Category: Academics

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Advertising Grove City: A Class Project

In Dr. Powell’s advertising class, students were given the unique opportunity to research the College and create their own unique marketing strategies towards prospective students. Their task: to increase the number of applications submitted to Grove City by using an integrated marketing strategy that they themselves create. There were so many unique ideas presented!

Assigned throughout the majority of the semester, each class (there were two separate ones) was divided into teams of five persons, each given this same task. Dr. Powell advised these teams to begin talking to the admissions office, the marketing research class, and students on campus to advise them on particular marketing ideas and how they would resonate with their target audiences.

As data collection continued, the creative process intensified. Teams were given the task to create a sample print advertisement, a radio advertisement script, as well as a sales promotion give away, in addition to creating substantial PR. This task seemed stark, but all teams rose to the occasion and presented to Dr. Powell and students with creative, intuitive ideas to reach the demographic.

Ideas ranged anywhere from Virtual Reality Headsets to a Twitter promotion offering free tuition for a certain amount of likes. In one class, a particular team designed the theme “Rooted Deep,” and based their campaign around this idea. Their print ad reflected that idea with a tree showing immense roots, and their radio ad emulated that idea. Lastly, teams came up with a promotional video to be shown on the website that captures the essence of their big idea.

Each team presented thrice over the course of the semester, with each successive presentation becoming more and more improved with peer evaluation and teacher advising. Finally, the teams presented their IMC plans in the form of a eight- to 10-page report that laid out their vision for their advertising campaign, and subsequent examples.

Ideally, some of these ideas could get passed along to the admissions office and be implemented into the marketing and presentation of Grove City College. Regardless, and speaking as a student in this particular class, the concepts learned and applied in this project will be invaluable further down the road after graduation. The focus on creativity within a big idea is a crucial part of the marketing and business world, and many students as a result of this project will be impacted and better prepared for their future careers.

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Catching Up with Alumni: Lauren Schmitt ’15, Music Education

Grove City College Music Education

Knowing how four years and a degree from Grove City College can help you will help make your college search so much easier, so I caught up with 2015 graduate, Lauren Schmitt, to see how her Music Education degree from Grove City College was helping her now.

Q. For what age range is your teaching certification?

A. My education certification is K-12 and I am also certified to teach both vocal music and instrumental music.

Q. I know you live in New Jersey. Since Grove City is located in Pennsylvania did you have an trouble getting your certification to transfer from Pennsylvania to New Jersey?

A. I had no trouble getting my PA certification to transfer to an NJ certification. All I had to do was send in a copy of my PA cert and they sent me an NJ cert. PA and NJ have very similar expectations and requirements for their teachers so the certifications transfer over really easily.

Q. What is your current position and who is your current employer?  Did your Grove City degree help/hinder you in getting that position?

A. I currently teach 4th and 5th grade instrumental music (band) in the Parsippany Troy-Hills School District. I’m not really sure if my Grove City degree helped or hindered in me getting this position. Since I grew up in the district that I’m working in, I have a lot of connections with the other music teachers in the district. I think that helped me a lot in getting an interview as well as getting the position. The one thing that certainly helped in the interview process was that when I did my student teaching, I got to student teach with all grades K-12. Most colleges in the NJ area don’t have that opportunity for their students. On the secondary level they either student teach at a middle school or a high school level. When I did my student teaching at Lakeview, they had one band teacher for both the middle school and high school so I had the opportunity to work with beginner students as well as the most advanced students in the school.

Q. I know you are also working on grad school classes, what has that experience been like?  Has your Grove City degree helped/hindered you in any way?

A. I am currently about half way done with my Masters in Music Education through Boston University’s online program. It has been a great experience so far, but completely different from any other education experience I’ve ever had. Since I’m taking all of my classes online, I pretty much get to set the pace of everything I’m learning, I just need to make sure I’m handing in all of my assignments on time. Most of my contact with my professors is all through email which is something I’m still getting used to. Grove City College definitely helped me with figuring out the best way to balance my schedule. I’m still working while I’m taking classes so my schedule can sometimes get a little crazy. In the fall, along with grad school and work, I was also working with our high school marching band five days a week. I am constantly trying to find a balance between getting work done and doing school work. Thankfully, at Grove City I was a member of a lot of musical ensembles and most of my nights were spent in rehearsals. I usually never got back to my room until about 9:30 every night. Because of this, I had to find time to get all of my homework done, which is kind of like what I’m doing now. I’ve also been able to take a lot of the material that I learned in my classes at Grove City and apply them to my grad school classes.

