Support Your Student

We understand that as a parent, having your student away from home can be challenging. Our goal is to keep you connected in a healthy and empowering way as your student grows at Hope.

From the Health Center to Counseling and Psychological Services, from the Academic Success Center to the Registrar, this collection of resources is a starting point to help you support your student at Hope.

While the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) limits the specific personal and academic information we can share about your student, we can keep you connected to an abundance of available resources.

Academic Advising

Academic Advising at Hope supports students’ discernment of strengths, interests and goals, as well as academic planning in areas such as class registration and tracking academic progress.

Each student at Hope has an academic advisor that they will meet with regularly to help support them on their Hope journey. For first-year students, their advisor is the professor of their First Year Seminar. After students declare a major, they are assigned a new advisor within that academic department.

There are also various staff advisors that can support students in addition to their primary academic advisor. Visit the Academic Advising page for further information on first-year advising, major advising, transfer advising, health professions advising and other advising resources.

Academic Success Center

Transitioning into the rigorous academic environment at Hope can be tough. A successful academic career in high school does not guarantee an easy time at Hope, especially for first-year students. Proper study techniques, research and test preparation are just some of the skills students need to learn in order to thrive academically.

The Academic Success Center (ASC) equips students with the strategies and resources to positively impact their academic performance. Services include peer tutoring, group study sessions, academic advising, peer academic coaching, Peer Partnership Learning and individual study strategy consultations. All services are free of charge and are available to students no matter their degree or year.

Boerigter Center for Calling and Career

Decisions about class schedules, career paths and grad school can be overwhelming. Directing your student to the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career is the best way to give them answers.

The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career offers a variety of services including one-on-one counseling, résumé support, mock interviews and career searches, as well as assistance with grad school selection and applications. The goal is to help your student create a path on which to begin academic and professional exploration.

They can also connect students to The Hope College Connection, providing informational interviews and a network for life.

Your involvement is critical to your students vocational discernment. For more resources to assist their journey, you can visit the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career online.

Campus Ministries

Whether your student is looking to expand a newly formed faith or grow upon an existing foundation, Campus Ministries is the perfect resource to help them on their journey. The chaplains are a team of deeply rooted Christians available to help every student grow in their faith.

Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) the Hope community gathers in Dimnent Chapel for a 22-minute chapel service of worship and spiritual encouragement. Services are also available via livestream. On Sunday evenings, a service called The Gathering takes place with a sermon, communion and prayer.

Men’s and women’s Bible studies are also offered, along with other events to explore what it means to live a life of leadership and faith. For more information about Campus Ministries offerings, check out their website.

Campus Safety

Campus Safety is committed to promoting a safe and secure environment to promote the safety and success of students at Hope College. Students, faculty and staff should be able to work and learn in a safe and secure environment. Dispatchers and officers are available 24 hours, 365 days a year to assist the campus community. Campus Safety has a close working relationship with the Holland Department of Public Safety and the Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority to respond to any emergency which may arise on or around Campus.

Campus Safety is a service-oriented department and offers several services to the campus community:

• Safety escorts
• Parking assistance and management
• Emergency first aid and assistance
• Crime prevention and education
• Incident reporting and investigation
• Enforcement of college policies
• Preventive patrol of campus property
• And many more

Center for Diversity and Inclusion

The primary focus of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) is to support students in their sense of belonging and purpose that empowers them to flourish at Hope College and throughout their future (engagement, retention and achievement). 

Multicultural Student Organizations promote awareness and provide support for the history, culture, experiences and perspectives of diverse communities and communities of color. 

Community Conversations and CDI Town Halls are opportunities for the Hope community to discuss and engage in topics on diversity, equity and inclusion. These conversations are aimed to create greater awareness about societal issues that impact the success of students. 

Counseling and Psychological Services

The Counseling and Psychological Services Office (CAPS) helps students attain holistic health: physical, emotional and spiritual.

CAPS has professionally trained staff who listen, understand and provide counseling with clinical excellence and Christian integrity.

While the relationship between your student and their counselor is confidential, suggesting CAPS as an option is often an important first step for caregivers. Counseling is available free of charge to all degree-seeking students at Hope College.

For more information about handling your student’s homesickness or other physical, emotional or mental concerns, contact Counseling and Psychological Services.

Disability and Accessibility Resources

DAR assists the college with its mission of educating students for lives of leadership and service in a global society by ensuring that all students have equal access to the full Hope College experience. DAR supports self-advocacy and strives to educate faculty, staff and students about disabilities in the context of diversity and encourages an inclusive environment. We believe that all students should always be able to get where they need to go, can fully participate when they arrive, and have access to all information. Learn more about Disability and Accessibility Resources.

Health Center

We know it’s not the same as a homemade bowl of chicken noodle soup, but Hope aims to keep your student’s wellness a top priority all year long through extensive services offered by the Health Center. While the interactions between your student and the Health Center are confidential, understanding the available options is important.

The Health Center provides medical care for illness, injury, mental health and immunizations.

For more information about fees, services and health coverage options, contact the Health Center.

Writing Center

The Klooster Center for Excellence in Writing provides a variety of writing-related services for the students and faculty of Hope College.

The center is located in Van Wylen Library, adjacent to the Research Help desk. The Klooster Center offers one-on-one peer reviews with our 30+ student writing assistants (on either a drop-in or appointment basis). We also offer seminars and workshops throughout the year, and we point you to additional resources to help with your writing. Our staff collaborates with Van Wylen Library research librarians to provide assistance and instruction across the entire research and writing process.

Recommended Reading

• The iConnected Parent by Barbara Hofer and Abigail Moore
• Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money by Helen Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller
• Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Coburn and Madge Treeger
• Bringing Home the Laundry: Effective Parenting for College and Beyond by J. Brody  
• Empty Nest, Full Heart: The Journey From Home to College by A. VanSteenhouse
• Getting Along With Your Almost Adult Kids by L. Davitz and J. Davitz
• How to Get the Most Out of College by Nancy Schlossberg and Arthur Chickering
• Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds by R.J. Light
• Parenting When Your Child Is An Adult by D.M. Jacobs and R.G. Jacobs
• Parents' Guide to College Life by R. Raskin
• The Empty Nest: When Children Leave Home by Shelley Bovey
• The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting From Senior Year to College Life by L. Kastner and J. Wyatt
• The Myth of Maturity: What Teenagers Need from Their Parents to Become Adults by Terri Apter
• When your Kid Goes to College: A Parent’s Survival Guide by Carol Barkin
• You’re On Your Own (But I’m Here if You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years by Marjorie Savage