Hope College Top Questions

When considering where you would like to attend school, be sure that you are in love with the campus community! For me, I wanted to know that the community I would be immersed in for the next four years would support me academically. It is important to know that faculty, staff, and other students have your best interests in mind. If you are looking for ways to stay busy and get involved, be sure to explore various extra-curricular activities. Not only this, but see what opportunities there are for studying abroad or getting off campus internships etc! These are both great ways to grow as an individual and become a well-rounded individual! In my opinion, one of the most beneficial things a student can do when conducting their college search is to talk with current students! Talking with a student will allow you to get a fresh persepctive on the college or university. If possible, take part in an over-night visit so that you are able to "live the college life" for a day. Overall, if you follow your heart when making your college deicision, you are bound to be happy and have a wonderful college experience!

Find out what is right for you, don't be swayed by where your friends go and the status of a school. Find the school that is comfortable for you (it feels right) and you can grow and learn.

I would tell students that find a school that they really love not just choose the first one that you get accepted to. When you do find a school were you think you would like to attend make sure you do some research into that school, talk to students, professors, search through all policies and what kind of career placements they have. Students also need to know that school is not free even if your parents are paying for it, this can put stress on the family and your relationship with your parents. When you go to school make sure you make the most of the opportunities that have been placed infront of you. Have fun but be responsible, know that your time in college can be the best time of your life. You also need to know this time can set you up to have the future that you have always wanted, so work hard, make friends and know why your at school and what you want to get out of it.

Visit the school before you decide to go there. Actually being on campus is the best way to figure out whether or not you will fit in. Making the most out of college is easy if you take the time to get involved. There is no need to be involved in every club on campus;, just find one or two that really matter to you.

Visit, Visit, Visit! When I was a junior in high school I wanted nothing to do with college hunting. Now I kind of regret not asking lots of questions and really getting into all of the college tours I went on. Ask about the social life, the greek life, the food, the dorms, everything; not just adademic stuff. Although the education part IS extremely important, you are living here for the next four years! Make sure it is a place you could see yourself living at. And have fun! This is your life! Embrace it!

Talk to your children, you know them best and help them decide what would be the absolute best for them. If you allow them input in the decision, they will listen to you.

I would visit the colleges as much as possible before you enroll. Get the feel for the college and the community. If you have it narrowed down to a few make a pros and cons list and just compare all the qualities you are looking for in a college.

Finding the right college is about being able to walk on the campus and feel like you blend in and yet have the opportunity to stand out by accomplishing something great. It is about feeling the warmth and safety of community, yet still have the freedom to choose how to spread your wings. Once you find that place, make the most of your experience there. Try something new. Venture to form new opinions and test your old ones. Create friendships and give them priority. Absorb as much as you can from your professors. They've experienced a lot more than you can imagine. Study abroad. Select elective classes that challenge your thinking and your beliefs. College is a once in a lifetime experience. Determine now that you will have fun, learn a lot, and be able to look back on these years with joy and not regret. These are the years of exploration. They are safe years because you are in a community. They are challenging years for that same reason. There are plenty of things you learn in the classroom and so much more you learn out of it. Take advantage of every learning experience. It's worth it.

Before you start applying to colleges, definitely visit as many as you can. Even if you are only slightly interested, make a plan to go visit or at least get more information from the professors or students. My parents and I went on several college road trips the summer before my senior year of high school, visiting three or four schools at a time, and that is what absolutely cemented my deision to go to Hope College. It was the only campus that had everything I wanted and I already felt completely at home there. My other advice is to trust you gut instinct when making your final decision. Don't just go to school because your parents went there or it's the most prestigious. You have to choose the school that will fit your needs the best and you feel the most comfortable at. You can't study and perform well in a setting that you hate to be at. And finally, once you're in school, takes classes that interest you, not just ones that are in your major (if you can). You might discover something you love without ever thinking about it before.

Take the time to get to know a campus personally, without staff around. The quality of a campus really cannot be seen in one weekend on a tour hosted by the Admissions Office. Find students to talk to on campus--go to the department of the major you are inteninding to study and approach students for their opinion. Some campuses allow potential students to stay on campus with current students--this is a great way to see the inside of the college's life and atmosphere. To make the most of your college experience one needs to try everything! Don't merely focus on academics; though this is the main reason for attending a college or university, there are so many life lessons to be learned that cannot be acquired in the classroom.