Q. What do you miss most about Grove City College?

A.  The biggest thing I miss about Grove City is the community of friends I had out at school. As a music ed major, I was taking most of my classes with the same people every day for four years. Because of this, we grew really close pretty quickly. Two out of my three roommates my senior year were also music ed majors. I also became really close with a lot of my professors. Since most of the music professors teach multiple classes, we were able to have them over a number of semesters. Since our class sizes were small, we got to know our professors really well. I miss how much the professors cared about you as a person and not just as a student. I still remember my senior year, I had a midterm review in my Issues in Education class an hour before my senior recital jury. I remember talking to the professor about it a few days before the class and she told me that she knew I wasn’t going to be able to focus on class that day so I should get the notes from someone else and focus on my jury. When I saw her after my jury, she made sure to ask how I did and you could tell she was genuinely interested to hear how I did.

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

A. I would recommend Grove City to prospective High School students, especially if you do well in small classroom settings. When I was first looking at colleges, I knew I was looking for a smaller classroom setting because I knew that’s how I learned better. I wanted to be able to ask my professors questions and have them know who I was. This is exactly what I got at Grove City, even in my humanities classes.

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

A. I have two pieces of advice or incoming Grove City students. My first piece of advice is to get to know your professors. Once I got to know my professors well, it changed the way I learned at Grove City. I wasn’t afraid to go in to their office hours and ask them questions. It also helps because you are going to be sitting in their class two or three times a week. If you can get to know them and they get to know you, it makes class more interesting. My other piece of advice is to get involved in activities on campus. My freshman year, I didn’t participate in many things outside of class. I thought it might help to make my transition into college a little easier. I was in marching band, but other than that I didn’t participate in many other activities. My sophomore year, I joined every major performing ensemble on campus (marching band, concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, and choir) as well as a few other performing groups (woodwind quintet, flute choir, pit orchestra, etc.) and it changed my whole GCC experience. I got to know so many more people and experience a lot of new things. I even got to play with the woodwind quintet at the president’s house. Yes, it may make your schedule a little more crazy, but it is totally worth it.  

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

A. Because of my time spent at Grove City, I felt really prepared for life after college. With the information I learned in class, I felt completely ready to take over a classroom of my own. Grove City prepares you for what you are going to face in the future. Also, just because you leave school, it doesn’t mean that you stop learning. Don’t stop looking for opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. There is always room for improvement.

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Jobs on Campus: Can I be a TA as an Undergrad?

Teaching Assistant at Grove City College

Typically at large universities Teaching Assistants, or TAs, are graduate students who assist with undergraduate classes. But we do not have graduate programs at Grove City College, so do we have TAs?

Yes, we do. There are many classes at Grove City College that are assisted by one or more TAs, especially classes with hands-on, practical experiences. As an Entrepreneurship and English major I have more experience with these two departments than the others at the College, but both departments offer opportunities for students to assist their professors. The Entrepreneurship department has more opportunities for students to become TAs, whereas the English department has more opportunities for students to be Student Assistants.

I will go over the basic differences between TAs and Student Assistants here, but check out my post about being a Student Assistant if you are curious about that side of things. The major difference between a Teaching Assistant and a Student Assistant is that a Teaching Assistant typically assists with a specific class, and often works both with their supervising professor as well as closely with the students in that class, while a Student Assistant typically works behind the scenes with their supervising professor, and not necessarily with other students. There are many opportunities for both kinds of positions at Grove City College.

If you are a TA, you are likely a TA for a specific class that you have taken before and done well in. In my experience as a student in classes with a TA and as a TA myself, TAs will typically work closely with students in and out of class to help them understand the course material and to understand and complete assignments well and on time. There are often TAs for science classes with labs, and in the Entrepreneurship department there are often TAs for classes that require extensive group work and practical applications of skills.

