Category: Student Stories

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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Jonathan, Education Major

At Grove City College, Jonathan Moore is known far and wide as friendly, active, and focused. He brightens every room he enters with a smile and laughter. As an Education major focused in Special Education, a Resident Assistant in a freshman hall, and an involved member of campus activities, he has a lot on his plate. Jonathan is a fantastic example of a college student with varied, balanced interests.

In this episode of Reel Life at Grove City College, I ask Jonathan about his experience. Hear about his favorite characteristic of Grove City students, his Friday night social activities, his one-word descriptor of his time here, and more in the video.

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Public to Private: My Journey from a Small Public School in Ohio to Grove City College

I was born and raised in the small town of New Waterford, Ohio. While growing up I attended an equally small school known as Crestview Local School. Growing up my class size varied but was usually around 90 kids. Crestview, for lack of a better way to say it, was not a prestigious high school. It was your (slightly) above average local school that was part of a close knit, small community that was good at sports and had what I would call “at par” schooling. Does this sound like your current situation? If so, you are not alone.

In growing up and attending Crestview, I was an always an average student. Most people tell you that in middle and high school they put in minimal effort and easily cruised by with A’s and the occasional B. As for myself, I was not blessed enough to be this type of student. I actually worked hard in high school, it was not always easy for me and was rather stressful. I was the not-so-normal kid who had to try at their small public high school to get the grades that I did. At the end of my senior year the class rankings came out and I was 10th out of a class of 89, and believe me when I say it I worked for it.

In looking for a college to attend post high school, I was looking for a smaller college close to home with that warm welcoming feel that would allow me the opportunity to play soccer. In visiting colleges I came across Grove City College and, like a few other colleges, it checked all of the boxes. When it came to making my final decision of my college selection my parents weighed in heavily suggesting that from conversations with others that Grove City College had the best academics (Which Grove City College did, but why would I want that when I knew that “best” only meant hardest?). After taking into consideration all of the factors at hand, I ended up choosing Grove City College and decided to take my talent to Pennsylvania. In coming to Grove City College I felt quite honestly ill-prepared and stressed at the amount of studying I was going to need to do because of the college’s academic rigor. In taking into consideration my little knowledge of what college was (in my small high school mind) and the amount of time and effort I would need to put toward achieving the grades I wanted, I decided that one of the reasons that I choose Grove City College became just a side thought which in the end led to my decision not to play soccer at Grove City College.

So, I was ready. A small town kid from an even smaller high school taking on this over-six-times-larger college as an average high school student at an academically rigorous institution like Grove City College. Needless to say this was an enormous leap for me, both academically and spiritually. If I am being honest, my first semester at the College was rough. I did schoolwork and studied non-stop and spent the time where I was not studying decompressing/resting in my room. It was not until around mid-September of my first semester that some of the kids on the hall reached out to me and got me out of my shell and out of the room. They encouraged me to do more with them and to start lifting and before I knew it I was twice as efficient with my school work and able to spend time out with friends enjoying my college experience.

Moral of this story is that whether you are a hard worker from a small public school in Ohio or a naturally blessed student from some large private school you can be successful. Take this time that you have in college, whether here at Grove City College or whatever college you choose, and have fun. Make friends and enjoy the experience. These glimpses of fun and happiness make the time fly and make the work less work and more motivation, motivation to do well so you can succeed in your future and field and motivation to work hard and be efficient so that you can spend time with people and form relationships. Whether you are my now best friends who needed to go out of their way to help get a shy kid out of his room more or whether you are that shy kid, get out! The best way to do well in college is to enjoy your time there.

If you are interested in hearing more about my story or simply want to just personally contact me about any of your specific worries feel free to at gosstd1@gcc.edu. I would be glad to help a worried younger high school me build up the courage to do things that I never did and to help you succeed to your fullest potential! God bless!

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Student Spotlight: Anne Shirley Dassow, All-American

Anne Shirley Dassow

Class of 2020

Double Major Biology: Health and Spanish

Campus Involvement:

  • Varsity Women’s Swim team
  • Pre-Health Society
  • Vice-President of Crown and Sceptre
  • Spanish Club

How do you manage to balance academics and a varsity sport?

Honestly, the balance comes through really careful planning of how to use my time with clear and strict organization. Last year after a class I decided to not do homework on Sundays as a challenge from my Bib Rev class, so it’s been really strict on my time.

 

How was it to get to be named a multiple All-American as a freshman? Tell us about your NCAA experience?

