Wild for Pinterest Night

Last year when I had my overnight visit at Hope, my host and her roommate began raving about “Pinterest Night” which was going to be happening in a few weekends. I didn’t know what Pinterest Night was, but I knew I wanted to do it. I’m a bit of a crafty person, so this is quite fitting.

And so there it was on move-in day, written out on the Student Activities Committee’s plans for the fall semester this year again: PINTEREST NIGHT. I was overjoyed. I had to wait, like, a month though, BUT it has finally come. That’s right, Pinterest Night happened.

It got real crafty.

The SAC had various crafts that you could do: canvas art, mason jars, bracelets, cards, and photo frames. I made two cards, a canvas, and a mason jar! Here’s a look at mine and my roommates crafts.

My crafts!
Michelle’s mason jars!
My roommate, Michelle, and I on Pinterest night!
My canvas art: Be Kind

With the mason jar, I plan on either keeping my change in it (for donuts, of course!), or little strips of paper with individual memories or quotes that I want to remember from this year! I’ll use the cards as birthday or thank you cards for people I know here, and the canvas is already hanging in my dorm!

You can do these at home too! If you like doing things like this, all of these are really easy!

For the mason jar: You need a mason jar (obviously), some scrapbook paper, and ribbon or burlap. All you do is cut the scrapbook paper to fit inside the mason jar and voilà, you’re pretty much done. Tie your ribbon around it and add some paper to the top and it’s complete.

For the cards: All you need is fun scrapbook paper, scissors, and glue. You can layer them really anyway you want. Mine weren’t very intricate, as you can probably see, but it would be fun to add stickers that say things like thank you and happy birthday!

For the canvas: You need a canvas, paint, brushes, and (if you want to) peel-off stencil letters. Stick the letters on the canvas first, then paint over them. Peel off when you’re done!

Pinterest night is just one of the many fun things that the SAC does! I’m so happy they brought it back this year so that I could go to it!

Have a great week,

Brooke – email me brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu with any questions, or follow my twitter @hopebrooke18!

The Plan

Well readers, it’s happening. I’m growing up. Because guess what happened this week??

The four year plan was made. That’s right. My major? English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. My future? Decided.

Well at least for the next four years.

It’s crazy isn’t it? Last year, I was just a freshman, trying desperately to find a major – my fate, if you will, and I gave up. Just gave up, all because I couldn’t settle on something and thought the cause was lost. I had stressed and stewed about the decision for the majority of the year, and so I decided to take the summer off and deal with this monstrous decision at the beginning of this year, so I could thoroughly enjoy my summer. As the months passed by, I let the thought process sit, and eventually forgot about it altogether.

When the school year came, I was more than ready to tackle this decision and figure out how my years would be spent. My mind-set going into the year was: I’m going to use all my resources to figure out what I’m good at and what I like to learn about. And let me tell you, Hope has more resources to help a person out in this department than I knew what to do with! I had countless meetings with my Academic Adviser (needless to say, her and I are good friends now), and Amy over at Career Development? We also became very, VERY good friends.

A few other things that helped me think through this decision, besides my Advisor and the wonderful people at Career Development, were talking to people from the departments I was interested in. I was lucky because my Advisor was in the English Department, so I could talk to her about any questions that I had, but I also talked to numerous people in other programs I was thinking about, such as the Art Department and the Management Department. Just talking with professors in different departments and asking them any questions you might have really helps to sort your thoughts and see if that department is somewhere you’d be happy learning. The second thing that helped me and really got me off to a good start of learning where I wanted to go was the Strengths Quest (provided through Career Development). The strengths quest is an online test you take to see what kinds of attributes you have. For example, my Strengths quest showed that I had strong relationship-building skills. Even though my strengths didn’t determine my major, they definitely gave me good direction with which to start my journey of finding my major.

Even though my major is decided, I still don’t know what I want to do career-wise, and my advice to ANYONE (not just freshmen) is that that’s okay, you don’t have to know! I used to think that everyone in college knew what they were doing after they graduated, but it turns out in talking to almost everyone, that the job or field of work they are in now is completely different than what their major was. I love that. It really does make the possibilities of what a person can do with their life endless.

So for those of you stressing out about what your major will be or what job you’ll get once you’ve graduated, stop all your worrying! There are people and resources here at Hope that will help you through whatever decisions you need to make. They are more than willing to do so. And you’ll find your place in the world, just like everyone else has. Don’t worry. You’ve got time.

If you have any questions about how you can explore your major and career options, visit http://www.hope.edu/student/career/about.html You won’t be disappointed!