The great thing about this position is that it is very easy to fit into your schedule. Generally TAs attend regular class periods for the class they are working in, so it is important to not schedule another class at this time. Other than this, however, most of a TA’s job can be done on their own time, or during meetings set up with students in the class.

This past semester I was a TA for an Entrepreneurship class in which students are put into teams and then compete in an online business simulation throughout the semester. I regularly attended class meetings and met with the professor on a semi-regular, as-needed basis. I also met with various teams from the class throughout the week in order to answer questions, assist in game strategy, and work through team dynamics.  Due to the flexible nature of these meetings, I would work anywhere from 3-10 hours a week in this position, based on if a major assignment for the class was due, if teams needed help with their dynamics, or how busy I was in my classes.

Many Grove City College students are a TA at some point in their time at the school, and it is certainly possible to be a TA as an undergraduate.

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How to Use AP Credits: Dual-Degree Program

Grove City College Dual Degree Program

There are many ways to use AP credits towards your college degree. Some of the more common options are to graduate a semester or two early or to use them to open your schedule up to a second major or a minor or two.

I entered college with 26 AP credits. I was considering using them to graduate early, but I wanted to double major in Entrepreneurship and English, and I needed at least seven semesters worth of classes to complete all of those requirements, even with my AP credits. That did not entirely discredit that option, but as I read about Grove City College’s academic programs I found an even better one. Grove City College’s Dual-Degree program gave me a way to use my AP credits to their fullest potential in my four years of college.

The Dual-Degree program allows students to pursue two separate degrees at one time. For instance, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Arts in English all at once, and rather than graduating in May with one degree that lists two majors, I will have earned two separate degrees. This is something that will allow me to stand out in the professional environment post-college and will hopefully be an asset long in the future.

The requirements are fairly simple and can be found through the Grove City College Registrar’s website, the College Bulletin, or are listed on this page about Grove City College’s Dual Degree Program. Thanks to my AP credits I have not had to stress out much about the additional credits that this program requires, though I did take advantage of Grove City’s online summer class offerings as well as our internship program to lighten my schedule.

This program is an excellent way to make good use of your AP credits (or any credits that you may be bringing in with you from high school or dual-enrollment programs) and to get the best out of your four years at Grove City College.  This program is a great option for someone who wants to use the credits that they’re bringing in as much as possible, but for whatever reason does not want to graduate early.

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On-Campus Jobs: Business Manager of “The Collegian”

In order to have a successful collegiate newspaper, there are countless individuals working behind the scenes to create content, manage the distribution, etc.

I had the chance to talk to one of the members of the Collegian’s staff who holds in a unique position within this campus organization. Jesse Peterson is a (now) December graduate who majored in communications during his time here. He held the role of “Business Manager” within this organization.

What kinds of tasks did this position entail for you?

“I was involved in the acquisition of advertisements for the Collegian and managed some of the financial duties that the Collegian dealt with. In addition, I was the person responsible for getting the weekly paper and then distributing it throughout the various campus locations.”

Can you talk more about the distribution process? I heard it was a more unique experience!

“Yes, it’s funny you should ask that! When we get the newspaper, it is printed up in Meadville, towards Allegheny College. Every Friday morning I get up and leave campus around 4 a.m. to drive up to Allegheny and collect the printed papers, put them in my car, and come back to campus. I am responsible for making sure that the newspapers are on the stands by the time most buildings open (so around 7:30 a.m. – ish). It’s sometimes a tiring thing to drive an hour there and back with the newspapers, but I’ve gained a lot of good experience from it.”

How has this job contributed to your experience at Grove City?

“I would say that I learned quite a bit of discipline having to get up so early on a Friday morning. The advertising aspect of the position engaged me in business to business conversations, and that skill is valuable when it comes to real world experiences. At Grove City, I’ve connected with other members of the writing staff, as well as numerous professors and individuals who influence the writings and creation process. Lastly, I’ve been fortunate to have some of my friends ride along with me when I get the paper, so there have been great relationships formed and improved through having this position. I’m very grateful for the opportunity, and know that while it is a bit of work, the lessons learned and experience are worth it!”

