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What Happens When I Get Sick?

Sick in College

It is bound to happen at some point in your time at college – you wake up with a runny nose and a sore throat and by the end of the day you can barely keep yourself upright and you are running a fever. Or you are doing your usual workout in the weight room and you hear a pop in your knee as you squat at the weight rack and shooting pain goes up your leg. What do you do when you no longer live at home with a parent who makes you soup or schedules your doctor appointment?

Both of the above have happened to me since being at college, including several other health concerns, and I have gotten through each of them relatively unscathed. Grove City College’s Zerbe Health Center is a great resource when you are sick or injured and do not know where to turn. At home when you are running a fever you schedule an appointment with your family doctor and get prescribed some antibiotics that your parent then brings home for you on their way home from work, but when you are sick at school you probably do not have a local doctor, you may not have a car on campus, and you probably do not have the energy to trek to a pharmacy. Zerbe can help alleviate all of these issues.

Zerbe Health Center has nurses available during all business hours, and a doctor or physicians assistant comes in every weekday afternoon to see students. This makes getting treatment easy and efficient. I have always been able to see the doctor on the day that I contact Zerbe about making an appointment – the staff is great at making sure that students’ needs are met in as timely a fashion as possible.

Zerbe also has several prescription medications on hand, so that if the doctor prescribes something you can easily get it from the nurses on the way out, as opposed to having to go to Rite Aid or Walmart to pick it up. I am allergic to several antibiotics, too, and they have different ones available, so it has never been an issue. In addition to prescription medications, Zerbe has over-the-counter medications and treatments available to students for viral diseases that cannot be treated with antibiotics and to treat symptoms of any illness. I have received ibuprofen, decongestant, cough drops, numbing throat drops, salt (for gargling with a sore throat), and an ice pack from Zerbe at different points in my time here. I have had friends who have had stomach bugs and have been given bags with sports drinks, crackers, and other stomach remedies from Zerbe.

Twice in the last four years I have injured myself during workouts, and both times I was afraid that Zerbe would not be able to treat an injury as well as they can treat an illness, but have been pleasantly surprised to find that they have. The doctors are well-informed and have taken the time to explain my injury to me, as well as to tell me my limitations and lay out a plan for getting back to normal activity.

In addition to Zerbe the environment at Grove City College is just so caring that I have never felt hopeless when sick. I have gotten two very bad colds while at college, one in the winter of my sophomore year and one during finals in the spring semester of my junior year. Both times I could barely leave my bed to go to classes and/or finals, but I had very understanding professors who were willing to make accommodations for me to succeed. I also was constantly surrounded by friends who took care of me, offering throat coat tea, bringing smoothies to my room, and even doing my laundry. The College promotes a caring environment and people support those around them to the best of their abilities.

Getting sick in college can be frustrating and scary, but you will make it through it (though I definitely recommend investing in some Emergen-C packets or Zicam tablet before leaving home).

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Navigating Roommate Conflict

Navigating Roommate Conflict

As a senior in college I have had relatively little experience with roommate conflict until this year. I was blessed freshman year to have a great roommate with whom I could live very peaceably and became very close who I have lived with for all four years of college. Even in my first two years as an RA, I did not handle many roommate conflicts, as most of the women on my halls were seniors and had figured out their living situations to a point where major conflicts rarely occurred. This year, however, I am RAing on a hall of mostly freshmen and transfer students, and since nobody on my hall knew their roommate(s) previous to deciding to come to Grove City College, there is occasional conflict.

There are definitely good ways to handle conflict with your roommate and bad ways to handle conflict, so here are some of the most important pieces of advice that I have for you after navigating through several situations this semester.

Be as direct as possible without being aggressive

Nobody likes when someone is passive aggressive towards them. Deal with the issue as directly as possible without being aggressive. If your roommate is borrowing your clothes without asking and you want her to stop or ask first, sit down with her and talk in a calm voice and do not beat around the bush. Something like “Hey, I’ve noticed that you’ve been borrowing my clothes a lot lately and it has been a little bit frustrating because sometimes I want to wear clothing that you’ve taken…” or “I’m really glad that we can share clothes, but I’d prefer if you asked before borrowing something of mine” is a direct way to approach the subject without escalating the situation. Attempting to deal with the situation passively, such as through leaving notes on your roommate’s desk or sending angry text messages, will often lead to a war of passivity and anger rather than resolution.