Until next time!

 

Fall Break in Chicago Recap

Fall Break has come and gone, but I am still so happy with how my long weekend turned out. It was busy and not all that relaxing, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Abby
Abby and I took a quick picture before fall break so we could look at it when we missed each other.
Allix
Quick pre-fall break photo with Al Pal!

Friday after class, my friend Christin and I hit the road for Chicago. She was visiting her sister and I was visiting my boyfriend and a bunch of other friends at their school. We were both super excited!

Brittney
Visiting my friend Brittney at school!

That night, Larry and I went out to a restaurant called Cheesie’s, where they only serve grilled cheese (my favorite food!). It has been featured on Man vs. Food and I’ve always wanted to go to a restaurant that has been on that show, so it was really cool! Later, we went downtown to Millennium Park after dark and saw the Bean when there were barely any people there, which was really sweet.

Saturday morning and afternoon, I ate Swedish oven pancakes with some new friends for a little bit of downtime, and later that night, Larry and I went out for a Mexican dinner. After that, we stopped by his school’s soccer game and watched them win!

Invaded Photos
Our photos may have gotten slightly invaded, but that’s okay!

Sunday, we left bright and early to go to Indianapolis to the Colts vs. Ravens football game with my whole family!

Larry and coffee
Check out this cool guy with this coffee.

We met my family at the stadium and it was really great to see them all (I hadn’t seen one of my brothers since Christmas!). We had a blast, and the Colts won!

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After the game, we trekked back to the Chicago area and had Giordano’s Pizza (a Chicago staple) with some of Larry’s family. It was so great to see them!

Monday, Larry had class, so I explored his campus a little bit. We were able to grab lunch and hang out in between classes, and then Christin came to pick me up and we all had dinner together. I ran into a bunch of friends I worked with at camp this summer throughout my weekend, which was really great. It’s always so good to see them!

Campus
Pretty fall colors in Chicago!

Overall, it was such a good weekend, and I’m so glad I was able to go! Keep up with my other adventures on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), and via email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu! Thanks for reading!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

– James 1:17

Fall Break is Done, but more Treasures Await!

Hey everyone!

Fall Break was a blast. It was great to be able to sit down and relax, see family, and rest up and get ready for the second half of the semester. Some of the coolest things at Hope college are the possibilities to experience new life adventures. The churches in the area love to provide a means for these sort of activities. This next weekend I get to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. I cannot wait for this because it is only one of the best amusement parks ever! The awesome part is that I will be going with a group of guys who are going to be involved in a mens group. This allows us to get to know each other and have fun. I cannot wait to ride the Top Thrill Dragster again! Here’s a video if you have not heard of it.

This roller coaster launches you to 120 mph in a matter of seconds. It is only about a 12 second ride, but it is so worth it!

This is just one trip that is a possibility here at Hope. There are so many small groups, bible studies, and just good groups of friends that you can get together and go do a fun activity with. There is not a better place to find these great opportunities. If you are interested in activities put on by churches or ministry groups you will be more than welcomed into them, but if you are not interested they are not going to pressure you into it. It is purely your choice. I would say go for it though! There is no doubt that you will meet some incredible people and possible life long friends.

Thanks again for reading! Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Proverbs 27:17(NLT)

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

One College Fits All

We’ve all heard of the phrase, “one size fits all.” Especially for you high school seniors, let’s take that phrase to the next level, “one college fits all.” I was there with you, I wanted to go to a college where it had everything for me: perfect class size, outstanding academics, vibrant social atmosphere, opportunities to grow, intentional relationships, and so much more. After visiting many many colleges, from big public universities to small liberal arts colleges, I landed on Hope College.

I’ve had family members come to Hope, so that is the true reason why I applied. I always had the thought in my head that Hope was the last place I’d go because I wanted to do something different with my life, I didn’t want to follow any certain “footsteps.” Look at me know, I am a senior and loving life at the school that was my last choice. Do I regret anything? Absolutely NOT.

In working for admissions, it is not my goal to advertise Hope College to you, but to rather share my experiences with you to show you how I live my life and how I grew as a person here at Hope College. Any other school, including Hope will answer all of your questions and tell you what you want to hear, but let’s be real, “college shopping” is beyond that. You have to look at both sides of the story, not just the pretty side.

Let’s dive in to see how I’ve grown as an individual here at Hope for the past 4 years. Yikes, that seems like a long time ago!

