If you ask a Hope student why they chose to come here, you’ll hear different answers every time. There are countless reasons to come here. Personally, what drew me here is how Hope as an institution is often described, which is as a small, Christian, liberal arts school.
Small
Hope has a little over 3000 students. This size doesn’t make it feel too small, but it’s great for making close connections with both students and faculty alike. Walking around campus, it feels like I see friends around every corner. In the classroom, you’re not just a name on the attendance sheet. Your professors actually know and care about you. My general education classes have had a class size of around 20–30 people, but as I’ve gotten into classes for my major that number has shrunk, which has made me feel closer to the people in my department.
Christian
Faith permeates the culture on campus. There are many opportunities to join bible studies, prayer groups, and fellowship with the rest of the college community. However, there isn’t an enforced one way to believe. There’s plenty of room for everyone to decide what their faith looks like, or if they even have faith at all.
Liberal Arts
Hope’s emphasis on general education allows students to explore their interests even if they’re totally unrelated to their major. Even as a freshman, I’ve been able to explore so much of my interests that lie outside what I intend to major in. Also, it’s really easy to double major in two totally unrelated topics. I want to double major in computer science and Chinese studies. Not only do I have room to do both, I have room to take elective classes, even though I only transferred in two credits.
There are many reasons to choose Hope, including several that I didn’t cover. However, I think the most compelling reasons come from how Hope is described: as a small, Christian, liberal arts school.