Author: criswellda17

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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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How a Student Athlete Manages

Gretchen Elsey, a senior Exercise Science major from Pulaski, PA, is a dual sport athlete here at Grove City College. She is a shooting guard for the women’s basketball team, along with competing in the high jump for the track and field team.

As Grove City College is an academically challenging school, I asked her how she balances her school work while being a collegiate athlete. She responded, “The best way for me to balance my work is by working ahead as best I can. I also look ahead in all my syllabi in the beginning of the week, so I have an idea of what needs to be done. Also, playing a sport in general really helps me prioritize not only my time, but what I do outside of my schoolwork. It really is about being diligent in your work. If you are diligent and finish your work on time, then you will be able to do other things.”

Gretchen also mentioned that the basketball team offers a study table on Monday nights. This is required for freshmen players to attend, and lasts for two and a half hours. “Some upperclassmen go to study table because while we get our work done, it is a good time to bond with the freshmen,” she said. Even though I do not play a sport here on campus myself, I would agree with Gretchen that the best way to stay on top of your studies is by setting enough time aside to accomplish what you can, along with working ahead in any way possible.

I also asked Gretchen if she feels like she missed out on some college experiences since she plays two sports. She responded, “I do miss out on some social aspects in a sense. Like if some of my friends are meeting in the Student Union, or if people are going off campus to hang out for a little bit. But other than that, not really because all my friends are on the basketball team, so I see them every day and during the season we spend an absurd amount of time together.” Gretchen also told me that her closest friends have come from the basketball team: “Without basketball I do not know if I would’ve met them. They are some of my closest friends and for sure will be there for me even after college.” Although it can be super fun to play sports at the collegiate level, you can give up most of your weekends to games, long tournaments, or practices.

To conclude the interview, I asked if there is any advice she would give to incoming freshmen and students interested in playing sports. Gretchen said, “I would just say why not? You have four years of school so might as well spend some of that time playing a sport you love. You also have a great opportunity to meet a lot of new people, so I definitely think it is worth it.”

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My Study Abroad Experience

One of the main motivations for me to study abroad was my mom, who moved to the United States from Italy when she was just 12 years old! As I was growing up, she would always tell my and my siblings amazing stories about her time living there and how different it was than living in America. What my mom told me, combined with how much my brother loved his study abroad experience, I knew this was something I had to do and experience for myself.

Even though I was confident that I would be able to adjust to Italian life without any hiccups, I did feel a little out of place and out of my comfort zone upon arrival. Adjusting to the culture and the Italian way of living definitely took some time. In Italy, people are a lot more relaxed. Especially in heart of Florence where we all were located, everyone walks so there is not much traffic. This means that everyone is trying to go where they need to be, yet they do not stress about it. One thing I learned very quickly is that people take their time when walking. This is very different from the American way, where people are hustling and bustling, trying to get where they need to be as soon as possible. Among this, there were many things I had yet to learn. This was the first time I lived on my own, which meant that I had to cook, clean, and shop for myself. I also had to be aware of my roommates’ needs as they also were trying to cook, clean and shop for themselves as well. This meant I had to communicate well and be sensitive to their needs. The experience not only taught me how to take care of myself, but also how to budget my money since I wanted to see much of Europe. Through this experience, I learned a lot about myself and how to handle certain situations, in addition to learning more about the world and other cultures.

I would say one of the best parts about studying abroad was the ability to visit multiple countries with some of my best friends. Since we did not have class on Fridays, we had the opportunity to visit different places around Europe since travel was so cheap! We would try to plan our trips at least a week and a half in advance, as this is when flights would be at their cheapest without having to plan months in advance. My last class ended at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoons, so we would pack the night before because the adventure would begin as soon as my class ended! We booked flights out of Pisa, which is about an hour train ride west of Florence. The Pisa airport is bigger than the one in Florence, meaning flights were a lot cheaper.

Studying abroad was hands down the highlight of my college career! I would highly recommend that everyone at least looks into studying abroad to determine if it is possible. Through study abroad programs, you experience so many things outside of Grove City College which you may never have the opportunity to do again. Everyone says they like a good adventure–so why not have the adventure of a lifetime! If you are interested in studying abroad, reach out to the Office of Global Programs to learn more!

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A Quick Glimpse into the Study Abroad Process

On August 25, 2019, a new adventure began for me. I left the Pittsburgh airport to study abroad in Florence, Italy for the fall semester, along with four other Grove City students. Since I have an older brother who studied abroad in Florence in 2015, I knew that it was something I wanted to do during my time here at Grove City College. As my mother is Italian, I had visited Italy and other European countries in the past. I saw studying abroad to be a three-month-long vacation with college friends, getting to travel Europe on my own.

The application process was not too difficult, just taking a lot of time, energy, and especially patience. The Office of Global Programs here on campus suggested that I break it up into two parts. First, I chose to apply through Grove City. At this point, you decide where you want to study, which program to select (if there are any that interest you), and which classes will transfer credits to your major. Since my brother did this years before, I already knew my plan. I was looking to live in Florence and direct enroll into a university there called Lorenzo de’ Medici. This was the cheapest and most hassle-free option I could find that Grove City offered, on top of it being the exact plan my brother used.

Finding classes that offered transferable credit to Grove City College took time. I needed to request a class catalog from Lorenzo de’ Medici, find the class that interested me, download and print the syllabus, and, finally, have it approved by the head of the Business Department (as I am a Business major). I did this for all the classes I took in Florence, because the College makes sure that any classes taken abroad fulfill on-campus requirements. After getting my classes signed off, I had to start the application process directly with Lorenzo de’ Medici. This process included filling out an over-five-page application, sending in college transcripts with my past grades and GPA, and–the hardest part–scheduling an appointment with the Italian consulate in Pittsburgh to fill out yet another application to obtain my student Visa. This entire process took the span of a few months during the spring semester of 2019, and I did not end up finding out that I had been accepted until mid-July! All in all, the process was not too difficult and can be easily done if broken into steps. Check out my next blog post to hear about some experiences and why you should consider studying abroad through Grove City College!