  • Faith. I was always a believer. I knew God was always there. My only problem was being intentional and growing in my faith. What is faith if it’s not challenged, right? The great thing about Hope was that no certain religion was constantly being shoved down your throat. To be honest, that was one of my biggest fears coming to any Christian school. If religion was shoved down my throat, I would simply walk away. But the very fact that practicing your faith by choice was just splendid. It showed me that it should be up to me, not the church to pursue my faith. To see that other students also did it by choice made me want to pursue my own. No pressure at all. I am forever thankful for this because now, all of my academics and relationships are faith based. I would have NEVER gotten that a big school.
  • Academics. Challenges are great, everyone wants a good challenge. Hope provided me with challenges, especially in the academics. I’m not going to lie to you, or sugar coat anything. School is hard, and Hope’s caliber regarding academia has a high standard. But knowing this, there is so much support available for students if they are struggling with any class. I definitely took this as an advantage. Freshman and sophomore years, I had tutors in various classes to help me succeed. They worked around my schedule and tailored the tutoring session to me and my learning styles. Without my tutors, I would not be where I am today. Do yourself a favor, if you end up at Hope, don’t be ashamed to get academic support. Hope wants to see you succeed, so take that as an advantage!
  • Social. The last facet of my “big 3” (faith, academics, and social) aspects on life was dramatically changed. I was that kid in high school that said, “when we go to college, let’s keep in touch!” Yeah, that rarely happened. What I found was that I only kept in communication with a few friends. That really showed me that people change, and my relationships were not deeply rooted. My relationships at Hope College on the other hand are OUT OF THIS WORLD. When people say your college friends are your lifelong friends, believe it. All of my relationships here at Hope are ones I cherish. They are all centered on faith, and my connections are just so deep that it would take so much to break those apart. All of my best friends (with an exception for a few from home!) were synthesized at Hope College. And for that, I am forever grateful.

If that’s not telling you enough, I don’t know what else is. Colleges are supposed to change your life. Hope didn’t change my life though, it transformed it. Because of this institution, I would not be the person I am today.

Here is a cliché Hope College picture for you all.
Here is a cliché Hope College picture for you all.

“Studying” in College 101

Hi friends! I am back with another “How To” post, one that I think is going to be useful. I always struggled with studying for tests in high school, and have tried every studying trick there is out there. (Don’t even get me started on note cards…) Since then, I have found what works for me when it comes to preparing for a big exam. This post is written by me, a college student, on how to study in college, but studying is universal am I right? Everyone in school should know how to study. Let me just preview this post with a disclaimer by saying this: *These tips may not work for everyone. We each have our own way of studying that works for us, but not for others.* You can also alter some of these tips based on the class, type of exam, etc. So, without wasting anymore time, let’s get started!

1. Find Your Study Space

Finding a quiet space where you can focus and concentrate is essential to making use of your studying time. I recommend finding a place other than your dorm room! You have your food, bed, and TV right there for you to get distracted. Or you could get to talking to your roommate for what seems like 10 minutes, but really turns into 2 hours (I am guilty of that, I’ll admit it). Instead, scope out other places on campus that would be a better fit, like Van Wylen or the Science Center. Hope may look small, but trust me, you will find your favorite study spot sooner or later. Hope students all have their own secret study space (mine? Lubbers third floor!), so go out and find yours!

2. Come prepared with your studying materials

So, you finally found your study space, wherever that may be, and you are ready to start studying I hope! But, when you rummage around your backpack you realize you forgot some essential studying materials like, let’s say, your notebook and your textbook. Big mistake. Now you have to trudge your way over to your dorm hall, walk up a few flights of stairs, and walk back to where you were. Chances are this tiring trip will deter you from even wanting to study at all. Why walk back when you can relax in your pi’s watching Netflix? To this I say, come prepared! Make sure you have ALL of your study materials BEFORE you leave your room. Depending on the class, you may need your bio or psych book with your binder full of powerpoint slides, or you may just need the novel you are reading for your Lit class and a notebook. Follow this important rule and save yourself a trip across campus.

3. Set up a Studying Schedule

Okay, so this may seem like a little too much, but trust me on this! Setting up a studying schedule will keep you on track to studying well before your exam. I am not talking a month in advance here, but at least 2 or 3 weeks before is going to help you get that A (and we all want that A am I right?) Again, depending on what class you are studying for, this schedule can be altered. Based on experience, for science and math classes it is best to ALWAYS study in advance. Usually, professors will put the dates for each exam on the syllabus, so you will know how long you have to study. A few weeks before the exam, set aside an hour a day to study. As the exam gets closer, increase that hour to 2, 3, 4 and so on. Doing this ahead of time will save you the stress of cramming at the last minute!

