Author: wetzelhj1

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Day Trip Idea: Pittsburgh Pirates Game at PNC Park

Professional baseball games are always exciting, especially at one of the best ballparks in America. Thankfully, it is only about an hour away from the Grove City College campus. PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, gives fans a wonderful view of the city’s skyline beyond the Allegheny River. Along with the amazing view, Pirates baseball games allow you to sit back and watch some of the game’s most talented players do what they do best: play ball. All this makes for the perfect day trip away from the College campus to relax and enjoy one of America’s pastimes.
Tickets for a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game can be bought easily online through the organization itself or through the secondary market (StubHub and SeatGeek for example). Since college students are usually on a budget, the Pirates organization participates in College Cove Fridays where students receive a ticket, T-shirt, and a $10 food or drink voucher. The deal is valid for all Friday night home games. This makes for an affordable and enjoyable way to end a busy week of school.

Another great part of these ball games is the food, and there is nothing better than authentic ballpark food. A classic hot dog, pink and blue cotton candy, nachos with cheese and salsa, and salty pretzels are the main staple foods of the ballpark. Along with those, PNC also serves a Pittsburgh delicacy on game days: Mrs. T’s Pierogis. You will also see some famous pierogis running in the famous pierogi race between innings.

Although the ballpark food is great, the game itself is what draws the fans in. Pittsburgh takes great pride in their teams, the Pirates are no exception. No matter where you sit in the stadium, I can almost assure you that the guy or gal next to you will be ready to give you a two handed high five as soon as a Pirate hits a home run. Pirates baseball games are extremely fun to attend with Grove City College friends, and they are a great way to make memories. Win or lose, I can assure you that your day spent at PNC Park will be an enjoyable one.

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Day Trip Idea: Pittsburgh Strip District

There are days while on campus when you just want to get away for a while. After going to the Grove City Outlets for the umpteenth time, you start to desire more adventurous getaways. Thankfully, the Pittsburgh Strip District is only about an hour from the College and is the perfect place to eat, shop, and wander around.

In terms of food and drinks, the Strip District has more than you could ask for. There are far too many places to mention, so I will tell you about a few of the places that I highly recommend going to. One of my absolute favorite places to get coffee is at La Prima Espresso Company. Their true Italian espresso makes their lattes and espresso shots deeply desirable. La Prima is the perfect place to go as soon as you arrive at The Strip to get your day started. With coffee in hand, the next place I suggest you go to is Pamela’s Diner. Their chocolate chip banana hotcakes and scrambled hash are just two of the delicious plates they offer. There is a reason it is one of the most well known diners in the Pittsburgh area. Now, if you have been to Pittsburgh and have not heard about Primanti Brothers, I would be shocked. The local “Yinzers” know that the restaurant along with its signature sandwich are a huge part of the what makes the city great. The chain is known for its grilled meat, coleslaw, tomato slices, and French fries thrown between two pieces of Italian bread.

Now, if you have some money to spend, The Strip has some of the neatest and most interesting shops around. Roxanne’s Dried Flowers is somewhere I always stop by. Although the wreathes and dried flowers are usually too pricey for me, the shop is such an interesting place to walk through. The smells and displays make it worth it every time. Pittsburgh has a lot of pride in its sports teams. The Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers are loved by so many in the surrounding areas as well. Many shops in The Strip sell Pittsburgh sports franchised attire, some licensed while others are “yinzer unique.” Either way, these shops are really fun to check out.

Every time I have visited The Strip with my college friends has been so much fun and each trip seems to be more fun than the last. I highly recommend anyone takes a day trip to visit this amazing cultural district. The Strip District is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind location that can only be found in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Graduate Early While Saving Money

Typically when you think about college, you think about it taking up four years of your life (or longer). Although I thoroughly enjoy college and all of the rigorous work, I constantly think about being done and having a “big girl” job. With that being said, when I heard someone mention “graduating early,” I had to look into it.

