Month: November 2015

When deciding where to go for school, how far away is too far? For senior Communications major Emily Bartlow that questions holds very little weight. Emily’s hometown is just outside Sacramento, California and about four years ago she made the decision to re-locate to Grove City College for her undergraduate degree. The first thought that immediately popped into my mind was why in the world would someone willingly leave  beautiful, sunny California to live in not so sunny Grove City, PA?

At the start of her college search process, Emily  typed “ten most conservative schools” into Google, and shock of all shocks Grove City College was near the top of the list. Intrigued, Emily decided to fly out to Western PA and see for herself what this conservative Christian college might hold for her.  As it so happened this Californian scheduled her visit in late October, just in time to coincide with the first snow of the year. Emily, mesmerized by the snow,  remembers she fell in love with the beautiful campus and the people she encountered.  After her visit it was not much later she decided to commit to attending Grove City College.

It wasn’t a snap judgement based on snow, however, that led Emily to this decision – she had a few questions herself: what if she commits and then doesn’t like it? It’s not like she can just drive home. Or what about leaving her family? In the end, being the adventuresome person that she is, Emily  decided that even though she can’t drive home on weekends, this conservative college is within driving distance of fabulous places such as  New York City, Washington DC, and Philly to name a few, and Skype dates with family bring home that much closer. For a California native, college in the wilds of Western PA seemed like one big adventure.

At first Emily did miss her family, the dry heat, and was a bit shocked by the existence of stink bugs, but after some time to settle in the adventure began.  Emily describes the upperclassmen overall as excellent in welcoming freshmen to campus, validating they did indeed make the right choice in selecting this small, conservative Christian college, and quickly found  a plethora of opportunities to get involved on campus. Beginning her freshman year on campus until now Emily has been actively involved in Orchesis (a dance group on campus), SGA (Student Government Association), various musicals including this year’s Oklahoma!, and is the Life Editor for The Collegian (the campus newspaper).

But I was curious, so I asked Emily beyond classes and organizations she joined, what made her stay?  Not really a surprise she quickly answered the campus: not just the pretty buildings, but your own community of friends who quickly become family. Whether you’re walking to class or down the hall to lunch, odds are you’re going to see a friend along the way. Downtown Grove City and the surrounding borough, while it may not be the bustling metropolis of NYC, still holds enough charm for the adventuresome soul. Emily, who loves the area,  says there really is an abundance of things to do such as going to Emmet’s Orchard, corn mazes, farmers markets, and hiking, you just have to get out there and explore.

Some Practical Tips (for the non-native Grove City dweller, courtesy of Emily):

1. If possible, make sure to schedule a campus visit  – not only is it gorgeous, but visiting also makes the transition into freshman year much easier if you’ve been at least once before.
2. Never, ever, ever, ever miss a flight.  You just might get the chance to spend a day and a half in LAX.
3. Pack light! You don’t realize how much stuff you own you actually don’t use, and end up taking most of it back home with you.
4. Bring your laptop and a good book on long flights.
5. Rain boots do not equate to snow boots. Make sure you have the right cold weather gear – it can get pretty chilly in the winter!

In the future (only a few months away since she’s graduating in December), Emily will participate in  Disney’s College Program in Orlando, Florida as part of their recreation team.  Afterwards Emily would love to work for Disney’s marketing department  to uncover their secrets behind brand creation. Emily also desires to open up her own bakery, preferably in New York City, and  utilize best practices learned from Disney and her three and a half years spent at the Grove to do so.

Update January 2016: Check out Emily’s appearance on Food Network’s Cake Wars here!

2,494 miles. With the technological assistance of Google Maps, that is the exact mileage (taking I-94 E and I-90 E in case you want double check) that senior Marketing Management major Martin Lammers must somehow conquer to attend Grove City College each year.

From where  you might ask?

Martin hails from a town called Sammamish, Washington, just  half an hour east of downtown Seattle. So I decided to ask him (mostly to verify my own sanity since I’m also from the Seattle area), why in the world would you travel all that way to attend a small, liberal arts college in the middle of Western PA?

