Western Michigan in Kalamazoo MI

CF, K College is my undergrad alma mater and I’m somewhat still an active alum and I did not realize that K no longer had the chapel once a week available. It did when I was there and also required 2 religion or philosophy classes to graduate. The outgoing Prez made quite alot of changes to K during her tenure. Chapel used to be 20 minutes on Fridays but it was not mandated. Hope still does have a chapel every week but it is also not mandated. Hope’s chapel is 20 minutes, just like it used to be at K and generally has a wide variety of speakers. Chapel at many of these small LACs is not what most people think, generally it’s an opportunity to listen to a speaker for 15 minutes.

I know Hope very, very well and believe me an atheist would be fine at Hope and I’m sure there are a few of them amongst the 3500 kids. I know you disagree with just about every single word I write just about every time I post, but on this one you’ll just have to accept that I probably know Hope better than you. The OP can knock it off the list and that’s fine, there are plenty of colleges to choose from with engaged, healthy, outdoorsy kids. I’m a Lutheran if I have to ascribe a name and Hope is no more “overbearingly Christian” than any of the Lutheran colleges I know well and/or toured with the kids or really any of the LACs that one visits in the midwest.

Speaking as an atheist, I would not go to a college like Hope, which has this in its description:

I would find this much more intrusive than, for example, a Jesuit school. I don’t have any Christian commitment, so I would object to being told to provide leadership and service as a manifestation of my non-existent Christian commitment.

Also, this:

quote The College does not condone the commission of homosexual acts. Neither does it condone organizations or activities that aim to vindicate the moral acceptability of homosexual acts, or that suggest by their manner of presenting themselves that they have that aim in view. Specifically, the College will not provide recognition or financial or logistical support for organizations or groups whose purposes include the advocacy or moral legitimation of homosexual behavior.

[/quote]

http://www.hope.edu/2010/05/07/hope-college-board-trustees-statement-5710

quote Sexuality, including longing and expression, is a good gift from God and a fact of our existence affirmed in the Christian scriptures and by the Church throughout the centuries. This biblical witness calls us to a life of chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. This interpretation parallels the official position of the College’s founding denomination, the Reformed Church in America; its sister denomination, the Christian Reformed Church; and the Roman Catholic Church. Accordingly, Hope College will not recognize or support campus groups whose aim by statement, practice, or intimation is to promote a vision of human sexuality that is contrary to this understanding of biblical teaching.

Furthermore, the College in its policies, practices, and common life invites the entire Hope community to a renewed encounter with the biblical witness regarding human sexuality.

[/quote]

http://www.hope.edu/2011/01/28/hope-college-position-statement-human-sexuality

I don’t know many atheists who would choose to go to a school that says being gay is immoral because Jesus.

CF read on into the very paragraphs you quoted…you totally left this out and you are derailing the thread and giving people a false impression so if you want to argue with me please try PM.

Hope affirms the scholarly examination of homosexuality, but they have an institutional position against same sex marriage and they won’t allow students to start an official gay-straight club, nor will they allow the unofficial gay-straight club to have any campus events.

@greeninohio “I have heard that the area around Wayne State University in Detroit is on the upswing, if you’re looking for an exciting, urban environment.”

Wayne State is not in a good area of Detroit. Especially at night. It it possible that the crime rate is improving, but that would be from a low base level. Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go.

It is especially not a good choice for the outdoorsy student.

After my son’s freshman year at the University of Michigan, he has applied to transfer to Kalamazoo College and Western. He had a tough decision between K College and Michigan last year and just didn’t click at Michigan. He did fine academically and made a few friends but made the comment “You just can’t stand out at Michigan”. Going from Big Fish in a Little Sea to Little Fish in a massive ocean just wasn’t for him. Western has some really outstanding programs and they even have their own medical school now. Kids I know who graduated from there seemed very happy and are all doing fine. One got into med school at State. There’s room for a student to stand out there.

We went to admitted students day at K College and my son has a very good friend who is there now. It’s definitely small so students have opportunities to really know their professors. On the other hand, a department may only have a few professors so if you don’t like one of them for your major, you’re stuck taking their classes anyway. They seemed very nurturing and I don’t think a student would ever feel lost in the crowd there. The students are bright and engaging from what I could tell.

Agree much2Learn, it’s still a pretty dangerous area and one must travel quite far for the “outdoorsy” stuff. i’m not as ‘down’ on Grand Valley as some others and if Hope is off the list, maybe a stop at Grand Valley might be interesting. Lots of good things happening there and statistically they have a slightly higher but not to significantly different student body statistics-wise with GPA/Test Scores. Honors college and some aid might make it viable. GVSU ACT composite 21-26, Western reports 19-25, GVSU reports 33% at 3.75 or better unweighted GPA and Western reports 24% at 3.75 or better. Eastern reports the same 19-25 for ACT, but reports 17% with 3.75 gpa or better. GVSU has the Grand Rapids nightlife and culture a bus ride away and the shores of Lake Michigan a half hour away.

not what this thread is about. Go ask on the Hope College forum if you want to know what’s changed in the past decade.

One brief anecdote about Hope College. A year or two ago I was on a business trip and took a flight from Chicago to Kalamazoo; and my seatmate was a South Asian young man in his mid- to late-20s who was a real estate developer in Chicago (on a small scale). For whatever reason, we got to talking about colleges; he mentioned that he was flying to Kalamazoo to meet some friends from college. “And where did you go to school?” “Hope College.” He told me that he was not admitted to his top college choice (Northwestern); and by some unconventional path he wound up at Hope. My first thought was, Boy, was he ever a fish out of water at Hope, in several ways (big city, South Asian, and non-Christian); but he raved about Hope College, and said that it was an amazing experience for him. He couldn’t say enough good things about it.

So, take it for what it’s worth.