I went to my academic advisor and asked if graduating early was even possible for me. Shockingly, he said yes. Both of us looked into how many credits I would have to take each semester and the required classes needed for my major. My advisor told me he thought it was a great idea to try and graduate a semester early. He mentioned the benefits of starting the job search early and bringing joy to my bank account.

Every major at Grove City College has a Status Sheet which gives the required hours for each major and a suggested four-year course plan. Looking at mine (for Marketing Management), I noticed that some semesters only had 14 or 15 credit hours listed while others had the maximum of 17. If I tried to graduate a semester early, I realized that I would most likely need to have 17 credits each semester. Even then, I still would not have enough hours to graduate. I had to look at my options.

My options would be to take online classes, which the College offers, or take over 17 credit hours during some semesters. I decided to go with the online class option. I have taken two of them so far through Grove City College, and have been delighted with the payoff. Both of my online courses were over our winter breaks, which allowed me to spend time with family and friends as well as gain credit hours. And if you decide not to graduate early, online courses are a great way to lighten your regular semester course load.

Another way I added credit hours was by completing a summer internship. I worked in the Marketing and Operations departments of a bank. I was able to earn four credits toward my major requirements through this experience which made it all the more worth while. I highly recommend internships for the work experience, but it is also extremely beneficial to receive college credit for them as well. Also, just as a side note, employers highly consider prospective employees that have done an internship. More importantly, the internships done for college credit can be checked out by the company you worked for along with your faculty sponsor at the College: win, win.

With all of that being said, it is absolutely possible to graduate a semester early. With the help of your advisor and by planning out the remainder of your semesters, obtaining that degree a little sooner than normal means substantial monetary savings as well as a jump on the job market.

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“Victory” in Finding a Church: A Closer Look at Victory Family Church

One thing I realized when I came to college was that I needed to find a church. I needed to find a place that made me feel at home. I craved to be a part of a church community to grow in and experience life with. If you have never been to Grove City, I can tell you now that there are multiple churches in the area. There are approximately 16 within the town and countless more churches in the surrounding areas. In other words, there are many churches covering a wide range of denominations close by the College, so the odds of finding a church I liked was certainly high.

During my first week at Grove City College, as a freshman, I met a girl who would end up becoming a really close friend of mine. She told me about her home church located in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania (a 40 minute drive from the College). It was called Victory Family Church and it turns out that her father, John Nuzzo, was the pastor there. My friend invited me to go with her and visit the church for myself, and let me just say, I am so grateful that she did. Victory Family Church exists to help all people realize that God loves them unconditionally, and I can personally testify that the church does an incredible job at this. Every time I have been to Victory Church, I have been welcomed with open arms by so many brothers and sisters in Christ. I also witness the most loving and moving worship along with a sermon that somehow always seems like it is written for me each and every week. I cannot explain to you how at home I feel when I am there. Victory Family Church has truly changed my life, and I thank God for his guidance in leading me there. I hope and pray you find a church home that you love whether that be at Victory Family Church or someplace else.

Here is what a couple other Grove City College students have to say about the church:

“I admire Pastor John for fearlessly speaking the truth. Every time I enter Victory Church, I can feel the Holy Spirit working through Pastor John and through the rest of the church family.”

“I like Victory Church because Pastor Nuzzo never fails to give a relatable and deep message. He constantly exemplifies Christ’s love to us. As a pastor, he also expresses that he is not perfect, and that’s okay because of God’s grace and mercy. I think that’s important to have in a church, especially for college students because we strive to be perfect and beat ourselves up because we’re sinners and by God’s grace, we’re perfect. Also, the church preached that you are saved by grace alone through Christ alone which is very important. The church is massive so there is tons of room to meet people and grow in community with people of all ages.”

“I love the worship at Victory! They really do a good job of drawing in this generation of young adults. The message is always great and interesting to listen to, and I always feel so welcome!”

“Victory truly makes a big church feel small. It has been a great way for me to feel connected with other young-adult believers and the messages are so applicable for my everyday life. The small groups they offer have helped me make lasting relationships. We can’t do life alone and Victory Family Church has truly brought me into the family.”