Use “I” statements

When addressing an issue with your roommate, try to focus on your actions, reactions, and feelings. Saying “I get frustrated when I can’t find my red shirt because you’ve borrowed it” is going to be a less confrontational and more successful way of approaching the topic than “You really frustrate me when you borrow my clothes.” By using “I” statements you allow your roommate to approach the conversation openly, rather than making him/her feel like they need to shut down and defend themselves.

Seek to understand

A lot of the conflicts that I have seen and heard about happen because two people are not understanding one another.  In navigating conflict with your roommate, always seek to understand his/her point of view and empathize with their situation – most people are not malicious when they do something that bothers you.  Along with this, give your roommate the benefit of the doubt, he/she is probably not trying to frustrate you or make your life difficult, they probably simply do not realize that it is an issue.

Make a roommate agreement

This is a great thing to do before a conflict arises, so that you can refer back to it, but it is not too late to make an agreement even if a conflict arises first. Open up a discussion for how the two of you share your room – maybe there is more that should be addressed than just the one main issue. Let this be a time where you both candidly discuss what sharing a room would ideally look like. You can Google “roommate agreement forms” and find several versions on the internet – choose one that will work for you.

Involve your RA

Talking about the conflict with your RA is not “tattle-telling.” While I cannot speak to the role of the RA in roommate conflicts at other colleges, RAs at Grove City College want to help you to navigate the situation to bring reconciliation to your relationship with your roommate. Our goal is to teach you and support you in handling the situation, not to do it for you or to yell at your roommate. Your RA is a resource that you should use, and it is always helpful to discuss the situation with him/her early on so that they are aware of the situation in case it escalates despite your best attempts to solve it. This will allow you to solve or be removed from a bad situation as easily as possible.

Roommate conflict is a scary thing to handle, but it often leads to growth for all parties involved and will give you a better understanding of your roommate’s point of view.

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So You Want to be an RA?

RA Staff MAP West

If you love getting to know and caring for the people around you, the Resident Assistant position at Grove City College might be right for you! A Resident Assistant, or RA, is a full-time student who lives on campus in the residence halls and is responsible for facilitating community on his/her hall and upholding policy across campus (among numerous other things). It is a great opportunity to be involved in campus and serve the people living around you.

You are able to apply for the RA position for your sophomore through senior year. All residence halls have RAs, freshmen buildings and upperclassmen buildings alike, so there are opportunities to be an RA for numerous demographics. In upperclassmen buildings you will be the only RA on your hall and will likely have a roommate of your choosing (though some buildings offer the opportunity to live in a single room as an RA). While it shocks many people that as an RA I still have a roommate, I love it. My roommate is one of my biggest sources of support and helps to create a sense of community on the hall just as much as I do. Some freshmen buildings have two RAs per hall, meaning that you will have a roommate who is an RA and the two of you will work together to care for your hall.

RAs work in teams with three to 11 RAs (depending on the size of your residence hall) and one Resident Director (RD). New this year, MAP North, the primary residence for freshmen women on campus, also has an Assistant Resident Director (ARD) as part of their team. These teams are great opportunities to learn and grow in both a professional setting and a personal setting – they will likely become some of your closest friends and will understand your experience as an RA and student better than most others on campus.

As an RA you have the opportunity to plan events (called programs) that will help your residents learn and grow beyond the classroom in addition to building stronger relationships with one another. These are very neat, as Residence Life provides funding for these programs so there is really a lot that you can do with them. These events really shape people’s college experiences and I highly encourage you to attend RA programs even if you are not an RA yourself.

You will also have duty responsibilities as an RA, which each residence hall does slightly differently. In general, you will be “on duty” one night per week, which means that you will have to be in your building and do some rounds of the building to check for facility concerns, to uphold policy, and to check for safety concerns. When you are on duty you are “on call” and if a resident in your building experiences an issue, you are the first one they would call and/or come to. These nights are great opportunities to hang out in your room with your door open and see who is around to hang out with.

Being an RA also means weekly staff meetings with your building staff and bi-weekly or weekly one on one meetings with your direct supervisor, the Resident Director (RD) for your building. Otherwise, being an RA is a very flexible schedule – you choose when to run programs, you have input into the duty schedule, and you get to choose when to knock on doors and invite people over.

