Month: November 2020

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Business Capstone Course: Business Policy and Strategy

Business Policy and Strategy is a Capstone Course at Grove City College, which means that all Business majors are required to take the course. Professor Richard Kocur teaches the course and relates real-world concepts from his time in the business world. This course gives an outline of the different strategies that are used within management and teaches how to be an effective manager.

Certain courses are required for all Business majors, such as Principles courses in Finance, Accounting, Management, and Marketing. Business Policy and Strategy brings together topics learned in each Principles class. I enjoyed that students in this course come from different Business majors because it helps to see the business world through many different perspectives. Since my major is Marketing, I tend to only think about the marketing side of a business. This class enables me to see things from the different viewpoints of the different majors within the Business program, such as Finance or Accounting.

There is a lot of group work in the class that helps you to master the material taught in class. Each class, the professor lectures about a topic, and an assignment typically follows the new material. I also enjoyed being a part of several group presentations throughout the semester. These group presentations help you to learn and apply what is taught in class and in class readings. These projects have also increased my confidence with group work, which is an essential aspect of the business world. In addition to a heavy emphasis on group work, this course features some individual assignments and two exams.  Seniors take this course because it ties everything together that is learned in other Business courses at Grove City College. Business Policy and Strategy is definitely a course that should motivate you to look forward to your senior year as a Business major!

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Spooky Season Strategics: Your Horror Movie Guide

It’s October, you’re stuck inside your dorm room with nothing to do, how about a horror movie? As spooky season approaches, the weather gets colder, the days become shorter, and sleep schedules everywhere are thrown into chaos because of scary movies. Guys confidently ask girls to come over to watch “The Conjuring” or “Get Out” only to realize they can’t make it through the movie without frequently crying and nervously checking the dim lit hallway on the other side of the house. Having a boo to watch horror flicks with makes everything better, and a bowl of popcorn and a blanket doesn’t hurt either, but regardless of your tactics to reduce the fright factor, these five movies are sure to stick with you long after the credits roll.

1. The Shining:

An oldie but a goodie, this serial killer thriller stars Jack Nicholson in a role you won’t soon forget.

2. The Conjuring:

Warning: for experienced horror movie fans only! There’s no other way to say it, you will not sleep for at least a week after viewing this movie. Watch at your own risk, and with others. That said, it’s an excellent movie staring Patrick Wilson, a top tier actor.

3. Poltergeist:

Another oldie that illusively contains some considerably scary moments for a 1982 film. The shot for shot 2015 remake is good as well, and the advanced special effects make it even scarier.

4. Get Out:

Jordan Peele directed and wrote this psychological thriller that catapulted Daniel Kaluuya into the national spotlight. You might want to watch a Disney movie directly after this film for recovery because it plays with the mind and introduces true fear into a seemingly loving relationship in a way that will haunt you for days.

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street:

Everyone knows about Freddy Krueger, the burnt faced, claw handed, hat wearing, dream killer. The lines are cheesy, the special effects are elementary, and the scares won’t leave you trembling but for some reason, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a must watch in the horror genre.

As October rolls along and we creep toward Halloween, it’s vital to have a base foundation of go-to scary movies for the season. When asked about his horror movie preferences, Nick Grasso, creator of GrassyFilms said, “Scary movies are elite and effective, especially at Halloween. Watching some new ones and some old ones can make for a great time for a group of friends or a couple on a date. There’s just no feeling like being scared.” Don’t forget to do some research before hand and make sure to find at least 1 other person to watch with, because face it: only crazy people watch horror movies alone. Grab some snacks and soda and a seat on the sofa for a hauntingly good time this Halloween with any of the movies listed above, and don’t forget to check the cellar door before you go to bed! Happy watching, and happy Halloween.

 

 

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Internship Life at Grove City College

This past summer I was very fortunate enough to keep my internship at a marketing firm called Become Known in downtown Cleveland. I have worked at Become Known for the past two summers doing digital marketing, search engine optimization, and general marketing for new products about to hit the market. I would say getting an internship is an excellent idea, especially for any business major. Not only does it help you gain experience in the work force, but it also helps you focus on what you may what to do in your career. Another great reason for getting an internship while here at Grove City College is that you are able to earn college credit! You may earn up to six credits, which helps with graduation requirements and is definitely worth the time and money.

To have your internship validated by the school you will first find a company where you would like to intern. Next, you will apply to your major’s department. This consists of listing the company name, your job description, the number of hours you anticipate working, and how many academic credits you would like to receive–60 hours of work is the equivalent to one credit. Then finally, you will need to find a professor in your department willing to be your advisor!

Most business majors try for internships in the summer after their sophomore and junior years. At this point, students have some experience and an idea of what they are doing. This way, companies can start training them during an internship so that when they graduate, they are an easy hire at the company because they already have an idea of how things are done.