A big thanks to Jesse Peterson for speaking to me about his position, and a shout out to the entire Collegian staff who works tirelessly to get the paper out every week! Thank you for your hard work!

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Independent Research: The Ant Robot

It is no secret that the engineers at Grove City are incredibly talented and innovative. One project that stood out to Dr. Mohr, an engineering professor here, was designed and built by sophomore Theo Stangebye. Instead of reading me go on and on about the complexities, Dr. Mohr thought it best Theo explain the process himself. Theo and his sister, Sophie, were even kind enough to put together a short video showcasing the technology – enjoy!

Hi, my name is Theo Stangebye and I’m a sophomore electrical/computer engineering major at Grove City College. This past semester, I’ve had the privilege of working in the control systems lab with Dr. Mohr through the independent study program. During that time, we’ve been working on developing a robot with the ability to track ants and other small insects as they move across a field in order to study their behavioral patterns.

The development of this robot has been a collaborative effort: the project was suggested by professors in the Biology department, the chassis was designed and 3D printed by a mechanical engineering student, and the robot’s motherboard was designed by Dr. Mohr.

The robot utilizes a tail-dragger design and measures about one foot in length from front to back. We’ve equipped the robot with many instruments and sensors which will eventually help it navigate in the wild, including a movable lidar sensor, an inertial measurement unit, quadrature encoded wheel, and a GPS receiver. Currently, however, the robots computes distance and direction solely based on the movement of its two front wheels. The whole system is controlled with a myRIO by National Instruments and is programmed by LabVIEW.

Working on the project this semester has been a blast. I’ve developed low level control algorithms which allow the robot to be controlled with series of simple, high level commands, such as “drive 30 inches at an angle of 45 degrees.” To enable this form of control, I utilized a PID loop, which constantly checks the direct the wheels to correct for errors in the robot’s heading. PID loops are standard in industry applications, so getting to write my own algorithm was an excellent learning experience.

There were challenges along the way, but getting to see the finished product has been very rewarding. The robot can perform complex maneuvers, like tracing a star pattern, with great amounts of precision. If you’d like to see the robot in action, please check out the video on this page. I’m excited to see we will accomplish in the future, especially as we interface cameras into the robot next semester.

 

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Liberty and Socks

In the fall, Professor Sweet taught a class endearingly called Internet Content Marketing. In this course, students learned the importance of tailoring content to particular audiences in order to make a profit or showcase credibility. Towards the end of the semester, Professor Sweet asked the students to put their lessons into practice and write articles for this blog. As the editor of this site, I had the awesome opportunity to read all of these articles and choose the ones that I thought our readers would find most interesting. This particular piece is by Abigail Opst, she describes work with a business born out of a Entrepreneurship class. Enjoy!

I am a pretty competitive person by nature. It does not mean I am good at everything I enjoy, but it definitely means I love watching a good match. Even though I am not in the Entrepreneurship E-Commerce class—or an Entrepreneurship major at all for that matter—I have heard and learned a lot about it through my friends who are currently taking it. And the competition bit really piqued my interest. Over the course of a semester, the class has students form teams to start businesses and compete in selling products that ultimately support a cause of their choice. They are responsible for delegating duties—assigning chief executive, financial, and technical officers among other things—and they get to pull things together on their own.

Mended Sock Company is just one of the many companies that has come out of the class, Sophia Stangebye and Caroline Parker being my two claims to fame. Mended Sock Co. ties into the organization it supports, A21, and its mission to mend the lives of individuals who have been affected by human trafficking. Caroline explained that A21 organizes walks for freedom across the world, and Sophia added that individuals who walk dress in all black and are silent—but why not wear comfortable socks during these walks, she adds, that also support the A21 mission.

Despite the seemingly obscure class name, E-commerce is just a shortened version of electronic commerce—the idea of commercial transactions conducted over the internet. The course description describes the class as focusing on “e-commerce strategy, target market, analysis, search engine optimization, mobile commerce, social commerce, integrated marketing, [and] web usability” among other things; by “working with an external client,” students have the opportunity to explore these subjects through their own exploration of such “practical applications in the marketplace.” Though each team member takes on a different position, the goal of the class is to master the responsibilities of be each role and ultimately run an online business on your own.