The RA position has shaped my college experience entirely. I am currently a senior and have been an RA since my sophomore year. For both my sophomore and junior years I was an RA on the same hall in a suite style building and my residents were primarily seniors. This year I am in a different suite style building and my residents are primarily freshmen and transfer students. All three years have been amazing experiences and God has grown me so much through them. The other RAs who I have worked with and each of my RDs have shaped me and supported me through my difficult semesters and my easier semesters, and I have definitely made lifetime friends through this position. If you are wanting to be an RA during college, Grove City College is the place to do it.

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All About Student Parking

Campus Map with Circled Student Parking Lots

A common question that most prospective students have is “How about parking? How does that work for students?”

According to the Grove City College website, “the privilege of maintaining a vehicle on campus is extended to faculty, employees, students who are sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and commuter students. Freshmen are not permitted to have vehicles on campus except for specific reasons outlined below and approved by the Office of Campus Safety.” Details about freshmen vehicle restrictions can be found here:

http://bit.ly/2i2lGLs

Since freshmen typically do not have cars except for approved reasons, how do freshmen get around? Freshmen typically do not need a car since the Main Street of Grove City is within walking distance. A 21 meal plan is included in room and board costs, so there is no need to buy food. If students wish to eat off campus there are many options within walking distance which include: Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Subway, and a local coffee shop and ice cream parlor. As far as basic necessities, there is a RiteAid within walking distance as well. Walmart is about a four-mile walk, but many freshmen are able to hitch a ride for a Walmart run with upperclassmen. Entertainment is also a short walk away as there is a movie theater called The Guthrie on Main Street.

Probably the biggest challenge for freshmen without cars is getting home on breaks. Many students live in other states and need to get to the airport. Grove City College offers shuttle services to the airport during breaks such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as at the end and beginning of each semester. There are also ride-share boards on the school website. Some students use the online student directory to locate students who live close to their hometowns and then contact them to carpool. As you can see, there are many options for students to get where they need to go.

As for upperclassmen, we are able to buy a parking permit for the year. Parking permits are purchased by students on my.gcc.edu under the “sign-up” tab. The parking application is very simple to fill out and the parking sticker will then be sent to your school mailbox. The parking sticker is valid for a year. A benefit to buying a parking permit is that you can then add temporary parking permits to your account. For example, I had my car registered for a parking permit, but my car was in the shop getting fixed so I had my dad’s car for a few weeks. I was able to go online and create a printable temporary parking pass to place on the dashboard of my dad’s car at no cost.

Students who live on campus are required to park in the assigned student parking lots. In the above campus map, the student parking lots are the circled areas. Are the parking lots full? No, there has always been a spot for me to park in when I return back to campus. Granted, I may have to park at the far end of the parking lot, but it is great because I do not have to wander all around campus looking for a place to park.

Parking at Grove City College is a simple process and there is always a spot to place your car. Even though freshmen typically do not own cars, there is not a high need for a car and upperclassmen are always happy to give them a ride when they need one.

 

 

 

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How to Choose Your Freshman Roommate

Grove City College Roommates

So you have decided on a school and you are ready to start thinking about the year ahead. If you are planning on living on campus you are probably thinking about your roommate situation. Going with a random roommate assigned by Student Life and Learning is always an option, as is choosing a roommate based on information from a variety of different outlets. Some people will tell you to choose a roommate to avoid a horror story, but some will tell you that you do not know a person well enough before college and that going random is a better option. It depends on your personal preferences which you go with, but if you are going to choose a roommate there are some important things to look for.

When I was a senior in high school I decided that I wanted to look for a roommate who I thought I would get along with well. I am now a senior in college and am living with the same person who I requested on Grove City College’s roommate finder four years ago – we are incredibly close and love sharing a room with one another! In the spring of our senior year of high school, we connected via our class’s Facebook page and got to know one another over text messages and the Grove City College Roommate Finder application.

As you are getting to know a potential roommate, it is important to dig deeper than small talk and hobbies and get to know one another’s living preferences and styles.  Here are the top five things to find out about a potential roommate:

1. Personality Type

By personality type, I am referring to your levels of particularity and speed of life. Going into college I knew that I needed to find an easy-going roommate who would not grow frustrated with my Type A personality and constant need to do something. I also knew that I would not live well with someone who was equally as particular as me. This has nothing to do with extroversion or introversion, and each pairing will be different – while I needed a Type B roommate, somebody else with a similar personality to myself may work best with another similar roommate. It all comes down to knowing yourself and knowing who you work best with – if you tend to clash with a certain kind of personality, that is not the kind of personality you should choose to live with.