4.  Put your phone down…No Seriously…

College students love their phones.I get it, I really do, but I absolutely hate when my friends pull out their phones in the middle of an intense study session (yes, I said intense). Usually, their phones will NOT be on mute and a funny video of a baby laughing will go off (Why? I still have no idea)…Don’t be that person who looks prepared, with your color coded notecards and notes only to be on your phone for the entire time. You are only wasting valuable studying time! Tell your friends you will be studying for an hour in the library so they will know not to bother you. I promise you will live without your phone 🙂 I also advise against bringing your computer, unless you need a term or definition clarified or you are taking a language course and need to use Word Reference. Getting rid of these distractions is essential to making use of your studying time.

5. Take Breaks

I can admit, I often forget this important piece of advice because I get too into my studying, especially when I am stressed out about an exam. But, this is too important not to do! I know so many people, myself included, who think that taking breaks is only going to distract you from what you are studying. Wrong. Chances are, if you are studying for 2, 3 , or 4 hours straight without a break in between your mind is going to be completely drained. Instead, set little goals for yourself when you are studying. Let’s say you want to study French for 2 hours. Great! Then, set up a goal that you will read two chapters in your textbook and will take notes on what you learned. Once that 2 hours is up and you were able to read those chapters and take notes, you can reward yourself for all of your hard work! Invite a friend to get fro-yo at Peachwave, watch an episode of your favorite show on Netflix, or go for a run. Whatever it is you like to do, make that your motivator to keep on studying. Setting little goals and taking breaks will keep you focused and determined.

 

I hope these tips work for you during your next studying session! Tweet me @HopeMarisela16 or email me at marisela.meraz@hope.edu if you have any questions! Happy Studying!

Nykerk!

With October comes changing leaves, apple cider, pumpkin spice everything, and another wonderful Hope Tradition: Nykerk!

Nykerk, like the Pull, is a competition between the even and odd year classes. Hope women compete in one of three categories for their year (Oration, Play, or Song) with the goal of winning the Nykerk cup! Nykerk was started in 1935 by Dr. John Nykerk felt a need for a competition at Hope for women. To read more in depth description of Nykerk and its history you can look here.

I am part of 18 Song and am so excited for the next three weeks! A few other girls on my floor are doing Song as well, so I am looking forward to this being an opportunity to grow closer with them and to meet a lot of other great people. 🙂

To quench what I am sure is an overwhelming curiosity for what Song even is, enjoy the class of 2016’s Sophomore year song!

I hope you have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!
~Erin
PS: you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram for even more little insights on life as a Hope student!

Relaxing Break in Ludington

I think it’s safe so say that Fall is in full-swing now with this cool weather and the leaves changing colors on trees! With Fall comes one huge perk besides apple cider and donuts: FALL BREAK! Every year it seems as though this break comes at the absolute perfect time—right when people need a few days to relax and escape from the stress of classes. Each year I’ve gone to different places such as Wheaton, IL, Kalamazoo, MI, Vernon Hills, IL and now Ludington, MI. All of these little trips are thanks to generous friends and roommates who take me in and show their towns off to me. I’m so thankful for them because if it wasn’t for them, I’d be moping around campus without anyone around!

Anyway, this break my housemate Anna brought me up north to Ludington where we had absolutely zero plans, which was the best plan ever! Friday evening we drove up and had a solid heart-to-heart talk about life (love those moments when you can talk about literally anything with a close friend). We arrived around dinnertime so we ended up having a nice dinner with Anna’s parents and watched “The Princess Bride.” I’ve never watched the whole movie, so I was obligated to finish this classic. We were pretty wiped-out from the week so we called it a night right after the movie ended. The next two days we lounged around A LOT. I think we watched a total of about six movies over the course of the trip—a little excessive but it was perfect. It was so hard to be motivated to do anything when it was raining and pretty windy outside. There was a point where the weather was pretty decent and we went on a little walk to the pier and took some fun pictures. Regardless of the fact that it was in the 40s, the view of the beach was definitely worth it. On Monday we were planning to head back to Holland so we could get some homework done on Tuesday before classes started up again, but before we did we took a walk downtown. It was interesting to view downtown during chillier months because there were hardly any people around since Ludington is more of a summer town for tourists. From what I hear, Ludington is absolutely beautiful in the warmer months so I guess that means I’m destined to take another trip up there to experience it for myself! Hopefully we can pay another visit in the near future!

