Month: January 2018

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Living with “Random Roommates”

I came in to Grove City College not knowing anyone here. I am from a town in southern Maryland and the closest Grove City student to me was about 40 minutes away. It threw me out of my comfort zone and I was forced to meet new people. I had a lot of friends I made coming in that roomed with friends from high school and are continuing to room with people they knew for the next year. I am one of the few students that actually connected with a random roommate for my sophomore year. Here is that story of why and how that ended up (Spoiler: you may consider connecting with a random).

I was applying for Colonial Apartments (an on campus living option that is apartment style living). The process involved an application and then finding roommates. I was planning on applying with two or three other freshmen in my class (for our sophomore year). Then, a week later they decided to drop out. With my heart set on living in the apartments, I still turned in my application and decided to just go figure something out. I got involved in the roommate finder (an application that is available for incoming students to find a roommate). Through that the Student Life and Learning office had me on a list of students looking for a roommate for the next school year. A sophomore at the time went to the office looking for other students looking for roommates that were “alone” at the time and would be interested in coming together to have a better room draw number (I will explain this later) for getting an apartment. I received an e-mail from him and instantly replied. I got connected with him and another junior and we decided to go together for a triple in the apartments.

It came to room draw and we had a good number. Since we had a current junior at the time, seniority applied and we ended up getting to choose an apartment alongside most seniors. Luckily we got the apartment we wanted: a triple on the second floor. Here is a little bit about my roommates:

Roomie #1: His name is Noah and he is currently a junior Computer Science major. He is a piano prodigy and can decorate an apartment pretty well.

Roomie #2: He goes by Abram. He is currently a senior Physics major. He transferred in his junior year and was behind most (by two years) for making friends and meeting people. Operates a non-smart phone. (IDK how he does it).

Me: Sophomore Entrepreneurship major with a Design and Computer Science minors. The coolest out of all my roommate and the most humble.

For a “random roommate” situation we got along amazingly well. We were all slightly introverted, but were social. Our schedules were very different so we usually would not see each other until late at night after I would get out of practice and we would all be finding food around 10 p.m. We all were in the same Humanities class so we talked a lot about that and ended up becoming friends. A friend of Noah’s who would come by would say that we are hilarious and could have our own show because we have three distinctly different personalities: me, the dramatic crazy one, Noah, the reserved classical guy, and Abram, the guy who gets way too into online solitaire. We got along amazingly and it has been a highlight decision of my sophomore year.

It can be scary finding someone new to basically share your living space with, but here are the points I have gotten out of it. 1. No matter where you go in life, you will have to meet and learn to live or be around new people. Why not get practice now? 2. Getting out of your comfort zone can often lead to the greatest rewards. I had zero expectations out of this living situation and ended up loving it. 3. Do not go with what everyone else was doing; do what you want to do. A majority of my friends went into fraternities and housing groups. I wanted to stay independent. It is scary to do that when all your friends are not with you, but it ended up paying off for me.

 

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How Chapel Saved My Grades

Most schools do not have a chapel requirement. Grove City is one of the few that does. Every semester students are required to attend 16 chapels. Chapels are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:25-9:50 a.m. with an optional worship time from 9-9:25 a.m. There are other chapel credit opportunities available such as Vespers which are Sunday nights and other lectures/worships/events can also give credits. It may seem like a hindrance in addition to the other classes but chapel has done great things for my experience at GCC.

First, chapel has saved my grades. I was the student that was not a morning person. I did everything I could to schedule my classes for later so I could sleep in. This past fall semester, I did not have a class until 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What a horrendous idea. I would sleep maybe 10 hours that night and wake up at 11 to get dressed, eat and head to class by 1. What I struggled with most was that after class I always had diving practice. I would get so exhausted afterwards all I wanted to do was eat and then lay in bed and do nothing. Notice anything missing from my daily activities? Homework and studying! That is kinda important to do. Having chapel got me up and dressed to be there at 9:25. Instead of going there and heading back to sleep, I would head over to STEM (the Science Technology Engineering and Math building) and in those three hours until class I would get my homework done, have time to eat before class and have social time. Utilizing this schedule I did not have to pull any all-nighters to study for tests or get projects and essays done.

Secondly, it made me a more social morning person. Having the chapel set in my schedule made me plan around that. I would grab breakfast with my friends right before or after chapel. I would plan to sit next to them and worship with them that brought me deeper in the relationships I had with my friends. Afterwards, I went to study with them where I was able to have social time now and allowed me to get social time out of the way to study later after practice if I had to.

