Calvin University is a private Christian university located in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Known for its strong academics and commitment to faith-based education, it remains a popular choice among NCA alumni. To get a firsthand perspective on life at Calvin, I spoke with Hilary Sequeira and Nathan Holtrop to share some of their experiences, perspectives, and advice as they navigate their first year at the university.
Nathan Holtrop
1. How would you describe the environment and community at Calvin?
As with any community, it is what you make it. There are incredibly diverse, international pockets of campus with students from Central America, Asia, and Africa. Professors are always open to meeting individually with students and genuinely care about your development and success. In many senses, it reminds me of NCA on a larger scale.
2. What aspects of Calvin do you enjoy the most, and what are some challenges you’ve encountered?
Because of the larger student body, there are tons of clubs and leadership positions, with plenty of students to fill them. This leads to a more competitive environment, but also a greater diversity of opportunities. I enjoy being able to pick and choose what I want to dedicate myself to, but that can also lead to quite a busy schedule if you’re not careful.
3. What was the most challenging part of transitioning from NCA to Calvin?
The biggest differences were the weather, food, and people. Simply put, snow is not just soft and fluffy, it’s cold; sometimes you have to get creative in the dining halls; people are coming from all over and have different expectations of community.
4. How has Calvin shaped your academic and personal growth so far?
Calvin has granted me a new level of both academic and personal independence. There are so many available programs of study and a plethora of ways to go about completing them. The wide variety of options has allowed me to dream up some different options and alternatives for my future. It has not even been a full year and I feel much more prepared to go out into the world.
5. Do you have any advice for students considering Calvin or exploring colleges in general?
Find a college that fits your desires and needs. I wanted a school that felt like an established institution, but wasn’t so large that I was just a number in the system. When starting your college search, begin by outlining some clear criteria for universities such as population size, student to faculty ratio, location, programs and majors available, etc.
Hilary Sequeira
1.How would you describe the environment and community at Calvin?
The Calvin community can be described as a large NCAI. Since I came here I have met people full of kindness and care. I quickly found a group of people with whom I have been able to connect and enjoy my university life. In addition to the people, the Christian environment has been a great blessing, since I can openly express my faith and talk about it with my friends.
2. What aspects of Calvin do you enjoy the most, and what are some challenges you’ve encountered?
The aspects of Calvin that I enjoy most are my friendships, the opportunities, and my Christian faith. From the first day, I met wonderful people who have become my daily companions, with whom I connected immediately. The opportunities at Calvin are many, from doing an exchange semester to learning languages like German. Beyond that, we have a beautiful community of Christians who are faithful followers of Christ. Calvin is undoubtedly a great place to study, but I have also had challenging moments. I entered the first semester of college with an engineering degree; it was a very exhausting and stressful semester. I feel like I wasn’t able to make the most of those first four months because I was so focused on getting good grades and not disappointing my parents. After that semester, I decided to change majors to one I truly connected with and was passionate about.
3. Do you have any advice for students considering Calvin or exploring colleges in general?
When it comes to thinking about the future and what our life goals are, we have to stay open to any situation. From the moment I began my college search at NCAI, I was sure I wanted to be an engineer. But it seemed God didn’t have that in mind for me. I spent an entire semester regretting my decision and feeling powerless, simply because I didn’t want to accept that engineering wasn’t for me. It took me six months to realize that, but in the end, I decided to follow God’s guidance. I decided to leave my future in His hands and have faith that everything would be okay.
4. What was the most challenging part of transitioning from NCA to Calvin?
The hardest part of the transition has been learning how to study for exams. In high school, I never studied for exams and did more or less well. In college, I struggled to find study techniques to do well on exams. It’s been difficult, but I know that little by little I’ll figure it out and learn to be prepared for exams.
5. How has Calvin shaped your academic and personal growth so far?
Academically, Calvin has made me more independent and proactive with assignments and tests. I’ve improved at writing essays and communicating my ideas in writing. I also try to stay on top of everything so I don’t fall behind on my schoolwork.
In my personal life, I’ve learned to take care of myself. Since I’m away from my family, I’m responsible for my finances, my health, and keeping my life organized. College life, in general, makes you a more conscious and mature person; you begin to realize the important things and how the world works.
6. What do you wish you had known before going to Calvin?
I wish I’d known two things: the cold here is intense, and to have enjoyed my life in Nicaragua more. Winter is intense in Grand Rapids; it’s mid-April, and it’s still freezing. Sometimes we have sun in the mornings, only to have snow later that day. The weather is constantly changing. On the other hand, I took many things for granted in Nicaragua, like my friends, the food, and my family. Guys, enjoy your time in high school; those days will never come back.