Business majors are not the only ones that are able to earn college credit while doing an internship. Other majors, such as Mechanical Engineering and Exercise Science, are given opportunities as well through the our on-campus career fair. Both have the option to earn credit by doing a typical internship during the summer, but these majors also have a great opportunity to do a co-op. A co-op is when a student works for a company during a semester for credit, instead of going to school. Both internships and co-ops are great options to earn academic credit, as well as getting a head start on figuring out what you want to do in the work force and gaining experience.

While you should consider an internship, they are not for everyone. Many people here on campus have not had internships and do not feel any pressure at all to get one. Not getting an internship does not make you “behind in life” or “behind on credits.” A validated internship is an optional program that Grove City College offers students to help them get additional credits while they gain experience in the work force and focus in on what they want to do post-graduation.

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Caleb Pierson: From Career Fair to the Workplace

Caleb Pierson: Video Interview

Post college plans? That may seem like a century away, but it will be here sooner than you think. Luckily, Grove City College prepares its students through excellent academics and an outstanding Career Services Office that gets you in contact with potential employers. Do not let the thought of a post college career plan stress you out. Caleb Pierson, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance at Grove City College, explains how he was able to use the CSO and its annual Career Fair to land an awesome summer internship, full of great experiences!

Caleb interned at an accounting firm in Pittsburgh, PA called Grossman Yanak and Ford. He was able to put to use the information he learned in the classroom, demonstrate proper workplace behavior, and gain useful insight on how to interact with clients and coworkers. Caleb would absolutely recommend participating in a summer internship program to his peers and incoming students because of the experience he gained, and the potential job offer that could follow upon completion of the internship.

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Leaving a Tropical Paradise for Grove City College

Grove City College is home to students from all over the world. Here on campus, I have friends not only from all over the United States, but also from Hungary, Singapore, China, and even Australia. I am from Hawaii. While not as far as Australia, Hawaii is still very out of the way of Grove City, Pennsylvania. So why, out of all the college options across the United States and around the world, did myself and many others choose Grove City College? 

The Grove has many things going for it, from a beautiful campus to one of the kindest and most driven student bodies in America. I would like to share some of the reasons I chose Grove City and what has brought me back for my sophomore year. 

Two years ago, I was working my way through my last year of high school and had begun my search for a college. I had looked at several schools and liked the sound of some of them, but nothing had quite clicked yet. Since I live in Hawaii, it was too much hassle to go visit schools, and none of the schools on the island had what I was looking for. This was when I first found the Grove. From the first picture I saw I was entranced. The Grove is a gorgeous campus. I struggle to find the words to describe how beautiful it is. Not a day will go by that you are not reminded of the beauty in God’s creation on this campus.

With my curiosity piqued by the beauty in the pictures, I began to dig deeper in research. Everything I read said that the Grove is home to one of the most motivated and driven student bodies in the world. Most of the students are strong Christians, and it shows. This carries over to the faculty as well. The Christlikeness reflected in so many of the people on campus creates an air of grace despite the rigorous academics, which makes for an unparalleled learning environment and encourages motivation.

The faculty at the Grove are amazing. They set themselves apart from many other schools in that they genuinely care about every individual student. I have yet to meet a professor that is not always willing to talk with you about class–or life in general! I have even developed great friendships with many of my professors. 

Beauty, grace, and rigorous academics are all very important to me. The beauty reminds me both of God’s glory and of the beauty of my home in Hawaii. The grace displayed by everyone gives me motivation to move forward and improve without fearing failure. The academics constantly push me to be better and to think about the world around me. All these factors come together to make an amazing college experience–one worth leaving paradise and crossing the Pacific ocean!

I could go on for many more pages talking about how much I love Grove City. This campus is truly like no other. From the students, to the faculty, to the campus itself, I cannot recommend the Grove enough. I hope your experience at Grove City is as great as mine has been so far!

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Hang-out Hot Spots of Grove City College

Grove City College is a much smaller school than most, and with a small campus comes a tight-knit community. As an incoming freshman, you will be practically bombarded with new friends–but once all the fun Orientation Board events die down, where can you go to spend time with your newfound friends? Here is a rundown of some of the best hangout spots on campus.

Several of the dorm buildings on campus also have lounges in them. Some of my fondest memories from here on campus are from movie nights in the lounges of Memorial Hall. Memorial is the freshman-only men’s dorm where I began my Grove City journey. On each of its three floors are lounges equipped with a TV and some comfy couches. While the second and third floor lounges are reserved for the building’s residents, the first floor lounge is fair game for anyone on campus and is a cozy spot for a movie night.