Third, it brought me closer to God. Since I was an athlete, Saturdays I was forced to get up early for meets. That made Sunday my only day to sleep in, which I definitely did. I needed my sleep-in day, but because I slept in I could not go to church. Chapel, as it is not a true replacement for church, was a way I could have worship time and spend time with God and with my Christian family.

Yes, you can do the math and find out that I did not need to go to every chapel, but as you will hear, many students actually go over their chapel limit because chapel is more than a requirement, it is something that students at Grove City College gain a lot from.

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Major Switching at Grove City College

It is said that on average a student will switch their major three times. I switched my major twice. It is a scary idea to think about: taking classes, then switching your major and those classes becoming pointless. Will I still graduate on time? Is the switching process so complicated? I have the answers to alleviate the stress.

A little bit about my switches. I had my first major switch before I came. I applied for Marketing and switched to Computer Science (a switch between the School of Arts to the School of Sciences). I decided first semester to add a high-tech entrepreneurship minor (we are getting complicated adding minors now). I decided halfway through that first semester to switch my major and my minor. I was then an entrepreneurship major with a computer science minor. To top it off, this spring I am adding a design minor to go along with it.

Here is the process was for major switch one (marketing to comp sci over the summer before coming in freshman year)

Steps:

  1. I sent an e-mail
  2. I received a reply that said I was switched and my schedule was automatically changed.

(Yes it was that simple. no crazy paperwork and no horrible scheduling change). As freshman you are mostly taking core and gen-ed classes so there is not that many major-related courses in your freshman year schedule.

For major shift 2: Computer Science major w/ high-tech entre. minor -> Entrepreneurship major with a computer science minor)

Steps:

  1. Print major switch form or grab one from Registrar office (available on front desk)
  2. Write in your info with major and minor switch
  3. Go to department chair office hours (posted under myGCC or on office doors) to get the form signed
  4. Turn it into the Registrar office

That is it. After this, I just had a meeting with my adviser where we mapped out how my courses will work over the next seven semesters and I was nowhere close to being behind. I still had room to add another minor if I wished. So, when the new design minor is coming out Spring 2018, it is getting added to my schedule before graduation.

Grove City College has really allowed me to explore my academic and career interests. It is understandable that you may not have that same plan for yourself after you have gotten a chance to see your major and take some coursework. From my experience, it has been a super simple process to change your academic plan and have your schedule be accommodating to such. Rarely will you need extra semesters and the process is extremely simple. There is a reason Grove City has such a great graduation and retention rate.

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10 Things to do Around Grove City on the Weekend

One of my biggest concerns coming to a school in such a rural area was that there would be nothing to do on the weekends. Boy, was I wrong. Here is my top 10 list of things to do of the weekends. You may discover more than what is on my list, but that is all about making your college experience your own.

  1. Movies! Yes you can go watch movies with friends or by yourself in your room, but if you wander throughout the building’s hall lobbies you can find many groups watching different movies. Just jump in and join the party!
  2. Sports! Just like movies, hall lobbies will be crawling with sports fans, especially around the finals for the NHL, NFL, NBA, etc. Join in a viewing party.
  3. Get wet! Yeah, the rec pool has hours, but why not go a little bit more adventurous. During the early fall semester and later spring semester, grab some old clothes and some friends and go hang out in Wolf Creek under rainbow bridge.
  4. Dance! One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of dances that happen at Grove City. There are the basics such as Homecoming and the Gala. But look out for themed dances throughout the semester that happen many weekend.
  5. Sing! Along with tons of dances, there are tons of coffeehouses and events where students show off their musical talents. Check out some of your classmates performing (perks of being at a small school, you know the singers).
  6. Grove City sports! Most weekends there is a home team competing somewhere on campus. Not just varsity teams, but club and intramural teams. Check out the Grove City College athletics website and Twitter for schedules.
  7. Photo-shoot! Grab some friends, get dressed all pretty and walk around campus taking some awesome shots. Check out a blog post I wrote about the top 10 spots to get that Grove City pic, but the more you explore the more photo spots you can find.
  8. Shopping! One of the nicest outlet malls in PA is right down the street, so if you have a friend with a car that can take you for a day trip it is a blast! If you do not have a car, do not fret, there are thrift shops and coffee shops within a walking distance of campus.
  9. Churches! Not only are there tons of churches to choose from for Sunday morning services, many churches hold weekend activities to get involved in their church community and ministry.
  10. Explore! So much of what I found fun in Grove City was not from a search engine or a Yelp list. I found so much cool stuff by getting out there and exploring the area. Take a trek to the train tracks. or see what is going on around Broad Street. If you are bored on the weekends it means that you aren’t looking at all. So, get outside your dorm room and opportunities for fun await!
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Surviving Freshman Year without a Car

Unless you have a special circumstance, as a freshman you are not allowed to have a car on campus. Good news, it is not the end of the world. As the most car-dependent person there is, I can tell you that you do not need one to survive. Here is my list of tips for getting by without a car.

