Hope College

At Hope College in the “lovely place” known as Holland, Michigan,” the “Christian culture,” “challenging academics,” and “11:1 student/faculty ratio” combine to form a “wonderful social and community atmosphere,” with “small class sizes” that “allow for collaboration in research” and “focused learning.” “There is no question” that Hope’s faculty is “its biggest asset.” Professors “care about and support their students,” and “serve as mentors” until well after graduation. “Our professors all teach very differently,” offering myriad opportunities to expand students’ perspectives: “I am very satisfied with the various ways I have been taught at Hope,” says one student, explaining that among her classes, some professors “did not have a single lecture the entire semester,” some would “lecture 80 percent of class time,” “some held class half the time to give us personal time to work on our research, and some had “student presentations for the majority of class time.”

Overall, the school “boasts great academic programs that are lead by professors that typically care about your whole personal development.” The pre-med, science, engineering and music programs are all “excellent” and are both “community-focused” and “focused on global learning.” Hope has one of the “greatest undergraduate research programs in the nation and it shows.” Students get “invaluable experience outside of the classroom here.” There are strong “off campus study programs, both internationally and domestically,” “arts programs,” and students praise the “authenticity and sincerity of staff…offering resources for whatever needs you could have.”

The 3,500 or so students at Hope are “known for the friendliness.” Although the school is “affiliated with the Christian Reformed church, students are encouraged to find their own religious and spiritual path.” The majority of students claim Dutch heritage. There is “not that much diversity, but “people are helpful and genuinely care.” A few students said that they would “like to see Hope become a more welcoming place for people of different ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and religious backgrounds.” Despite the relative homogeneity, another student says there is a “mix of liberal and conservative values on campus, where you’re “just as likely to find a protest for pro-life as you are pro-choice.” Hope students, “if nothing else, are over-involved,” taking on “second and third jobs regularly,” “joining multiple clubs,” and still having “time for social lives.” “Being uninvolved is being out of sync with the campus,” says one student. Not only do students “wholeheartedly pursue academic success, but they put an equal amount of effort into service and leadership.” The student body “as a whole is very community-oriented.”

The “beautiful campus” in Holland is “in proximity to Main Street, which makes the college feel more connected to the city,” and quite close to Lake Michigan. Downtown Holland offers bars and “three excellent coffee shops where everyone goes to study,” as well as “multiple parks and green spaces for students to use freely.” “There are many places to go within walking distance. It is about forty minutes away from Grand Rapids, and about ten from the nearest beach.” Students “hammock in the Pine Grove,” go for “walks or bike rides” to the beach to see the sunset, go “sledding” in the winter, and “hiking” in the summer. The Student Activities Committee “plans events on the weekends that are very popular among students, including movie nights, trips for roller skating, dodgeball, …perform[ances], bubble soccer,” and so on. Plenty of students enjoy intramural sports, and “sororities and fraternities are popular.” There is a large “faith community” at Hope, and accordingly, the college offers “chapel services three times a week.” These aren’t by any means required, which students approve of as it “means that everyone who is there wants to be there, which makes a lot more passion.” Hope has “the best D3 athletics in the nation,” and students find the basketball games “a ton of fun.” There “isn’t much of a party culture” on campus, though on weekends, “many students go to parties in the campus-owned off-campus cottages,” and “about once a month, there is a no-alcohol dance party put on by a few students who cook delicious waffles and pancakes, paid for by Campus Ministries.”