2016 will conclude my college journey.

Although I’m over halfway done, I’m convinced that things are far from being over. I’ve been blessed with a season this spring that has been a time of build-up rather than breakdown, and when this season concludes, by God’s grace, I’ll be standing on top of a mountain that I’ve climbed for so long – and I’ll be completely in love with the view.

It’s been a fight to get here, I think. College is a time to figure out who you are, sure, but I think it’s also a time to figure out who you’re not.

Freedom
There’s a choice we all have to make: to sit back in the chair we’ve always sat in, or take a chance and climb the ladder.

I look back at last summer and last fall, and I’m certain that I am no longer who I was. Sure, there are pieces that have tagged along with me. But I see life a lot differently now. I know new people, and think new thoughts, and create new words and phrases. I am hopeful that we all can say that – that we’ve changed, hopefully for the better, in one way or another.

We have a tendency to let our past drag us down, I think. We base our future off of who we’ve been, convinced that there are certain patterns that will always take place.

But have you ever considered the concept that our past, present, and future are all connected? Your present circumstances – your reactions, your words – have a direct relationship to where you have been and what you know to be true based upon the past. And your future circumstances – your perception of what is to come – is based solely on what you know to be true in the present, which is based on what you know from your past. There’s essentially minimal, if any, differentiation. And at any second, our perception of any one of them can shape our perception of all of them.

We’re working with ambiguous clockwork.

Define that, Sophie. Okay. Ambiguous is an adjective that means “open to multiple meanings,” and clockwork, well, it’s inner workings of a clock.

It takes one thought, or the lack of one thought, to change everything. There are multiple interpretations of what our present moment contains, what our insides feel, and whether or not our perception even exists at all. Because one second, we’re in the present, and the next second, it becomes the past.

Which brings us back to time.

We’re good at forgetting, but we’re better at remembering.

Have you ever noticed that we forget, we make the same mistake or discover the same joy all over again? That rediscovery is something that can change everything.

I’m not saying that we should be better at forgetting. In fact, it’s often important to remember. But I’ve noticed that our future choices are too often dependent upon what we have seen in the past. We leave blank spaces in our expectations only for new experiences – but even then, we’re prone to infer.

We’re all filling in the blanks for summer, even though it’s a new year, with new people, new places to find. We’ve had new experiences. Yet, we remember. We’re expecting some things to remain the same. The heat. Maybe the beach. Working, family, a break from school.

But I’m hopeful and convinced mine is different. That this summer will be entirely different than any other year. My plan is to live like a little kid – with a sense of wonder, joy, and minimal expectation for the things that are yet to come. To not let my inner clockwork get messy by thinking there’s only one way to tick, but instead keeping in mind that I can remain open to different interpretations of the same circumstance.

I want my time to be shaped by me, rather than me be shaped by time. As the school year is ending, my journey is just beginning.

Follow me @hopesophie17 to keep up with me this summer! Questions or comments? Post below or sen me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

Last-Minute Adventures

As the year comes to a close and we are soaking up as much of each other’s presence as possible before we scatter for the summer, we have found that there is always time for some last-minute adventures.

On Friday SAC hosted Spring Fling. The Pine Grove was filled with inflatable-everything-imaginable, music, a photo booth, food and more food, but most of all it was filled with joyful energy. Hope College came out of their dorms, out of the library, out of the muted life of winter, and filled the Pine Grove. People were laughing, dancing, racing through an inflatable obstacle course, zip lining, trying to hold heir own against a mechanical bull, hammocking, and just being present with each other. It was a lovely time to be a part of.

The Free t-shirt from this year’s Spring Fling
All of the people filling the Pine Grove

Saturday night Van Vleck took a trip to Tunnel Park to catch the sunset and take a step back to relax with each other before finals week. Though a bit chilly, it was a beautiful sunset with some beautiful people. It was also my first time watching a Lake Michigan sunset and I was very happy to experience such a wonderful sight as one of these last minute adventures before going back to Pennsylvania for the summer.

Finally, on Monday, I biked over to the Windmill Island Gardens with my friend Ashley and my camera. We walked around the island, took lots a pictures, and marveled at the tulips beginning to bloom and the fact that spring has sprung and summer is already practically here. It’s crazy to think that just over eight months ago I didn’t know Ashley existed, but now we are best friends and thinking how weird it is going to be to not see each other everyday for the next four months.

