If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering what it is like to spend time in a dorm. Perhaps some of you have ventured into a dorm room at one time or another, especially if you have older friends or relatives in college. But before I arrived at Hope, I had no idea what dorm life would be like.
I live in Kollen Hall this year (and I’ll be living here next year, too!) Chances are, I’ll probably see some of you around – and I’m psyched.
Here’s some background info on Kollen Hall:
Kollen is the largest dorm on campus, housing approximately 300 freshmen and sophomore students. (I think the number is 294 students, actually.) It’s a co-ed dorm with the East Wing for boys and the West Wing for girls. That being said, here’s how it works: The two separate hallways are divided by doors that close each night at midnight and open in the mornings, typically around 10 AM. Although it may sound strange at first to think about girls and guys living on the same floor, I assure you, there is plenty of privacy due to the doors being shut throughout the night and most of the morning. Living on the same floor as guys has actually been really fun this year, because I have a great amount of girl and guy friends to hang out with – and they’re all right down the hall!
Kollen also has some awesome additional resources, such as a computer lab room in the basement (all of the dorms have this luxury), but we also have an air-conditioned lounge (not every dorm has this luxury) and study rooms on all three floors. These are also great places to meet people, watch movies, do homework, and play games! The part I love most about Kollen is the social atmosphere. Everyone is always so welcoming and willing to help with anything you need!
Now that you’ve heard all about Kollen, here’s some of the typical activities on the weekends:
Friday Night:
- Typical movie night. My close group of my twelve friends and I often cram into somebody’s room to watch a movie and chill together.
- Hang with the RAs. The RAs in Kollen are super, super cool and fun to hang out with. They’re always in the lobby on duty after 8 PM, so it’s a great time to join in and play cards or talk with them!
- Show off your talents. Some of my friends are AMAZING guitar players, and I love sitting around listening to them play and sing!
- Do crafts and draw pictures. One night, we “raided” the Kollen printer and took a few pieces of white paper to color! It was so great. It made us feel like little kids again.
- As always, the Good Time Donut Run. If you haven’t heard about the donut runs, it’s perhaps one of the most exciting parts of attending Hope. There’s a little donut shop east of campus that you “run” to (I’ve only actually run once, and it was because we were caught in the middle of a rainstorm) where you can buy a homemade donut at ANY time of the night for 90 cents! Yum!
Saturdays:
- Let’s face it – on Saturday mornings, no one is awake until 10 AM. That’s okay, though! Us college kids have to catch up on our sleep sometime.
- At 11 AM, my RA Maggie supplies us with a book study of Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I’m so blessed to be able to have breakfast and fellowship with the girls from my hall whom I love so much!
- After that… homework, homework, and more homework. It’s a little bit sad, but we make sure to balance that homework on Saturdays is full of fun, too! Every once in a while we trek to JP’s or Lemonjellos, the two coffee shops downtown, for a change of pace. Other times, I’m too lazy to get out of my sweatpants and just stick around Kollen all day.
- For the most part, Saturday nights are pretty similar to Fridays. However, there are a few differences, including campus activities that are offered on Saturdays that are not offered on Fridays, such as Worship Night at Mouw Cottage. Located on 14th Street, every Saturday night they offer a time of worship and prayer in this cottage from 8 PM-midnight. They also often supply snacks… and who doesn’t love snacks? 🙂
- On a side note, this is also typically our night to go out to dinner. Some of my faves are all in the Downtown Holland area. This weekend, we splurged a little more than usual and went to Butch’s downtown… It was definitely the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten in my life. My other personal favorite is 8th Street Grille downtown, where they have incredible gluten free chicken corn chowder!
Sunday:
- A tag team of four of my friends and I head out to church. We either go to Engedi Church or Moran Park, depending on the day. One of the greatest blessings of attending Hope is that there are so many students that attend area churches, we can 1) always find someone to tag along with and 2) worship with others from across campus that you may not see otherwise.
- Then, we eat lunch at Phelps (It’s a tradition.)
- Then, more homework. (It’s a college thing.)
- Then, my most favorite part of the week… The Gathering! This is Hope’s church service that takes place from 8-9:15 every Sunday night. If you stick around for an extra half hour, After Worship takes place. It’s about five extra worship songs to jam out to, courtesy of the worship band!
Weekends at Hope are the “bomb diggity.” There’s not better way to spend time than with amazing people doing awesome things! I love spending quality time building relationships and being with the people around me!
Do you have questions or want more details about activities happening around Hope? Email me at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu. Or, keep up with me @hopesophie17.