Month: December 2020

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Campus Jobs

Often, students do not know whether they can handle having a job while also taking classes. Though it may not work well for some students, other students enjoy working while in college. Some students work off campus, but those jobs are typically more hours each week and scheduling around classes and homework could be stressful. Many students enjoy working right at the College because you can work for just a few hours a week and it is very flexible work. Also, you get to save time and gas because you will not have to commute to an off-campus job. Having a job on campus does not mean that you have to work long, hard hours. Many students only work 5-10 hours a week.

There are several different areas of the College where you can work to make some extra cash. The cafeterias are always looking for help – you can work in the dish room, clean tables, or even bake desserts! Lots of students work in the cafeterias and enjoy the work. Another common job around campus is that students can be a Teacher’s Assistant for a professor. I am a TA for an Accounting professor and I really enjoy it. TA’s do tasks such as grade papers, grade homework, make copies, or input data. This is a great job because often you can work right from your dorm, and the scheduling is typically very informal because it is up to you and the professor to negotiate hours.

One other option you have is to work as a desk attendant, which is a very simple job. For example, you may work an hour or two in the lobby of a dorm building just to keep an eye on things and be there to answer questions that one may have. You can even do homework on the job! I recently asked my friend, Isabella, whether she preferred her on-campus job or her off-campus job at the outlet mall. She answered, “I am a big fan of on-campus jobs. It is not only convenient, but I save so much time driving to and from work. Plus, I do not have to spend money on gas! I also like that the work is very flexible and that the College understands that college students are busy. Plus, it is very low key and I often can do my homework while I am on the clock at my desk job! It is a double win!”  There are many other jobs available around campus and it should not be not very hard to find something that interests you!

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Election Night 2020

Grove City College is such a special place for so many reasons, but one reason why I particularly find the college to be such a unique place is because of the students’ passion for politics. Many college students have little interest in politics – but not Grovers!

Being that Grove City College is a conservative Christian college, many students are Republican. Weeks before the election, students wore their “Trump gear” loud and proud. I have seen more MAGA red hats and “Trump 2020 T-shirts” on campus than anywhere else. Students here are passionate about what they believe and they are not afraid to show it. I find it so wonderful that students can express their beliefs and be supported by so many others.

Even though many Grove City students may be the minority for being Republicans (most college-aged students are liberal), we are not afraid to show it! Election night was on Tuesday and it was a pretty tense day around campus. Students did not know what to expect and were eager to see the results. In the Student Union, students gathered to watch both the presidential and vice-president debates. There was a great turnout for both events. Tuesday night, students gathered outside of the student union from 7 p.m. to midnight to watch the results of the presidential election come in. The election was projected onto a large white screen outside, chairs and heat lamps were set up, and there were plenty of snacks. Like I said, many students here are passionate about politics – so passionate that they are willing to sit outside in the cold to watch the election. This election was especially important for our country and it is really neat that students could gather together to watch the results. Obviously, we did not find out the results of the election that night, but I am really glad that I got to experience this election at Grove City College. I am so proud to attend a college where I can voice my opinion freely and where students are in such strong community with each other.

As a senior, election day 2020 is one day that I will always remember. It was so fun to watch the election with other students. Grove City College truly is a unique place and I feel so blessed that I am able to experience the values that many students share.

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Grove City College Mechanical Engineering Student Spotlight: Josh Eibeck

Video Interview: https://youtu.be/XKTWP2RlcOs

Grove City College offers its students a wide variety of majors to choose from. One of the College’s most reputable majors here is Mechanical Engineering, also known by the acronym MECE. Grove City College ranked 55th nationally for the program and has been listed as a top 100 school in the country for undergraduate engineering programs for several years now. Mechanical Engineering students are driven, dedicated, and challenged by a unique way of thinking and problem solving with hands-on experience through real world application. Grove City College MECE students are passionate about what they do and enjoy the opportunity to “think outside the box” when tasked with assignments and projects. This major is challenging because it consists of mainly math and physics, but completing the work makes for a strong sense of achievement.

Josh Eibeck, a senior Mechanical Engineering major here at Grove City College, sat down and shared some his thoughts and reflections on his decision to study MECE. Josh has found his time at Grove City to be challenging, yet extremely rewarding, as he has been able to put his math science and skills to use on assignments and projects. The aspect of the Mechanical Engineering major that excites Josh the most is doing something different everyday! He enjoys working on new projects and problems daily that allow him to expand his knowledge and teach him lessons that can applied far beyond the classroom.