Sophomore year of high school I swam really fast times. I was really surprised and I was really excited for how things were going in high school. Junior and senior year I went slower so I thought I peaked in high school. I didn’t expect to get faster in college at all. I was surprised when I qualified in two events for NCAAs. The NCAAs were a week long meet in Shenandoah, Texas. The Grove City team had a couple provisional qualifiers, but I was the only one invited to come to the meet. I was allowed to bring another teammate who was super supportive in a very hands-on way. I competed three days in a row, ended up getting 7th in the 100 butterfly, 6th in the 200 butterfly and 35th in the 200 backstroke. It was crazy because NCAAs were on my radar since high school and being a multiple All American hasn’t changed much in my life. I planned on swimming all four years. I didn’t expect to get faster. I loved swimming. Everything was fun last year and it turned out to be a little bit extra, but didn’t change my viewpoint on swimming. I’ll stay positive and this was just a reward for my hard work.

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Law School Applications: Constant Support

Law School Applications

As a senior at Grove City College I am preparing to graduate and am applying to law schools. At first this process seemed similar to applying to colleges, but I soon realized that I was wrong – when I was applying to colleges every teacher in my high school knew the process and was able to assist me, but not everyone knows how law school functions or how the application process works.

One day I was talking to one of my entrepreneurship professors about how I felt like I was floating along in this confusing process, and he offered to connect me with his son-in-law, a recent law school graduate and a Grove City College alum. He sent me his son-in-law’s contact information and I set up a time for a phone call. This was an incredibly helpful conversation that gave me direction in the application and decision process – I am still receiving advice from my professor’s son-in-law and am so thankful for this connection.

My professor also suggested I contact one of the professors who teaches law classes at Grove City College, as well as the president of our college, President Paul J. McNulty. I was hesitant to contact both of these men – they did not know me, and certainly they were very busy.  I did email both of them, though, and both of them responded with offers to meet with me to help me feel grounded and succeed in this process. The law professor was tremendously helpful in making me feel like I was capable of succeeding in this process and helped me to gain the confidence to continue on with my applications.

Meeting with President McNulty was a great experience. He is a very knowledgeable man and knows a lot about how the field of law works. At first I was intimidated to contact him because of his high position at the College, but then I thought about how many times I had seen him in the dining hall with students and how friendly he was in each of his interactions. I am so glad that I did email him, though, because he scheduled a meeting with me very quickly and offered great advice. Our meeting was informative and comfortable.

Several of my professors and supervisors at Grove City College have graciously written recommendation letters for me, as well, and though I am sure that none of them needed another thing on their to-do lists they all seemed to be excited for me and genuinely happy to support my applications.

These experiences have convinced me that Grove City College is truly a tremendous community and was the best decision I could have made for where to go to college. Each of the people I have spoken to have been very helpful and very willing to assist me – even the president of the college is accessible to students.

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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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Coming to America

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 Zeke Hoole, he talks about his experience being an international student for those who are nervous about making the transition from home to Grove City. Enjoy!

You there.

Yes, you.

You; a young, knowledge hungry, opportunity seeking teenager trying to find a college to commit yourself to, and perhaps knowingly or perhaps unknowingly – you have stumbled across the name of this small, Christian college buried in the middle of Western Pennsylvania called Grove City College. College is a new, nerve-wracking, often terrifying experience to anyone – but to you it is even more than that. For you this also includes traveling far from your home, from your family and far from the friends and places you have been so accustomed to all your life. And that is truly terrifying.  Trust me, I know.

Because three years ago, I was you.

I spent my childhood growing up in Asia; being born in Sri Lanka and then spending my growing years between there and the country of Malaysia. Given the lacking standards of College level education in those parts of the world, I had always known that I would have to look for educational institutions abroad. After a long and interesting period of narrowing down colleges (a story for another time), I was set on going to Grove City College. The application process was exciting, and then my joy of being accepted and being sure of going there was through the roof. How could it not be? I feel that you, like me, will relate to the feeling of excitement and exhilaration that accompanied the thought of “I’m going to America!” This was the place I’d seen in all those Hollywood movies I loved watching growing up. This was the home of my favorite actors, actresses and musicians, this was the hub of culture and all things happening, this was the land of opportunity and the thought of going there was exciting. My excitement stayed with me when I boarded the plane, flew across the globe and made my way to the college I was going to. And I remember so vividly, that it was not until I said goodbye to my aunt and uncle and sat down on my bed, that the fear of being so far from home hit me.

