Hope College is a Christian college. It's not a secret. There are many preconceptions about Christian colleges. People say that because Christian colleges only accept Christians into their school, they are intolerant of people from different backgrounds. People are under the impression that Christian college students are pious and only attend their specific school because no other school is Christian enough for them. People think that these students don't care about academics or don't take their studies seriously; all they care about is being a devout Christian. All of these generalizations have given Christian colleges a bad name. I have to admit that I sometimes find myself buying into these stereotypes. But I don't believe any of these things are true about Hope College or its students. Since I began my studies at Hope, I have seen countless examples of how Hope is not like other Christian colleges. When I read Hope's philosophy of education, I was able to see what made Hope so different, but not without some additional research. I read Bethel University's Philosophy of Education. There were some aspects that were similar to Hope's, but for the most part it was very different. A passage from Bethel's educational philosophy states: “As a Christian learning community, we honor God by the way we work together in our calling. We delight in discovering the character and glory of our Creator as we explore His creation. As people who bear God's image, we seek the truth of His revelation. This revelation comes to us in the person of Christ, in the wonder and beauty of creation, and in the Spirit-led words of the Bible” (Bethel University, Philosophy of Education). Compare this with an excerpt from Hope's Philosophy of Education.... .. middle of paper ......ian college. It has all the advantages of a Christian university – moral values, supportive and compassionate professors, a caring Christian community – as well as all the advantages of a liberal arts school. Hope focuses on the development of a person as a whole, not just spiritually or intellectually. I am confident that by the end of my time at Hope, I will be the “informed, sensitive, and competent” member of society that I was meant to be. I will be stronger in my faith because the environment that hope fosters is that of Christian communion. Hope aims to produce morally sound, spiritually strong, and intellectually well-versed students. Students are independent thinkers and are not limited to a single school of thought based on religious beliefs. All of these things make Hope more than just a Christian school and more than just a liberal arts school. Hope College is a special place.