You can learn this about a potential roommate by directly asking how they view themselves (though people will be varying levels of self-aware) and through everyday conversations as you get to know one another. For this reason it cannot hurt to start the process early – even if you do not find a roommate, you could find a great friend!

2. Cleanliness and Clutter

Do you expect that your beds are made, prefer that they are made, prefer that they are not made, or have no preference? Do you expect dirty laundry to be out of sight, is it okay for laundry to be in a basket but visible, or is it okay for laundry to be in a pile on the floor? Do you care if the room is vacuumed? Do you expect to share vacuuming duties with your roommate, or are you okay with doing it yourself?

These are just some of the things to think about in regard to cleanliness and clutter in the room. There are so many different ways to address cleanliness in a dorm room, and it is difficult to foresee all of the possibilities before arriving on campus, but you can think about it with potential future roommates by discussing dorm room clutter and cleanliness in general.

3. Room Temperature Preferences

While you do not have control of the thermostat in your dorm room, you can impact the temperature in your room by opening or closing the windows and using a fan. I tend to run warm on a day to day basis, so I definitely prefer the room to be cooler, and so I needed to find a roommate who did not prefer a toasty room. This one is simple enough to find out – just ask!

4. Sleep Schedules

While working out sleep schedules is hugely important to a college roommate relationship, it is difficult to accurately predict what your sleep will be like at college until you arrive. Definitely talk through what time you prefer to go to sleep and wake up with a potential roommate, but the best advice I can give you here is to give one another grace in this area. When you decide to live together you may both think that going to sleep at 11 p.m. and waking up around 7 a.m. sounds great, but after arriving at college it is very possible that one of you will change that schedule.

5. Guests

Are you okay with having guests in the room? Can friends be over at any time, or is there a “friend curfew”? There are lots of ways to address this, and it is another one that is difficult to know before arriving on campus, but it is important that it be an open discussion.  Unless you are a very deep sleeper, I highly recommend setting the boundary that friends not be over when either roommate is sleeping, but aside from that different roommates will have different preferences in this category. One thing in this realm that you will not have to work through as much as in other schools is that guests of the opposite gender are only allowed in your room at certain, set hours called Open Hours. While it may be frustrating for your roommate to have his/her significant other over every time there are Open Hours, you will not have to worry about them sleeping over in the room or being over every day.

Your Roommate Relationship

These are just scratching the surface of what plays an important part in the roommate relationship, but they are things to discuss before agreeing to live someone – especially someone who you have not met in person yet. No matter what, just remember to give one another grace to grow and change, and you will be okay. Do not be afraid to have direct conversations about the way you live together, and try to keep it an open conversation in order to avoid difficult confrontations or passive aggressive situations that can be even worse. Roommates can become some of your best friends, but it is okay if you are not incredibly close.

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It Is Okay to Be Undeclared: Part 1

From the time kids are young, they are constantly bombarded with questions regarding a future career. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question often evokes responses such as ballerina, President, veterinarian, or basketball player. As kids mature, their responses change due to altering interests and realistic possibilities. Suddenly, it is senior year of high school. Students are urged to select a college and figure out what field of study to pursue. This is a daunting, nerve-wracking decision. High school students face additional pressures to perform academically, athletically, musically, and socially.

With large decisions looming overhead and daily pressures at school, it is common for high school students to feel overwhelmed, and why wouldn’t this be the case?

My senior year of high school, I had no idea what career would be best for me. I was involved in a variety of teams and organizations and I did not have a predisposition in any subject. I felt adrift. I felt as though not being able to define a specific career path interest made me a failure in some way. I wanted so badly to feel like I was able to successfully leverage my strengths and define a major. When I decided to attend Grove City College after I was accepted Early Decision, I was relieved to have ended the college search process. However, I latched onto a new cause of stress: declaring a major.

I did not end up declaring a major until spring finals week of freshman year. I survived a year of dodging extended family questions about future plans at holiday gatherings. I was able to withstand awkward introductions with peers who wish to remember you simply by your name and major. I took classes in a variety of disciplines. If I can do it, you can to. I want to encourage anyone who is facing a similar situation, because I have been there. And I am here to say that it is perfectly okay to be undeclared.