Any list of hangouts on campus would be incomplete without mentioning the Breen Student Union, which is commonly referred to as the SAC (Student Activity Center). The first floor is home to both our mailroom and the Gedunk café. The second floor has a lounge for commuter students and a multipurpose room called the Great Room, both excellent spots for game nights with friends. With plenty of tables and places to sit throughout, the SAC is home to many late-night study sessions. 

Our next spot lands itself among my personal favorites: MAP South basement. Belonging to the women’s dorm called “Mary Anderson Pew South,” this basement (also called South Rec) is one of the coolest spots on campus. It has everything: a ping-pong table, a TV, a full kitchen, several tables and couches, and a fully functioning jukebox. If you want a cool retro atmosphere for your game or movie night, South Rec is the place to be. The kitchen is also fully equipped with pans and an oven if you want to do some baking while you are at the Grove. On weeknights it is usually a quiet spot to study, but on weekends you might be out of luck. 

So far everywhere I have mentioned has been inside, but sometimes you might want to get outside and have some fun in the sun. This brings us to the Quad. The Quad is a large section of lawn situated between the chapel and Crawford Hall. A line of trees creates shade along the edges which makes for great picnic or study spots. Whether you need a spot to relax in the shade or just need some space to play frisbee with your friends, the quad is for you.

Last but certainly not least, is the biggest recreational room on campus: Ketler recreational room. Belonging to the men’s dorm Ketler, it is known by most students as KetRec. KetRec has two ping-pong tables, two foosball tables, three pool tables, a games cabinet, and two TVs, in addition to an adjoining kitchen that can be reserved for student use. KetRec is one of the only rec rooms on campus that is open to all students 24/7. On top of its many fun features, it also has several good spots to read to or do homework in peace.

These are some of the best and most popular spots on campus, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. There are many other spots for you and your friends to explore. Each student has their own personal favorite spots. I will leave it to you to find your own favorite during your time at Grove City. I hope you have as much fun exploring campus as I did, and I wish you well on your college journey!

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Event Spotlight: Humans Vs. Zombies

Imagine a quiet afternoon in Grove City. Most students are peacefully heading to and from their classes without a care in the world. But for a few students, an apocalypse is brewing. These students carry Nerf blasters and sock-balls to defend themselves. They quickly slink between buildings, checking corners and dashing across clearings. There are zombies on the loose. This is Humans vs. Zombies. 

Humans vs. Zombies (or HvZ for short) is a week-long event open to all students that takes place once every semester. HvZ is effectively a game of infection tag that lasts an entire week, with students needing to defend themselves on their way to and from classes. The human team must wear an identifying armband while the zombies wear headbands. The humans’ goal is to survive the week while completing objectives to keep the zombies at bay. The zombies’ goal is as you might expect: to turn all the humans into zombies. Zombies do so by tagging the humans. But the humans are not entirely helpless–they get Nerf blasters or other foam-flinging items that stun the zombies. There are also those who forego blasters and instead use sock-balls to stun zombies. If you want to participate in HvZ but do not have any Nerf blasters, fear not! The HvZ community at Grove City prides itself on never having run out of loaner gear for students to use. 

One of the best parts of HvZ is the afterparty, where survivors get to swap war stories and heroic moments over pizza. During the afterparty, awards are distributed. Among them are “The Best Human,” “The Best Zombie,” and “The Best Moment” for each team. My first semester, the best human moment was taken by a junior named Haddon. He was rushed by five zombies at once and managed to live to tell the tale. He took down the first three with three quick shots from his blaster. But as he took his fourth shot, his blaster jammed. In the blink of an eye, he un-holstered his secondary blaster, threw a sock-ball, and shot the last zombie. This heroic stand earned him the title of Grove City’s own John Wick. 

You will hear this story and many more from the students that play HvZ every semester. If you want a heart-racing, action-packed week to add to your college experience, I cannot recommend anything more than HvZ. And do not worry if you feel like you cannot commit to a full week. Starting in 2020, HvZ has added smaller Saturday afternoon events that you can join in on for as long or short as you like. If you are interested in HvZ, or have any questions, you can email them at grovecityhvz@gmail.com. I hope to see you out there!

 

 

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Finals Week at Grove City College

grove city college library

For me, the thought of my first finals week at the College was absolutely terrifying. I wanted to ace all my exams but had no idea how to manage all of the studying and retain any information. I have a few tips on how to relax and study well for your first finals week. Take a read if you are a freshman who is wary about your first finals week experience!