And you will feel this way.

There will be days when you miss the smell of your house, the company of your siblings, the love and scoldings of your mother, the advice of your father, the barking of your dogs; and most of all the reassurance of being home. Perhaps the cruelest thing that the process of coming to America will ever do to you is labeling you an “alien” until you work your way into citizenship (if, like me, you choose to) – and trust me when I say that there will be times when you feel the weight of that word lay heavy on you. Unlike any of the students you will encounter here; you as an international have so much more to prove, so much more to work for and the pressure of that combined with the pressures of the academic rigor here and the strangeness you may feel at being far from home can sometimes feel like it’ll crush and drain you. But here’s where I will encourage you with two of the biggest things I have learned here at Grove City:

  1. You are not here because of your grades or your family or your status or because of pure chance; you are here because God wants you to be here.
  2. Of all the places you could have gone to, you have chosen to leave home to come to a school where you will feel very much at home, where the line between friends and family is often blurred.

But you have some work to do to feel at home here, and here is where I would like to give you three select pointers based on my own experiences of life in Grove City.

  • Shake your Self-Consciousness: It is not a secret that you are going to stand out here. With only 5% diversity and a much smaller number of international students; your skin color, your accent, your style, your mannerisms might stand out. A frequent companion to standing out is self-consciousness, but I urge you not to let self-consciousness get in the way. I have seen a lot of international students keep to themselves and stray away from groups and activities because of their self-consciousness; and as someone who did fall victim to that for a while, I can tell you that it does not help you in anyway. This maybe a campus with little diversity, but it is also a campus with little to no judgement. The community is warm, accepting and friendly; and you will go far by allowing yourself to interact with and befriend the people around you who may look and sound nothing like you.
  • Clubs and Activities: It is the most cliché thing about every college poster; telling you to join and be a part of clubs and activities – but on this campus, it is especially important to international students like you and me. You will find that you will meet your best of friends while sweating over an intense game of IM basketball, or while chatting over coffee at the monthly campus coffee houses, but never just by sitting by yourself in your room. Whether it is a good thing or not, there is a negative assumption of people who shy away from communicating and keeping to themselves on this campus, so engage with and surround yourself with people – it is the best way to feel comfortable here, and the friends you make here are the kind that you stay friends with permanently.
  • Do not be Judgmental: In the same way the Bible reminds us to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” it is important to not be judgmental of people around you here. The culture here is different, and it is easy to judge people who aren’t of the same mindset as you (especially politically here at Grove City). But in order to be a part of the American community you need to remember that all people here have the freedom of speech and more importantly opinion. So it is important to stay away from arguments or shunning people because their opinions may differ from yours. Civilized conversations on things build character, but the second you start judging people based on their beliefs and opinions, you push away people who may have been very good people for you to have in your life.

There is so much more that I could talk about because I can only imagine how many more questions you have that are yet to be answered – but whatever questions you may have I urge you to reach out to the Office of Student Life and Learning on this campus. They do a fantastic job helping international students, and guiding you throughout every process – from showing you how to add/drop a class, to helping you identify and follow the path to working and living in America. And if you would like my perspective, then don’t hesitate to email me and ask anything of me that you would like to at hooleer1@gcc.edu.

My friend, no matter where you are from – remember that you are considering or committing to a campus community that will welcome you and be good to you, if you return the favor in good fashion. Here is a place where you will make memories and build relationships that will last a lifetime. So I urge you to seize every opportunity and show people both here, and at home why you are here and why it is in every way the place God wants you to be! If my story and my advice has been helpful even in one way to you, then I am very thankful to God for using it so. And should you end up coming to Grove City and pursuing and finishing your education here, then I will pray that God will bless and do great things in your life here, like he did and continues to do for mine.  

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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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Living with “Random Roommates”

I came in to Grove City College not knowing anyone here. I am from a town in southern Maryland and the closest Grove City student to me was about 40 minutes away. It threw me out of my comfort zone and I was forced to meet new people. I had a lot of friends I made coming in that roomed with friends from high school and are continuing to room with people they knew for the next year. I am one of the few students that actually connected with a random roommate for my sophomore year. Here is that story of why and how that ended up (Spoiler: you may consider connecting with a random).

