Happy Hump Day to all! I know for many students on campus, it’s been a stressful week. I am happy to bring the good news, you are officially more than halfway through the week, and Friday comes in two days, so get pumped. For myself, I have been having a rough week, and next week won’t look any better. It’s just the life of tests, quizzes, papers, and meetings. I mean, this is what I signed up for, and I’m glad I did, but it’s just a lot right now.
Regardless, I know in one of my blog posts, I suggested the “Dear Abby” idea where you ask questions, and I’ll answer them anonymously. I thought I wouldn’t get any questions, or little questions, but I actually received an overwhelming amount!! I’ll feature my favorite questions; that doesn’t mean that I don’t like the other ones!! Here we go!
“Dear Abby, how do you have so much time to be involved on campus while being a full time student?”
Great question. Actually, during my freshman year, I primarily focused on my studies because I really wanted to get into the Nursing program. I didn’t have a job, I actively participated in limited amounts of organizations on campus, and you could locate me on the third floor of the library. Come sophomore year, I still focused on academia, but I got super involved. But being super involved was not the best idea. Although I am a student first, a lot of my time went to different organizations that my academics suffered a little. Fall semester was a little patchy. By spring semester of my sophomore year, I finally properly managed my time with involvement. My spring semester academically was very smooth, and I was active on campus without being overwhelmed. My greatest piece of advice is time management. Sign up for what you only have time for. You are a student first, so class is a priority, but it is also important to be involved. In my opinion, being a student and excelling in academics, but not being active throughout campus doesn’t give students an edge. I truly believe students who excel in academics and are involved throughout campus organizations are at a large advantage!
“Dear Abby, just from your blog posts and tweets, you seem like you are really passionate about nursing. What major would you do if you weren’t a nursing major?”
Another super awesome question. Right now, I could not see myself being any different major. I am blessed to be in the nursing program and am eternally grateful to the Hope College Nursing Department and God with providing me with this opportunity. BUT, if I was not a nursing major, I would be a political science major and go to law school to become an immigration lawyer. Another cool option would be a double major in political science and communications and be a broadcaster for a political news channel!
“Dear Abby, how has your faith grown since being at Hope College? I am just afraid religion will be shoved down my throat!”
I was also afraid that religion would be constantly shoved down my throat. But Hope’s environment is so nurturing, each individual grows in their faith differently! Freshman year, my faith was there, but it wasn’t rooted. I never went to The Gathering, and I rarely went to Chapel. P.S., The Gathering is a church service on Sunday nights, IT’S AWESOME. I just thought I could be doing homework at that time. But my second semester of my freshman year, my roommate convinced me enough to go to The Gathering, and I am so incredibly mad that I missed an entire semester of that. I loved the sermons, the worship songs, and the atmosphere. I will tell you that Chapel was one of the reasons I chose Hope College. It made me feel like home. But when I actually came to school, the majority of my classes were science classes, and I needed to give them my full attention. So I only went to Chapel a few times. But going to The Gathering made me realize why I came to this awesome school. Anyways, religion won’t be shoved down your throat. Your journey in your faith and God will be your journey. It can be quick, it may take time, and it might have its ups and downs. Journey’s are full of surprises! Hope does have resources, like Campus Ministries, Bible Study groups and much more to help facilitate your joinery in Christ. Just remember, it’s your choice!!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST!!
“Dear Abby, convince me why I should go to Hope.”
Interesting question. I actually wrote a blog post about this. But it was a while back, so I’ll summarize what I said. I can give you all of the positives and negatives about this school. Each school can. I am a student blogger because I want to share my experience with prospective students, and I want to show what life is like at college. It’s pretty awesome, that’s for sure! Ultimately, it’s up to you. It shouldn’t be the facts about a school that makes you decide to go there; it should be about tailoring your needs. I wanted to go to a college that was not huge, had a great student to faculty ratio, great financial aid packages, awesome student life, recognized academics, and a decent distance from home. Many colleges fulfilled this criteria. From there, I visited schools and through visits, I scratched off schools that didn’t make me feel at home. When I visited Hope, my criteria were fulfilled, PLUS MORE. The plus more is what definitely helped me chose this institution. There was faith incorporated in my learning, the atmosphere was nurturing, and the professors care about you!! I knew this was the place for me. I could not see myself anywhere else. So, when you go on visits and ask questions, admissions reps and student can tell you what you want to hear, but ultimately, its up to you to decide. Challenge yourself at each school you visit and see if it tailors your wants and needs!
Okay folks, those four questions were pretty awesome. Keep shooting me some more questions because I would gladly answer them. If you haven’t already, follow me on twitter at @HopeMarvin15. Thanks for reading!!