  1. Split up your studying time by class and when your final is.
  • For example, if you have two finals on Friday–one at 9:00am and one at 7:00pm–on Wednesday write out your study guides for both finals so you do not have to do that on Thursday. Then on Thursday (study day) you could spend your morning studying for your 9:00am final, take a lunch break, spend the afternoon continuing to study for your 9:00am final, review for your 9:00am, take a dinner break, begin studying for your 7:00pm final after dinner, take a break and review for your 9:00am final until midnight, then go to bed, wake up to review one last time and be confident taking your 9:00am final and use the rest of your day to review and study for 7:00pm final. There is no one right way to study. This is just one of my favorite and most effective ways of studying.
  1. Take small breaks to refresh, spend time with friends, and reenergize.
  • While I could give you many more study tips to be prepared for finals, I want to give you the most important tip when getting ready for finals: take breaks and rejuvenate. Studying for hours on end will result in nothing productive if you do not take breaks to relax and recoup. I have found that I am the least productive when I study for more than three or four hours without taking a break to go hang with friends or eat something. If I study for much longer than that without taking a break, my studying becomes useless because I do not retain anything, and I am not in a healthy headspace to continue studying well.

It is completely normal to be nervous about your first finals week at the Grove. But, with some tips from me, hopefully you can be a little bit more prepared and relaxed!

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Workout Facility Adaptations

Grove City College provides its students with an excellent workout facility that has flexible hours to accommodate each student’s schedule. But what happens when a global pandemic hits and harmful germs can possibly be spread through the air?

After pivoting and adjusting to the new normal, Grove City College has done an exceptional job of shifting its workout facilities to make sure we are socially distant compliant and germ-free. Though this disease has impacted shared spaces, the College has still been able to monitor and continue to provide students with an area to work out and relieve stress.

The gym facilities here have undergone quite a few changes, with the biggest being the location switch. Formerly located in two separate rooms, the mechanical and free weights machines have now moved into the College’s Intramural Rooms. The IM Rooms are composed of four basketball courts, each separated by curtains, that allow for students to participate in various activities. The new workout facility has now consumed one of the basketball courts, which unfortunately has limited the number of participants that can play sports in the IM Rooms. Another change that the gym has undergone is a new set of block times to allow for cleaning and sanitizing the equipment after participants have finished.

There are numerous rules now in place for the new workout facility to ensure that everyone can use them safely. The first of these rules is that workouts must be limited to 40 minutes or less. Along with limited workouts, there is also a limited number of participants allowed in the gym at one time. No more than 25 people may workout simultaneously, which allows for social distancing. Masks must be worn at all times in the workout facilities, and equipment must be sprayed down before and after each use. Lastly, student IDs are now being collected upon entry for tracking purposes, in case there is a COVID case reported in the gym. These restrictions may seem aggressive, however, they are vital to ensuring that gym-goers and those that they come into contact with around campus are safe. Grove City is putting their students’ safety at the forefront of their minds, and it shows through the precautions they are taking with the gym.

This is the former free weights workout room.
This is the former mechanical weights room.
After undergoing COVID adaptations, this is the new combined workout room. Free and mechanical weights are offered here.

 

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A Culture of Worship

When I walk down to the coffee shops on Broad Street, right off of campus, I sit down to enjoy my coffee and pull out some textbooks and begin reading. As I read I can hear the conversations of Grove City College (GCC) students nearby, asking about faith, sharing their stories with one another, and discussing what ways God is working in their life. By now you may already know about Grove City College’s chapel program, which happens on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. But here is some insight on the spiritual growth happening in the daily lives of GCC students outside of the regularly scheduled programs.

Someone once said that worship is genuine relational interaction with God. If that is true, then I know that Grove City College is truly a place of worship. One of my highlights of my first year was getting to hear people’s testimonies. I was able to hear so many stories about how God has moved in people’s lives. It surprised me how many people I spoke with who were willing to share stories of how God has been working in their life. I have known that there are groups that hold testimony nights, where people share their stories with the group. There is truly a culture of loving the Lord and eagerly expecting Him to work in our lives and sharing the testimonies of His goodness. 

To add to that, there is a richness I see in people’s relationship with God here. People are eager to spend time worshiping the Lord. I see small friend groups getting together to sing worship songs randomly. People are often out on the Quad (a grass field in the middle of campus) journaling and listening to worship music. I hear others singing hymns underneath the stars. Sometimes some girls in my hall have art and worship times, where people get together to paint and color as worship to God. I pass by the guitar players who play randomly around campus, and hear them pouring out their heart to God in song. I have even talked to runners, who wake up at sunrise to run and they say that their early morning runs are a time they can focus on God. 

There are also many groups dedicated to prayer on campus, beyond the regular clubs that have prayer meetings. Every so often I am invited somewhere to pray with a group of friends, or to study the Word of God with people. To me, there is something truly beautiful about these unorganized, student-led times of worship, prayer, and study. It shows me that people here authentically love God and want to know Him. The culture here is so unique and beautiful: college students who love God and want to spend time with Him.