I was applying for Colonial Apartments (an on campus living option that is apartment style living). The process involved an application and then finding roommates. I was planning on applying with two or three other freshmen in my class (for our sophomore year). Then, a week later they decided to drop out. With my heart set on living in the apartments, I still turned in my application and decided to just go figure something out. I got involved in the roommate finder (an application that is available for incoming students to find a roommate). Through that the Student Life and Learning office had me on a list of students looking for a roommate for the next school year. A sophomore at the time went to the office looking for other students looking for roommates that were “alone” at the time and would be interested in coming together to have a better room draw number (I will explain this later) for getting an apartment. I received an e-mail from him and instantly replied. I got connected with him and another junior and we decided to go together for a triple in the apartments.

It came to room draw and we had a good number. Since we had a current junior at the time, seniority applied and we ended up getting to choose an apartment alongside most seniors. Luckily we got the apartment we wanted: a triple on the second floor. Here is a little bit about my roommates:

Roomie #1: His name is Noah and he is currently a junior Computer Science major. He is a piano prodigy and can decorate an apartment pretty well.

Roomie #2: He goes by Abram. He is currently a senior Physics major. He transferred in his junior year and was behind most (by two years) for making friends and meeting people. Operates a non-smart phone. (IDK how he does it).

Me: Sophomore Entrepreneurship major with a Design and Computer Science minors. The coolest out of all my roommate and the most humble.

For a “random roommate” situation we got along amazingly well. We were all slightly introverted, but were social. Our schedules were very different so we usually would not see each other until late at night after I would get out of practice and we would all be finding food around 10 p.m. We all were in the same Humanities class so we talked a lot about that and ended up becoming friends. A friend of Noah’s who would come by would say that we are hilarious and could have our own show because we have three distinctly different personalities: me, the dramatic crazy one, Noah, the reserved classical guy, and Abram, the guy who gets way too into online solitaire. We got along amazingly and it has been a highlight decision of my sophomore year.

It can be scary finding someone new to basically share your living space with, but here are the points I have gotten out of it. 1. No matter where you go in life, you will have to meet and learn to live or be around new people. Why not get practice now? 2. Getting out of your comfort zone can often lead to the greatest rewards. I had zero expectations out of this living situation and ended up loving it. 3. Do not go with what everyone else was doing; do what you want to do. A majority of my friends went into fraternities and housing groups. I wanted to stay independent. It is scary to do that when all your friends are not with you, but it ended up paying off for me.

 

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How Chapel Saved My Grades

Most schools do not have a chapel requirement. Grove City is one of the few that does. Every semester students are required to attend 16 chapels. Chapels are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:25-9:50 a.m. with an optional worship time from 9-9:25 a.m. There are other chapel credit opportunities available such as Vespers which are Sunday nights and other lectures/worships/events can also give credits. It may seem like a hindrance in addition to the other classes but chapel has done great things for my experience at GCC.

First, chapel has saved my grades. I was the student that was not a morning person. I did everything I could to schedule my classes for later so I could sleep in. This past fall semester, I did not have a class until 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What a horrendous idea. I would sleep maybe 10 hours that night and wake up at 11 to get dressed, eat and head to class by 1. What I struggled with most was that after class I always had diving practice. I would get so exhausted afterwards all I wanted to do was eat and then lay in bed and do nothing. Notice anything missing from my daily activities? Homework and studying! That is kinda important to do. Having chapel got me up and dressed to be there at 9:25. Instead of going there and heading back to sleep, I would head over to STEM (the Science Technology Engineering and Math building) and in those three hours until class I would get my homework done, have time to eat before class and have social time. Utilizing this schedule I did not have to pull any all-nighters to study for tests or get projects and essays done.

Secondly, it made me a more social morning person. Having the chapel set in my schedule made me plan around that. I would grab breakfast with my friends right before or after chapel. I would plan to sit next to them and worship with them that brought me deeper in the relationships I had with my friends. Afterwards, I went to study with them where I was able to have social time now and allowed me to get social time out of the way to study later after practice if I had to.

Third, it brought me closer to God. Since I was an athlete, Saturdays I was forced to get up early for meets. That made Sunday my only day to sleep in, which I definitely did. I needed my sleep-in day, but because I slept in I could not go to church. Chapel, as it is not a true replacement for church, was a way I could have worship time and spend time with God and with my Christian family.

Yes, you can do the math and find out that I did not need to go to every chapel, but as you will hear, many students actually go over their chapel limit because chapel is more than a requirement, it is something that students at Grove City College gain a lot from.

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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.