Chillin on Windmill Island and ignoring studying for awhile…
Ashley and I with the windmill
The Tulips are blooming and they are absolutely beautiful!
Close up of the windmill

College is funny like that. The caliber of the relationships you form are like none other and the time you get to spend with those amazing people seems like forever while, at the same time, it feels like it’s just flying by. Makes me conscious of being thankful for these last-minute adventures.

Thanks for reading!
~Erin

Feel free to follow me on Twitter (@HopeErin18) or Instagram (@e_delaney333) for some pictures and thoughts on my last few days at Hope for the year.

Dear Hope College

Dear Hope College,

Let me preface this post with some honesty – Hope was NOT my first choice. I didn’t want to come here because I had family that has been here. I wanted to go somewhere different, not following in the footsteps of my family. Four years later, I find myself struggling leaving behind an institution that has changed me for good in so many ways. Although I am ready to graduate and apply the things I have learned, leaving behind the friendships among my friends and professors will be the most challenging part. I know I won’t be able to call my friends who are 5 minutes away and see if they want to go to dinner, or go watch a movie, and that very thought scares me. Plus, being 6,000 miles away is going to make it more difficult, but this is all part of the challenge.

Since my freshman year, my faith has grown exponentially. Not only did Chapel and the Gathering help in this process, but the intentionality my friends and professors had in my spiritual journey really propelled me. The pure intentionality that is characteristic of the Hope College community is very unique and cannot be found anywhere else. Without the supportive community Hope harbors, I would not be the same adult I am today. This is what attracts so many students to come here. It’s amazing.

Additionally, Hope has provided me with opportunities that no other college could have given. Firstly, I was accepted into the Nursing program, one of the most difficult programs to get into. Without this backbone in my college career, where would I be!? The experiences that I’ve had within the program also led me to other opportunities including becoming a teaching assistant (TA).

I was also able to visit Washington D.C. for two years in a row; one year to meet presidential candidates and the other to discuss and learn more about social injustices. I was accepted to study abroad in Vienna with Hope’s Vienna Summer School, yet again providing me with an unforgettable experience. The memories and friendships formed are ones that are merely unforgettable.

One of my highlights throughout my entire college career is my involvement in student life, with Student Activities Committee (SAC). Becoming a student leader and leading an influential group on campus has allowed me to grow in ways I could not have imagined. Through this organization, I gained skills, an influential mentor, and life-long friends. I continuously rave about how hard-working my organization is and I am incredibly proud. Leaving behind an organization such as SAC will be tough knowing that it is going to exponentially grow.

It’s crazy to think about everything that has happened these past four years. A lot of things make sense now. I now understand why some opportunities were closed for me; God had a better plan for me and opened other doors for me. All of my experiences too now make sense, because all of my hard work has paid off and I am headed to serve in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. My jigsaw puzzle is complete, for now!

This liberal arts college, this campus, and these people make Hope what it is. Knowing that I have been part of Hope’s heart and soul is the very reason why I don’t want to leave. The individuals who have supported me through my triumphs and set-backs, from the moments I celebrated to times I cried, thank you so much for being there for me. You too, Hope College, thank you for being there for me. Hope is more than just a school with a great accolades; Hope is a community in which you are supported, loved, and appreciated. And for that, Hope College, I thank you.

With much love,
Marvin Solberg

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Spring Fling – Music, Friends, Fun.

Most days here at Hope are pretty great, but none have been greater than last Friday afternoon, when SAC held Spring Fling in the Pine Grove.

The sky was bright blue and faces were smiling as Hope’s entire student body lined up around the Pine Grove, waiting to enter and receive the free Spring Fling shirt. Inflatables were being set up, hamburgers were on the grill, and the music began to carry us away into the afternoon.

I know this all sounds a little cheesy and it’s hard to believe something that wonderful can happen, but it can and it did. I have pictures to prove it.

The sky as we waited in line
The Pine Grove filling with friends 🙂
Zip line and Inflatable Slide
Free ice cream!
There was even a mechanical bull!

Just a few parts of Spring Fling included: laser tag, a zip line, a giant inflatable slide, barbecue dinner, a mechanical bull, free ice cream, a live band, s’more making, an inflatable bungee basketball game, a jousting blowup, and an obstacle course.