  1. If you absolutely need a car, befriend an upperclassmen in one of your classes that has one. Offer to buy them Taco Bell if you need to get to Walmart.
  2. Groceries: Rite-Aid is a five minute walk from Memorial Hall. It has mostly anything you can need. If you are looking for more snacks, there is a gas station adjacent to the Rite-Aid at that intersection.
  3. Clothes: There are three thrift stores off the top of my head within a walk of campus. The closest one is on the opposite side of Broad Street along the train tracks. You can find whatever clothes you could possible need at one of these stores.
  4. Fast Food: McDonald’s has always been reliable, but lucky for students now, a Dunkin Donuts was just constructed right across the street from Thorn Field. There are more options down Main Street if you are willing to walk. My swim team here did a team jog to Dairy Queen for ice cream and ran back. Down the street (about a 20 minute walk) is also a Pizza Hut.
  5. Pizza: along with the Pizza Hut, there is a Fox’s Pizza, Cofarro’s, and Jordan’s. All three are on Broad Street and are open very late for those late night cravings.
  6. Movies: Guthrie Theatre is right on Broad Street. It always has the top movie out at the time and will not break your bank account.
  7. More Food: Along Broad Street there is a Italian restaurant, a family ice cream shop and diner, and soon to be Asian restaurant.

If there is anything you think of needing, just talk to an upperclassman. They have all gotten through freshman year without a car and have a solution for you. Do not be afraid to ask. There is always the store in the Student Union for random items you need.

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Catching Up with Alumni: Joe Hanson ’17, Mechanical Engineering

Grove City College Mechanical Engineering

While your college experience is certainly formative and the environment at a college is definitely a huge factor in choosing the one that is right for you, you also want to know that your degree will be worth something after your four years are over.  I recently caught up with 2017 graduate, Joe Hanson to see how he is using his degree and how his time at Grove City College impacted him.

Q. What is your current position and who is your current employer?  How did you connect with this employer?

A.  I am a mechanical engineer at Karpinski Engineering. Taking the Career Fair seriously was the best decision I made in my four years in college. I was able to talk to many companies and gain valuable insight and experience in talking to professionals in a professional setting. It was much easier than expected; I talked to around 10 companies, and each was engaging and offered unique insight into the working world. I talked to Karpinski for about 10 minutes and received an email with an interview invitation a couple weeks later. I ended up interviewing with three different companies in late September and early October, and all companies were present on campus at either the Career Fair or in a separate campus event.

Q. How did Grove City/your Grove City degree help/hinder you finding employment?

A. A mechanical engineering degree made my job search fairly easy. My opinion, from personal experience as well as seeing others’ experiences, is that someone pursuing a mechanical engineering degree can expect to find great success as long as he/she is active in the job search. The Career Fair is a very easy and accessible opportunity to meet potential employers and allows people to personally connect. Applying to jobs online is much less personal and often made me feel reduced to a number.

Q. What do you miss most about Grove City?

A. I miss the community most. I made great friendships at Grove City, and, while many have continued past college, I miss having everyone all together on one campus.

Q. Would you recommend Grove City to perspective high school students?  Why or why not?

A. Grove City offers a great value of an education. The price is right, and employment opportunities are plentiful. Humanities courses were informative and well-rounded as well, and a few classes forced young Christians to evaluate and challenge their personal beliefs, a very important part of one’s spiritual journey. I would recommend Grove City to anyone wanting a balanced, wholesome education and experience with a job offer at the end of it.

Q. What is your best piece of advice for an incoming Grove City student?

A. Hit the ground running. Talk to professors, get ahead in your classes, get involved in clubs on campus, find ways to meet upperclassmen. Form as many connections as you can upon arrival, before you and your peers are buried in the books.

Q. Is there anything else that you would like to share about your experience during or after life at Grove City?

A. It was a wonderful experience. There were many difficult semesters (everyone learns that Grove City classes are not a cakewalk), but they were well worth the effort. There are few places you’ll encounter in life that offer a plethora of social and educational opportunities that are generally wholesome throughout.