I know you have probably heard that before. At this point, you might even be more frustrated every time someone tries to comfort you with these words. But guess what? You do not have to know exactly what you want to do right away, even if your best friends do. Maybe you will even declare a major and it will change, and then change again. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. I wish I would have spent more time excitedly embracing courses and opportunities instead of being focused on frustrations when a discipline did not quite work for me. The best academic advice I can give is to be strategic in experimenting. Try to evaluate your strengths and define personal goals. Align your major with what you know to be true about yourself.

But this is not the advice I want to stress.

A beautiful component of big decisions like college majors is that God allows us to choose. He does not (in many cases) make a future career very clear. Rather, we should seek to find rest in Him. We should rejoice in his sovereignty and goodness, and trust in His plan. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that as Christians, our identity does not come from a college major; it comes from Christ. If your identity rests in Christ, you should be relieved. Your biggest, daunting decision has already been made. You have made the life- altering choice to become a Christian. The smaller pieces, like college majors, will fall into place. Seek the Lord, and wholeheartedly commit to trusting his plan.

Reflect on Jeremiah 29:11, a verse that has become very meaningful to me. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 

 

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Freshman Profiles: Interview with Thomas Andrews Class of ’21

 

  • So, you’re a freshman here at Grove City College. How’s everything going, is the school living up to your expectations or what other people told you it would be like?

Yes, the school has been really good to me, my hallmates are really great. All my classes are tough but not excessively so.

  • What’s your major and what dorm are you in?

I’m in Hicks dormitory and I’m undeclared. I don’t know what I am doing yet but the school provides lots of counseling and options. I came in not knowing at all what I want to do, but I have narrowed it down to English with maybe a business minor.

  • Could you talk a little about dorm life in Hicks ?

I was pretty skeptical going in because it was a different environment. But everyone on my hall is pretty great. One challenge I  have come across is constantly having people going in and out of my room. It is not as quiet or private as I expected, but I am glad people want to be around me – it is comforting to never be alone!

  • Grove City is known for a lot of things, most notably it’s beautiful campus, awesome cost-value ratio, and its challenging curriculum. What most attracted you to the school?

It is like an Ivy League in regards to quality education, but it is affordable. With that, I really appreciated the fact that the College considers itself “conservative”. I knew I would feel right at home.

  • How many other Colleges did you look at? And did you want a small school, a Christian school or anything specific, like your college decision being based off your specific major?

I applied to five other colleges. They were all different ranges but I primarily wanted a small school like Grove City College. The fact that professors would know me personally and I could engage in class discussion was appealing to me when college shopping.

  • Out of all the colleges you looked at, what made you choose Grove City; did Grove City have something to offer more than other colleges that you wanted or was it simply where you felt the most called?

I liked the location because it was very far from home. I like cold weather and want to see some snow. The size, like I said before, was also a huge deciding factor. I wanted my professors to know me on a personal level.

  • Alright, we’ve talked extensively about the Grove, now let’s jump into some more general questions. What is the biggest difference for you from high school and living at home, do living in a different state in a dorm?

I feel myself being more independent than when I was at home. I have a lot more freedom to make my own schedule and decide when I want to go out for an afternoon or stay on campus. I really like it!

  • What is the most enjoyable thing about college life?

I enjoy the friends I have made,being on the hall, and the people I have met.

 

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To Commute or Not to Commute?

So you have made the big decision. Grove City College is for you. Time to celebrate!

But now you have another decision that you may not have anticipated. You live close enough to campus to live at home, so you have to decide whether you will move to the college and live on campus in a dorm, or if you will stay at home and make the commute to campus every day.

As someone who made that very decision, I am here to offer you some friendly (and hopefully helpful) advice. This might seem obvious (or maybe not), but it is important to know that your college experience as a commuter student would be vastly different than you experience would be if you were to live on campus. But do not let this scare you away! You are still just as much of a college student as everybody else and just as valued as a part of the Grove City College community. Your daily routine, however, will be slightly different from that of your peers.

As you know, commuter students do not have an assigned dorm room. You will live at home and drive to campus every day. There are certainly good things about this arrangement, and there are also some drawbacks, which I will get to in a second. First, you will not have to pack up ALL YOUR STUFF and cram it into a car, just to unpack it a few miles away. You might be surprised at how much less stressful this makes the beginning and ending of the academic year.