The best part by far about Spring Fling was that everyone was there. The people you met in your hall, the people you met in class, the same people you smile at while walking to class every day, the people you’ve haven’t yet had the pleasure to meet. Seeing everyone and being able to spend time with them before leaving was the most I could’ve asked for.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my last weekend at Hope. Spring Fling is now my favorite event put on by the SAC, and I can’t wait until next year (even though the thought of being a sophomore already is killing me).

Me with some friends!
Me with my roomie and cluster mate 🙂
We had some good times in the photo booth.
Look at all of those people in the background!

I’m really glad I could share this experience with all of you reading. Hopefully one day you can experience something like Spring Fling, too, or come to Hope’s and have a blast.

Thanks for reading,

Brooke

If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my Twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!

Spring Break in Nice, France!

It’s been a while, but I am back to update you on my recent spring break trip in Nice, France! I was ready for a little getaway before finals and last-minute papers and essays, so a vacation on the beach was exactly what I needed. This time around, I did things a bit differently compared to my last break in Spain. First, I didn’t want to spend all 10 days of my break in Nice, so the weekend before I left, I stayed in Paris. I finally made it to visiting the Sacré Coeur, a Roman Catholic Church located at Paris’ highest point in the Montmartre neighborhood. The view from the bottom is amazing! Afterwards, my friends and I ended up walking around the neighborhood for a little bit, and ended up stopping for a baguette. In Paris, you see people walking around eating their baguette and it is as normal as can be! I found myself doing the same thing now that I have been here a while 🙂 I was so glad I was able to spend some more time in Paris now that I only have two weeks left!

View of the Sacré Coeur while walking up
View of the Sacré Coeur while walking up
Typical: me with my baguette in hand!
Typical: me with my baguette in hand!

Instead of taking the plane to Nice, which is always the fastest option, I took the train with my friend Elizabeth. It was a 5-hour ride, but having some company on the train made the time go by fast! We arrived at our Airbnb apartment on Monday night, where our friends Amaya and Miguel were also staying and waiting for us. Exhausted from our day of traveling, we ate dinner and rested. We didn’t plan anything for this trip, seeing as we just wanted to spend most of our time on the beach! The beaches in Nice were super rocky and a bit uncomfortable, unfortunately, but I made the most of it! I only dipped my legs in the water since the water was very cold!

On Wednesday, we all decided to spend half the day in Monaco, which was only a short train ride away. We passed by so many pretty and cute little towns that I wished we could visit them all! But Monaco was on my list simply for the views I saw in pictures. We got there and just walked around and ate lunch near the beach. The views were simply incredible:

Enjoying the beautiful weather in Monaco!
Enjoying the beautiful weather in Monaco!

It was so nice to send my last break with good friends, relaxing and simply enjoying life. I can’t wait to see what other fun memories I will make in these last two weeks!

Follow me on Twitter @HopeMarisela16 or send me questions at marisela.meraz@hope.edu. Thanks for reading!

Last Day of Undergrad Classes

This year has officially come to a close! That’s right, today is my last day of classes and it’s pretty bittersweet. I don’t think it’s hit me quite yet because I’m excited just to be done with homework and projects, but I will greatly miss the friends, professors and routine of each day. However, I think I’m truly ready for a new stage of my life and am really looking forward to living in Grand Rapids for the next three years. It’s been pretty comforting that I’ll only be 45 minutes away from Holland and Hope in general, so I don’t have to say goodbye forever. It’s also nice knowing that some of my friends are going to be in the Holland area, so saying goodbye at graduation will be more of a “See you later,” which will hopefully prevent some tears. With everything wrapping up, I’m excited to be spending the last few days with some of my best friends, especially at Spring Fling this afternoon.

The past two evenings have also been a great way to wrap up senior year because the two intramural teams I was on (frisbee and soccer) ended up winning the most competitive leagues. I’ve been a part of these teams for the past few years and it was a great way to end this great era because we won shirts for both teams. On top of that, I was able to score a great goal in the soccer game last night, making the evening extra special and memorable. I don’t think I could have ended my time here at Hope any better considering intramurals have been such a highlight for me these past four years. I’ve loved playing the sports but also getting to make friends I would not have otherwise gotten to know.

It’s so weird to have a final countdown until graduation because I have one class today, one exam Monday and then nothing the rest of the week until graduation. I think it’s going to be a surreal week just knowing that I’ll see these familiar faces for only a few more days and then never again unless there’s a great turnout at a future class reunion. I think the most scary thing about ending undergrad is the comfort and bubble we’ve been living in and now having a level of uncertainty of the future. I know for me, I still have more school so I’m certain of the next three years but many of my friends have a lot of anxiety because they don’t know what’s happening after graduation. Despite all of the nerves, I’m so happy and proud of myself and my friends for surviving college and getting through some tough times. I truly think it’s time for people to challenge themselves again and continue making memories. I’m beyond thankful for Hope and how it prepared me for graduate school and just life in general and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me and my friends in the future.