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Grove City College Mechanical Engineering Student Spotlight: Nate Carver

Video Interview: https://youtu.be/khyt7RiVGl0

Grove City College offers its students a wide variety of majors to choose from. One of the College’s most reputable majors here is Mechanical Engineering, also known by the acronym MECE. Grove City College ranked 55th nationally for the program and has been listed as a top 100 school in the country for undergraduate engineering programs for several years now. Mechanical Engineering students are driven, dedicated, and challenged by a unique way of thinking and problem solving with hands-on experience through real world application. Grove City College MECE students are passionate about what they do and enjoy the opportunity to “think outside the box” when tasked with assignments and projects. This major is challenging because it consists of mainly math and physics, but completing the work makes for a strong sense of achievement.

Nate Carver, senior Mechanical Engineering major here at Grove City College, sat down and talked about the highlights, struggles, and advice for upcoming freshmen based on the experience that he has had with choosing to be a MECE student. Nate loves the college path he has chosen and looks forward to graduation so that he can put the concepts and skills that he has learned to use in the real world.

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E-Commerce (Knot Hangin’)

Each year at Grove City College there is a class called E-Commerce, where students create online businesses that donate their profits to local nonprofits. In this class, teams of students learn how to manage an online business in a hands-on learning experience. This week I sat down with Amanda Mayer, team member of E-Commerce team “Knot Hangin’,” who gave me some insight into her experience over the course of this semester. 

I began by asking, “So, what have you learned from E-Commerce?”

Amanda thought for a moment and then replied, “Before this class I had no experience in marketing, finance, and… I’ve learned so much within a few short weeks. I’ve had to balance checkbooks, produce items (goods), and market actual products to be sold. It’s no longer your safe, pretend theory of a world. You’re actually making things that people will use.” 

Curious as to what kind of goods Knot Hangin’ produced, I asked, “What’s an example of some of the products you make in Knot Hangin’?”

“We make plant hangers, keychains, coasters, and small wall decals, all out of macramé,” Amanda answered. Macramé coasters is a new concept to me, but what a cute idea!”

“Very cool! So you’re making the macramé yourself?” I though to myself – students learn how to make macramé in this class too? That’s pretty cool. 

 “Yes, everything is made by my team,” Amanda chuckled, reflecting back on recent nights of putting together the team’s orders. 

 “Have you worked with macramé before?” 

“Oh, no! I didn’t know how to make anything before this,” Amanda exclaimed, which means that she picked up making macramé in a matter of weeks before her products began to sell. How amazing! 

“Oh, so who came up with the idea for selling macramé?” I questioned. 

Amanda answered while pulling out her computer to show me some of their products, “Bailey Mantzel. I knew her through Young Life, and when I heard her idea I really fell in love with the concept and the excitement of being on her team.” There is nothing better than a project with friends, and Amanda has clearly enjoyed working with her friend Bailey. 

As I scrolled through the beautiful webpage and glanced over the macramé products, I asked, “What’s your favorite thing about your business?” 

Amanda laughed, “My favorite thing? That it’s real. It’s not like an idea or a theory, we are actually putting it into practice. I love the team, they’re a bunch of goofballs. I love the products that we make because they are actually good products and we give all of our profits to charity.” 

“Yeah! Can you tell me a bit about the charity you donate to?” I asked, excited to hear about the impact Knot Hangin’ was making in our community. 

“Absolutely. The charity we donate to is the Arc of Mercer County,” Amanda started, pulling up their webpage to give me a better look. She explained, “Their mission is to provide for adults with disabilities. I have family members who are adults with disabilities and personally I felt at a loss… I didn’t know how to help them but through this I found a way to encourage my family and encourage my community.”

So not only did the class teach her all these amazing life skills, but she was able to make an impact in a subject she truly cared about.

Wrapping up, I asked my final question, “Would you recommend E-Commerce to incoming students?” 

Without missing a beat, Amanda replied, “Yes. I would recommend E-Commerce to anyone. If you’re an Engineer, you have a mindset and solutions that would benefit the team. If you’re in Marketing, it gives you experience in reaching out and boosting your product. Computer Science – we need people to make a good website, sometimes even from scratch. Any major, I would recommend this.” 

You can find out more about Grove City College’s student businesses at gccentrepreneurship.com. Each year, the E-Commerce class has a handful of online businesses that start up and sell their products to donate to a variety of charities and organizations. It is a good place to see what Grove City students are creating and find a sense for the causes that are important to the community.