Despite emphasis on eventually graduating to individual independence, the unique set of talents that each girl contributes to this team really allows their business to excel. They are open in collaboration, free from concerns about groupthink or peer pressure and conformity. Instead they can focus on what is best for the business. Mended Sock Co.’s passion for their mission and belief in their product is really attractive—and not only to me. The Dressember Foundation, another organization that aims to stop human trafficking, recently reached out to Mended Sock Co. and plans on featuring them on Instagram next week—a spotlight that has huge potential to both raise sales and thus support the mission but also to propel these girls forward into achieving their goals, supporting their mission, and feeding their passion. The fact that E-Commerce class has given them the opportunity to do this—and to see them have such success with it—is truly inspiring.

So it is time for the plug (just kidding, this was not the main point. But hey…). Not only are Mended Sock Co.’s socks super comfortable and perfect for Grove City winters, but they’re also very reasonably priced—only $8 a pair. The style is simple, delicate, and classy, but more than this, every dollar does go to benefit the A21 project. In their efforts to gain entrepreneurship experience they are also serving a greater cause, one outside themselves, and allowing buyers to get in on it as well. And so, #libertyandsocks for all.

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China Intersession Abroad: A Terrible beginning Turns Into The Trip of a Lifetime

In the fall, Professor Sweet taught a class endearingly called Internet Content Marketing. In this course, students learned the importance of tailoring content to particular audiences in order to make a profit or showcase credibility. Towards the end of the semester, Professor Sweet asked the students to put their lessons into practice and write articles for this blog. As the editor of this site, I had the awesome opportunity to read all of these articles and choose the ones that I thought our readers would find most interesting. This particular piece is by David Cheung, he describes his trip to China for class credit. Enjoy!

This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to go to China for class credit. We got to go to the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, Xian, and Beijing. This trip was led by Dr. Hogsette and Dr. Ayers, who could not have been better chaperones. Also, nine other Grove City students were part of the trip. Almost all of the students took the Civ Lit Class that could be completed on the trip. My friend Gabe and I were the only students who chose the other option, a Chinese Culture class. This was due to Gabe and I being Chinese minors. We left for China May 21st and returned on June 2nd, so we spent a total of about 10 days, spending two days in each city.

Despite my high opinion of the trip, it ironically started out very poorly. This was not a failure on the College’s part or the professors. In fact, it was completely my fault that the trip had such a difficult start. It was early in the morning on May 21st. I was on my way to Pittsburgh to fly out from the airport there with the rest of the group. Once I arrived with all my luggage and met up with my fellow students, I reached into my pocket to get my passport. That is when my heart rate shot through the roof, because I realized I had forgotten my passport and visa! Turns out, I left it at my house which was two hours away. The speed with which I sprinted to my car could have shattered any sprinting record in PA. I was able to get ahold of my uncle who went to my house, grabbed my passport, and met me halfway back to my house. At this point the time was around 6 a.m. and my flight was scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. I reached the airport at about 6:50 a.m., turning an hour drive into a 50-minute one. At the airport, everything was a blur. I remember everyone in the line for screening, allowing me to cut past them in order to make my flight, and sprinting down the long corridor leading to all the different flights. Of course, my flight was one of the farthest possible, which made me completely out of breath when I reached the front desk. The man giving me my luggage tag and scanning my ticket seemed a bit irritated at how close I cut it. I checked my phone for the time which was 6:58 a.m. Once on the plane, everyone clapped and I sank into my seat with both embarrassment and relief.

Thankfully, this was the worst part of the trip by a very large margin. After enduring a 14-hour flight, we reached our first destination, the city of Shanghai. The sites we got to see were beautiful. The Jade temple we visited was a famous Buddhist temple and people were constantly walking around praying to these statues that are set up all over the place. Particularly the white jade Buddha is the one that is famous. They hold it in such high regard that no pictures are allowed to be taken of it. It was a little off putting, being a Christian inside a temple dedicated to the worship of these statues, and with monks chanting all over the place. I was intrigued by how much the Chinese people hope in and have reverence for these Buddhas. It showed a lot of us on the trip how blind we are to the world outside the US, and even just outside of our little college. The experience was a powerful one, and we gained insight into the cultural values of China. We also visited other more typical tourist destinations in China, such as the Great Wall. This vast and seemingly unending wall was beautiful on the mountainous landscape of eastern China.