Ultimate Frisbee Champions! Alliance of the Magicians
Ultimate Frisbee Champions! Alliance of the Magicians
Most Competitive Soccer Champs! Yeah Chupalo!!
Most Competitive Soccer Champs! Yeah Chupalo!!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Making a Dorm Room Your Room

I have begun taking down decorations that have made our room ours for the last 8 months. Instead of dwelling on tearing down our room, I decided to put together a list of dorm decorating ideas that I and my friends have used this year that you can take for some inspiration when it comes to decorating your room in the fall. Decorating your dorm room is what transforms it from a dorm room into your room. It gives it that personalized, homey touch that makes the space inviting and fun to live in.

Here are my top 10 dorm decorating ideas:

1. Something Colorful

My paint-chip decoration thanks to some Pinterest browsing for ideas.
My paint-chip decoration thanks to some Pinterest browsing for ideas.

Anything that can transform a blank, white wall into something bright and fun will improve the feel of your room. I spent the summer before moving to college stopping at Home Depot or Trader Horn after my morning runs to pick up a few different color swatches here and there and then move in weekend I spent awhile arranging them on our wall and it’s probably my favorite decoration in the room because it is so colorful and happy.

2. Calendar

Ashley’s dry-erase calendar she purchased
Kristin’s DIY calendar
The decal style calendar that I used this year

Not only are these practical, but they can be a fun addition for decorating your room, too! You can have an easily seen spot to keep track of upcoming deadlines and events, as well as making sure to mark fun events and celebrations that happen throughout the month. You can buy decal-like calendars that stick on and peel off the wall (that’s what I used) or dry-erase calendar boards like the one my friend Ashley has. My roommate, Kristin, made a cool DIY calendar using a picture frame, some scrap booking paper and stickers.

3. Pictures. Lots of Pictures.

I pinned up pictures and I added to them throughout the year.
By the end of the year the wall was just a bit more full with pictures, notes, and signs from friends.

Pictures are a great way to have reminders of home, family, friends, and pets around you. They are also a great way to continue to document and remember your year making new friends in your new home.

4. Dry-Erase Boards.

The dry erase board on Ashley and Abby’s door. I was pretty proud of that penguin drawing
Today’s Quotation on my roomie’s board

These are super-fun to have on your door so friends can leave notes and pictures and you can leave notes and pictures for them on theirs. My roommate uses her board for a quotation of the day.

5. Post-it Notes

The post-it notes I have collected from friends over the last 8 months that now decorate my wall
These ones are practical and decorative. They hold my finals dates and my scheduling options.
Smiley face arranged notes from a friend.
These are post-it notes I have made for my roommate over the semester she has kept on her wall,
Note the sticky notes that line our doorway. My friend Ashley covered it with notes of encouragement before an interview I had.

These things are all around useful. They’re good for reminders, to-do lists, doodles, book marks and notes. One of my favorite things is writing notes for friends that have exams, presentations, performances, or I just want to make sure they know how awesome they are. So stock up on some colorful sticky notes and by the end of the year your room will be decorated with sweet notes from friends, your attempts at breaking down what classes to take, your exam week schedule – the possibilities are endless. But they will all be on colorful papers that will brighten up your room no matter the content.

6. Lights

Our mood lighting

The big overhead lights get old sometimes. It’s nice to have Christmas lights to string up for you to turn on when you want something different. Plus, they are another fun feature for decorating. I found these colorful lantern lights in my basement while organizing the stuff I was bringing to college.

7. Posters

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Yet another fun thing to hang and jazz up your room. At the beginning of the school year there will be a poster sale held on campus which is really fun to walk around and maybe find a cool picture for your room.

8. Plants

I started growing these dwarf sunflowers after Spring Break and I love them
I started growing these dwarf sunflowers after Spring Break and I love them

If you are one of those people who can’t keep plants alive you might want to ignore this tip. Otherwise, having living things in your room makes it feel less like being stuck in a cave on those days where you have to stay in and study or it’s negative something out in the dead of winter.