Fall Break always seems so short, but I guess after two days off we need to get back into the swing of everything and conquer a short week of classes. Now that it’s just about the weekend again, it will help us adjust completely and get into the mindset of studying late at night again. All I have to say is that I’m already looking forward to our next break!

Trip up to Ludington!!!
The Badger!
Gotta love nature!
Anna and me!

Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the weather and try going apple picking or some other fun Fall activity! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Fall Break [Recap]

Hope College is such a great place! But, no matter how great a place is, there’s just something about going home. And that’s why I love Fall Break. It [fall break] comes at just the perfect time. Classes have become more challenging, homework/assignments have become longer and longer, and there’s a test to study for almost every week. It’s so nice to be able to go home, see family and friends, and just relax.

This fall break, my mom and I were busy doing things all around the Dallas area. We tried new restaurants, ate at old favorites, saw some great friends, did a little shopping, started a Christmas craft, and celebrated having our puppy, Maizey Jane, for one year.

One of my favorite things about this fall break was spending time with so many great people back home. I love going out for long dinners, and catching up on life. It’s such a nice feeling to actually be with the people that you’re with, instead of worrying about homework, papers, and tests.

Break is now over, and I’m back in the swing of things – homework, cooking for myself, TV shows with housemates, and working. While I’m missing break, it’s great to have a community at Hope that is so encouraging, and fun to be around.

That’s all for this week! Make sure to check out the blog next week. I’ll be writing about ArtPrize 2014, and keeping y’all updated on Hope College’s Homecoming Weekend! Go Hope!

Home!
Decorating for fal!
Pappadeaux – Yummy Seafood
Happy One-Year Anniversary, Maizey!
Maizey’s been in the family for a year!
Back in Michigan

The Fall Break Fridge Frenzy, featuring Fantastic Food

A few weeks ago while speaking with my mom on the phone, she asked me what type of cake I’d like to have for my 20th birthday (count it down, everyone– my birthday is in fourteen days!). I pondered it for a moment– Chocolate? Vanilla? Pumpkin Spice (it is Fall, right)? But I had only one flavor on my mind.

“You know, mom,” I began, “Could I just skip a cake for this year?”

“Sure, if that’s what you’d like,” she replied. “But you know your friends can always eat it if you don’t want it.”

“True,” I said. “But I’m thinking of something else. Could I skip the cake and have the Sesame Ginger Quinoa salad you made for me during last summer instead?”

FOOD. The one thing that seems to accompany every event, action, and situation I encounter in college.

Last night, my Entrepreneurship class Sales Pitch Practice was accompanied with cookies. I have coffee dates with my besties to catch up and talk about life. Snack breaks while completing long hours of homework. Three meals per day.

Here’s the problem I face, however: Food can be expensive. Or repetitive. Or straight-up-not-the-type-of-food-I-want-to-eat.

Don’t get me wrong, here. Phelps Dining Hall food is not that bad, regardless of what you may have heard. Cook Dining Hall food, primarily for upperclassmen, is good too. The gluten free chicken fingers from the Kletz are prime.

Sometimes, though, I’d love to have an unlimited supply of sushi and pumpkin spice lattes and the opportunity to open my fridge and actually see food (I’m currently sitting with a carton of milk, a container of lemon-lime Jell-O and a cheese stick, which feels less than acceptable to me.)

So, one can only imagine my excitement when I arrived home for Fall Break last Friday night at 1am to find a fridge overflowing with food of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Never in my life had leftover pizza looked and sounded so good to me. I was so excited, in fact, that I slammed the doors shut and embraced my fridge, thanking it for being stocked full of so many delicious items.

A Fridge Full of Food
So much food, so little time to eat it all.

I was in love. I spend the weekend eating all of my favorites that I can’t always find at school– steak, asparagus, and chocolate brownie hot fudge cake for my Dad’s birthday– chowing on an endless supply of yogurt, fresh raspberries, microwave popcorn, and vanilla ice cream.

The saddest part of leaving home (other than saying goodbye to my dog… and my family) is thinking of all the food I was leaving back in the fridge. Unfortunately, the 7-hour drive isn’t cut out for bringing back cold items, and flying to and from Hope doesn’t exactly create an opportunity for space for food.

Not to sound desperate or anything, but, THANKSGIVING, PLEASE COME SOONER.

 

What was the best part about your Fall Break? Let me know by tagging me in your tweet @hopesophie17. Shoot me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu or comment below with any questions you may have. Have a great rest of your week!