Hope College: An Introduction

Hope College is a private, residential, liberal arts college of approximately 3200 students, located in Holland, Michigan. Hope provides a distinctive blend of exceptional academic opportunities and caring faculty in a Christian atmosphere emphasizing openness and freedom.

Because of its size, Hope is able to offer a breadth of opportunities that is uncommon among liberal arts colleges. Hope has programs in the natural sciences nationally recognized for exceptional quality and an ABET accredited Engineering program. The strength of Hope's reputation, however, is founded on more than just excellence in the sciences. Hope is the only liberal arts college in the United States to hold national accreditation in all four areas of the fine arts: Art, Music, Theatre, and Dance. This allows students to truly expand their gifts in the numerous areas of the arts. Additionally, some of Hope's most popular programs are in Education, Business, and Psychology. Hope is actually one of only thirty-three colleges in the nation, and the only college in Michigan, to offer the Baker Scholars program, providing special enrichment and growth opportunities to students who show promise of being exceptional business leaders.

Hope's programs are not only vast, but are also recognized for their excellence. This is evidenced by a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, a Visiting Writers Series of nationally recognized guest authors, and having received more grant money for undergraduate research from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (NSF-REU) than any other liberal arts institution nationwide!

To complement these extraordinary programs, Hope recognizes the need for outstanding facilities in which students and faculty alike can perform at their best. Within the last three years, a $36 million renovation and expansion of the newly-named A. Paul Schaap Science Center was completed, and the brand new $22 million DeVos Fieldhouse and $12 million Martha Miller Center for Global Communications were completed as well. In addition to these new and exciting building projects, Hope's Van Wylen Library was recently ranked the top undergraduate library in the country, receiving the national "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award" for 2004.

There is also much more to the Hope experience than classrooms, laboratories, and books. Hope offers a wide array of opportunities for students to pursue their interests, build relationships, and have fun! From traditional events like the Pull and Nykerk Cup, to service events like Dance Marathon and Habitat for Humanity, to an extensive athletic program comprising 18 men’s and women’s varsity sports and 38 intramural and club sports, to leadership opportunities through clubs and organizations like Student Congress and the Social Activities Committee, Hope has a variety of activities to pursue beyond the books.

A student's experience at Hope is not limited to what is available on campus. Students may also take advantage of resume-building internship experiences. Hope offers local internships in and around Holland; domestic off-campus programs in Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia; and international study abroad programs in over 60 countries. The experiential nature of these programs is attractive in itself, but it is also valuable as students apply for graduate school opportunities and employment. Some of the advantages include work experience, exposure to major metropolitan lifestyle and business climate, and international and cross-cultural experiences.