It was a tiring, but rewarding climb up the large steps to get to the higher points of the wall. We also saw the world famous Terra Cotta Warriors museum, which had many different statues who were buried in the giant Tomb of Emperor Qin. Our tour guide told us that they protect the Emperor in the after-life. The Emperor believed that every clay item that was buried with him would go with him to heaven, so there were clay animals, bowls, pots, servants, and many other things.

Even though these sights were very grand and beautiful, my personal favorite place we visited was the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We were able to talk to Chinese college students that were our age. It was so cool to compare our experiences with theirs. They would attempt to practice their English with us, and we would do the same with Chinese. They had many different demonstrations ready, to show us their medical practices and beliefs. They placed a high importance on using herbs to heal illness rather than turning to medication. Also, they view the body as all being connected through energy pathways. This energy is called “chi.” It is easy to disregard this idea, but there has been some amazing feats performed by the Chinese people as a result of this concept. We also got to see their beautiful garden that they grow all their herbs in. It was breathtaking when we laid eyes on it.

A professor from the college led us through the garden describing all the plants as we continued along. When the time came to say good-bye to everyone at the university, they gave us all gifts to take back with us. They were such gracious hosts, and a lot of us quickly became friends and exchanged numbers. I kept in contact with them for a while after the trip and I now have lots of friends to practice my Chinese with.

Everywhere we went, our meals were all so delicious. No matter where our location, there were always vegetables cooked perfectly with a dark sauce of some sort, many kinds of chicken dishes, and of course endless amounts of tea. Also, all meals required us to eat with chopsticks, and to eat “family-style.” This means that all of the food is in the center of the table, and people grab small portions of it at a time to put on their individual plates. This is very different from in the US where we all get our own dish. I personally loved “family-style” eating because it allowed me to try everything. There are also a lot of very unusual dishes we ate while in China. A few such foods were jellyfish, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, and cow stomach. Some of these dishes were completely different from what you would expect, such as the jellyfish being crunchy. On the other hand, some were exactly what was expected like the sea slugs have a slimy texture. Most of these dishes I thoroughly enjoyed (with the exception of the jellyfish) and am so glad that I was able to try this cuisine. I was hesitant to eat all of this crazy food at first, but by the end, I was eating duck eyes and not thinking twice about it. The fact we all got to try these new things together helped all of us students get closer as we marveled at these unique foods. Furthermore, the Chinese culture also believes in long meals that you leave only when you cannot take another bite. This made it so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other within the group.

Everyone in the group really got along well with each other. There was not a single person that I had any complaints about on this trip. Each person was included, no matter what we did. I largely contribute it to the fact that we all had to watch out for each other when we had free time, because we did not have a tour guide to take care of us. None of us were fluent in Chinese which made it very difficult and dangerous to be alone. However, as a result, everyone got to know each other very well. The friendships we formed continued even when we returned back to the States. We still try to grab a lunch as group every once in a while, and we have an ongoing group chat. I became closer with everyone on this trip, but much more so with the two other men that went. There were only three male students on this trip: Travis, Gabe, and myself. I was acquainted with these guys before the trip, but did not know them all that well. Gaining all these new experiences together really bonded us. We had to experience jet-lag together, eat all our meals together, sleep in the same room, shop with each other, and hangout during our free time. Every night we would re-hash everything that happened and talk about how excited we were for the next day. Nothing was ever boring with these guys, and yet I always felt relaxed around them as well. Us three still get tea together every week and are even better friends since the trip. Without going on this trip, I would have never had the great opportunity of getting to know these individuals.

I highly recommend the trip for anyone. There were so many benefits to going. I completed a class, got exposure to a different culture, got to know professors, tried new foods, and formed so many amazing friendships. I had been to China two other times prior to this Intersession trip. They do not compare to the experience I had while in China with this group. I doubt I will ever have quite the same experience again, unless I go on another trip with Grove City. If you are able to go, do not miss out on this opportunity. In looking back at it, I know it was no doubt worth every penny. 

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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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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.