9. The Door

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10. Anything Anchors. Anything Hope. Anything Orange & Blue

My Hope-y graduation cap
hope is an anchor to the soul sign in my friend Ashley’s room
Ashley’s Hope Christmas ornament turned everyday door decoration
My grandma found this Hebrews 6:19 sign for me
Orange & Blue hope magnet my mom sent to me

Naturally, you are probably already drawn to everything you see that has to do with anchors, Hope, and orange & blue. They are another great item to consider putting up in your new space at home sweet Hope. I even hung up my graduation cap that I decorated since otherwise it would just gather dust at home.

 

You can probably tell that I like to decorate. Hopefully one of these suggestions has inspired the dorm decorator inside of you! Enjoy your preparation for moving to Hope and have fun decorating!

~Erin
You can follow me on Twitter (@HopeErin18) and Instagram (@e_delaney333) for pictures and thoughts from this last week here at Hope.

Ultimate Frisbee Champions

So after last night, my Hope College experience is complete. I finally won an IM t-shirt. At the beginning of the year (last fall), I said that I couldn’t graduate without a shirt. Thank goodness I won one – I’m thinking my parents wouldn’t really want me to be coming back for a 6th year…

This semester I learned how to play ultimate frisbee and had a blast. Every Monday and Wednesday I would look forward to 6:30 PM when I got to meet up with the team to play. It was fun playing on the football field – I have to say, turf is pretty nice. And last night, for the final game, not only did we play on the football field, but we also got to play under the lights – that just made the whole experience even better.

And while we’re on the topic of last night being a “cool” experience, I’ll just go go ahead and say that it was cool because we won the shirt, but it was also snowing… Only in Michigan does it snow at the end of April.

So here’s my advice to you – if you’re coming to Hope, you should learn how to throw a frisbee. Playing ultimate is tons of fun, and you get to make great friends along the way. Who doesn’t want to have fun and make friends??

Enjoy the pictures from last night’s game – they were taken by my good friend (and photographer) Matthew Douglas

Champs!

Preparing to Go

My freshman days here at Hope are numbered. There are eight days until my mom scoops me up in her minivan and we head home. Move-In Day seems both years away and also as if it were only last week. Here’s how I’m preparing myself to leave school, and how you can begin to prepare yourself to come to Hope.

Physical Preparation

I can’t really move anything around in my room yet, since I don’t have boxes or suitcases. The most I can really do is take the stuff on my wall down, but that would be sad.

One of my walls with all of my pictures and quotes :)
One of my walls with all of my pictures and quotes 🙂

Academic Preparation

Studying. As much as it hurts, we all have to do it. Finals start here on Monday, and that’s when I have my hardest exam. At least I’m getting it out of the way, right? Sure.

Mental Preparation

Telling myself that I’m going to go four months without being at Hope is pretty hard. That’s a long time to be away from people I’ve lived with and seen pretty much every day this year. I guess the way to prepare for this is just to remind myself that it’s happening, but there are plenty of great things that await me this summer.

Color fight photo
My sorority did a color fight before our formal. This is me and a couple of friends after!

So how can a prospective student prepare to come to Hope?

Physical Preparation

Take lots of photos (I think I’ve said this a million times, which just shows that it’s important), print them before you come. Maybe get some cute dorm supplies, do a few DIYs, buy some stuff from the Hope Bookstore. It’s important that you feel at home while you’re here. Start doing little things on your own if you don’t already, like your laundry or other independent tasks. This will make the transition feel a little bit more natural.

A DIY I made before coming to Hope :) HOPE letters!
A DIY I made before coming to Hope 🙂 HOPE letters!

Academic Preparation

Don’t slack off just because you’re a senior. You’ll be back to the books, with more material than ever, when you come to Hope. Make sure you keep your brain moving! Maybe check out a few books this summer just to get those juices flowing.

Mental Preparation

It didn’t seem real to me until the night before move-in what was actually happening to me. I didn’t realize how scary it was, although exciting as well, to be leaving home and my family. You could say that I had a mini panic attack in my bed that night. Just soak up every moment and don’t take things for granted, because soon you’ll be on your own (which I think is definitely a good thing now). I think it’s important to remind yourself every once in a while that you are leaving.

Pine Grove
Are you ready to make this place your home?

I hope you’re all enjoying these last weeks of April as we here at Hope college wind down and hit the books. We loved seeing all the prospective students this past Saturday. Go Hope 🙂

Brooke

If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!