Second, the transition to college life is a little slower, and you can take it at more of your own pace – you are not just dropped of and expected to survive. 🙂 Because you do not live on campus, you can gradually spend more time there outside of your classes. A small warning though: do not spend all your free time chilling at home. Become a part of the vibrant college community!

Finally, the best things about living at home, in no particular order:

  1. No communal bathroom – this is always a plus
  2. More options for food – you can eat at one of the dining halls OR bring your own
  3. Pets! You will be the envy of all your peers because you did not have to say goodbye to your beloved dog (or cat) for 3-4 months.
  4. Did I mention the money you will save by not paying for room and board??? Yeah, that is a big one.

At this point, commuting to the Grove probably sounds like the best idea ever. But let me caution you. Do not make this decision hastily. For nearly every one of these positive reasons to live at home, there is a downside. The biggest challenge of a commuter student is building lasting friendships and community on campus. This is exponentially more difficult to do when you do not live in the same buildings and eat in the same dining halls as your peers. You might think this is not a big deal, but, I assure you, it is. This decision should not be made lightly. Take some time to consider pros and cons of each option, and most importantly, pray about it. What is right for someone else might not be right for you, and vice versa. No matter what you decide, know that we are excited to have you at Grove City College!

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A Beautiful Photo-Op on a Beautiful Campus

There is no doubt that Grove City College has one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. If you were like me as a prospective student, my favorite part of visiting a college was taking that “hey I’m at this college” photo. The struggle is trying to figure out where is the BEST place to get that Instagram-able/ Facebook-able photo. So I have decided to make it a little easier with the TOP 12 places to get that photo at Grove City College. I mean, it was hard to limit it to 12 as there are so many “perfectly picturable” locations around, but these are a great place to start. Also, all photos were taken on your average mobile device, so if I could take these photos, you can too. Click on the photos to enlarge and find out more info about the spots:

If it helps at all, here is an attachment to a PDF that you can print out to find your perfect Grove City College Photo Op:

Photo-Op Map

 

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Opportunities in Entrepreneurship: Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend

In February of my freshman year at Grove City College, I had the opportunity to attend Startup Weekend Pittsburgh as part of one of my classes, Lean Launchpad. We were offered the option of attending and participating in Startup Weekend Pittsburgh as our midterm, or taking a formal exam. This is just one of the ways that experiential learning is given importance at the College.

Hesitantly, I signed up to attend the Startup Weekend. Up until that point in the school year most of the friends I had made were from my residence hall, and not my classes, so I was afraid that I would be a loner for much of the weekend. That concern was quelled very quickly, though. My professors had taken care of organizing rides from Grove City College to Pittsburgh (about an hour-long drive), and from the moment I greeted my classmates who I was driving with I felt like a part of the group.

Friday night, the first part of the event, was a flurry of excitement. We had the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurial minded people from the area, and those who wanted to were able to pitch their ideas to the entire crowd in the hopes that those would be the businesses we worked on all weekend. After the pitches we networked some more and voted on the best business ideas with post-it notes. Three of the teams chosen were pitched, and in turn led, by Grove City College students.

We spent Saturday working in various teams to do research and prepare a minimum viable product for presentation on Sunday evening. The weather proved to be an additional complication, in that a bad snowstorm hit Pittsburgh in the middle of Friday night and many of us were snowed-in at friends’ and family’s houses and could not get to the school where the program was held. We therefore had to work remotely. This taught me to be flexible and work with various groups remotely in order to complete tasks.

On Sunday we finished our products and prepared our final pitches, and then ate dinner while networking with people from the other teams. At the conclusion of the event, each team presented their businesses and awards were announced. Grove City College had quite a showing in the awards (check out the original press release to find out more about this).

I arrived back on campus on Sunday night refreshed and energized for Entrepreneurship. The weekend had taught me to put myself out there to learn new things, it taught me that Grove City College students look out for one another regardless of how close we are or where we are, it taught me to trust the experiences that my professors suggest. Since that point I have had countless opportunities similar to Startup Weekend, and have never regretted taking one of them. While I have learned so much in the classroom, it has been experiential activities like this one where I’ve learned the most about business, and luckily the Entrepreneurship Department at Grove City College provides experiences like Startup Weekend all of the time.