Having first heard about Grove City College from his high-school English teacher, Martin was intrigued enough to venture forth to visit in the Spring of his senior year. Two students from his high school were currently attending Grove City as well, with another contemplating checking “yes” on her acceptance letter. Stepping on to the campus for the first time, Martin describes it as the first school he could genuinely see himself at, which ultimately sealed the deal.  During his campus tour Martin also, in all seriousness, heard there was a lot to do on campus: from children’s theater to a broadcasting radio station, there were a variety of unique organizations and activities that appealed to him.

Entering GCC as a freshman Fall of 2012,  one of Martin’s biggest tips for starting college doesn’t have to do with travel (though he does have some), studying, balancing a social life and school, or even how to find a successful internship (he interned with Amazon), but expectations. To sum up it up, don’t have any. That’s it. Starting college on the opposite coast with a whole batch of new people and classes, it’s easy to have expectations about how you’re going to spend that time and what you’re going to do afterwards. The best thing to do is try and have an open mind going in, and enjoy where the next four years take you.

But won’t you miss the PNW?

For those unfamiliar with the acronym PNW, it stands for Pacific Northwest, one of the most stunningly beautiful places in the United States (in my completely unbiased opinion).  Truthfully, Martin does miss the Northwest, especially the water. It’s strange to go from an area with a plethora of lakes and coastline to an especially landlocked part of Pennsylvania.  Washington’s terrain is unique, and the longer you stay the more you realize how much that phrase rings true.

Just because the scenery is nice to look at, however, is no reason to remain stationary the rest of one’s life. Coming to Grove City, though the ratio of corn to mountains varied a bit from his native state, Martin did not anticipate how much the people would affect him as they have.  Martin describes a version of himself now that is better, different, and more empathetic than who he was upon his arrival at Grove City.

Martin’s experiences at Grove City have ranged from participating in Children’s theater and OB (Orientation Board) to travels to Raleigh, Washington DC,  Philadelphia, and even a whirlwind twenty-four hour NYC trip his sophomore year during Fall Break.  A relatively unknown perk of going far away to school, these travels (for the most part) were courtesy of friends inviting him home for various breaks.

On campus Martin currently serves as the Senior Senator of Social Affairs for SGA (Student Government Association), is a member of the Crimson and White Society and the Faculty Review Committee, Social Chair fro the Tri-Rho housing group, and was formerly involved in One Act plays and a few main stage theater productions.

But Grove City’s so far away, isn’t it?

As someone who also comes from Seattle I hear that all the time, and so does Martin. One thing Martin suggests: yes the distance does seem daunting, but whether you drive for five hours or fly for five hours, in the end neither student is going to decide to go home for the weekend on a whim. The only major difference is how expensive your form of transportation is, but even then by taking advantage of an airline’s mileage plan, spending boatloads of money on airfare is avoidable.

Pro travel tip: don’t forget your wallet.

An easily avoidable travel faux pas for the frequently fearful flier, however for Martin it is the first tip that comes to mind. Why? Just this past spring break, Martin was eagerly awaiting his flight home to Seattle,  however upon arriving at the Pittsburgh airport and placing his suitcase on the check-in scale his wallet was nowhere to be found. After a battery draining amount of phone calls, Martin eventually realized his wallet was in another pair of pants hanging over a chair in his dorm, an hour and a half away, with his flight departing in under an hour.  Fortunately for him a good friend was willing to drive his wallet all the way down from Grove City to the airport in time for him to make another flight back home. Other than that Martin recommends shipping as much as you can to lighten the load, getting a storage unit with other students over the summer, and that overall “less is more.”

In the (somewhat near) future after graduating from Grove City, Martin actually would prefer to stay closer to the East Coast and consequently people he has met and formed friendships with at Grove City. He sums it up nicely: at this time in his life he has a greater affinity for the people here than the simple draws of a location.  Indeed,  people really do make the place.