Grove City College Top Questions

1) This one life you have is YOURS - so get to know yourself. Learn to express what you like, what matters to you, and who you want to be. While you're at it, get comfortable talking about your strengths and weaknesses: study, embrace, and enjoy them. Conforming or rebelling are YOUR choices, but don't get caught up in making statements for the sake of making them. The path is yours, so figure out what matters to you and make your choices based on that. 2) Give nuance a chance. Life is not as black and white as you wish it were. So while you're getting to know yourself and making life choices, learn to love nuance. Develop the ability to hold your values firmly while understanding the values and choices of others. 3) Take informed chances. Some choices are clear: you'll get accepted to your top choice or have one job offer. But sometimes you'll have more than one good option. Don't waste your life worrying. Gather whatever information and advice you can, then follow what your gut tells you. Chances are you will end up exactly where you are supposed to be.

See yourself as a member of a generation, and your generation as a member of humanity. Why is this important as a college student? College allows you to see the world without needing to travel, meet and interact with men and women of the past through their ideas, and learn about yourself, your culture, your past and the legacy you will leave one day. College is a springboard both to the future and also to the past. Do not forget to use your eyes to look ahead to the future and the opportunities that surround you on and off campus. Do not forget to use your eyes to look next to you, through seeking community and support: you cannot do this journey alone. Finally, do not forget to use your eyes to look behind to generations that have come and gone, but leave a pathway, footprints and beautiful testimonies and lessons to learn from. Look around. Don't forget.

Quite simply, I would advise my former self to distinguish the significant apart from the insignificant. Too often, we as college students (especially freshmen!) take curiosity at our poor academic performance, unfortunate social standing, lack of future career options, and so forth. We wonder and wonder, and so few of us are ever guided toward the proper conclusion: too many of us (my freshman self included) waste time in areas that detract from our primary endeavors. For example, if I do not have a thorough understanding that my primary role as a college student is to be a college student (sounds silly, does it not?), I can easily lose footing within the first few weeks of school. Personally, my priorities championed a strong social life, intramural involvement, girlfriends, and so forth, far over classroom endeavors. Indeed, while the former categories of college experience are certainly wonderful, they must have their proper place in the hierarchy of priorities. The little choices, in short, are what make the college experience make or break. If I could speak to my high school self, I would emphasize the value of the small battles. They add up to win the war.

The first piece of advice I would give to my high school self would be to not be afraid to try new things once I enter college. These activities are how you meet people and gain life experiences that will help you in the future. A second piece of advice would be about friendships. I would tell my high school self to spend as much time with my close group of friends as possible senior year and the summer before college, but not to worry too much about drifting apart from these friends. College gives you the chance to easily meet new people who are more like you and who offer more positive relationships than high school friends who are changing and drifting apart from you every day. Additionally, I would tell myself to have more experiences related to my field of study (elementary and special education.) These volunteer or learning experiences would benefit me greatly as I continue my own education. Finally, I would tell myself to focus more on my faith in high school, since I chose to go to a private, Christian school. This would help me as I continue my spiritual growth in college.

I would tell myself not to worry as much as I did about the college application process and the adjustment from high school to college. I was very stressed that I would not recieve admission to the schools that I wished to attend and that it would be hard for me to make friends and adjust to the college level. Grove City helped me with my transition into college and made it very easy for me to make friends and learn the tips and tricks of college life. I would also try to cure myself of "senioritis," as I will admit to catching it late in my senior year. I did not let my grades slip, but I did not work as hard or take my work as seriously as I had in the past, which made it hard to start working again once I began college. If I were able to do this, I believe that it would greatly help me and make my senior year of high school much better. Much of it was spent worrying about how college life would be different, and how it would affect me.

there is no guarantee you will find out what you want in your life within the next 4 years, if you don't that doesn't mean you got an F in life paths 101. here's some advice 1. try several different careers on for size, start early! take as many different interships and elective classes as you can, anything that you might be interested in try it. no matter what mom and dad say or how unrealistic it is, when it comes down to it, the year after graduation mom and dad will not be driving in the car with you every morning on the way to the job that's "just a perfect fit for you" that you absolutely hate or just simply doesn't fulfill you. you are the only one you have to answer to at the end of the day. 2. choose something that will be able to support your after you're done. if you want to major in basket weaving, minor in entrepreneurship so you can set the prices of your own baskets, that way you can have that cruise to italy and send your kids to school in the same lifetime.

Part of the core requirements for graduation from Grove City College is taking a series of Humanities courses, all of which examine different aspects of cultures, religions, and worldviews. This college has, thorugh these courses, caused me to think critically about WHY I believe WHAT I believe. This applies to both my spiritual life and the stances that I take on hot-button issues such as abortion, stem cell research, and homosexual civil rights. I knew what I believed before coming to this school, but now I can defend my beliefs! I can take a firm stand against any opponent and, while I will not always have all the answers to the questions they present or the issues they raise, I will be nonetheless firmly grounded in my views and be able to challenge them to also think critically about why they think the way they do. Because of this awareness, it is as if I have a passion that's been ignited within me for each and every belief to which I hold. When my generation is attacked by the influences of the media and ill-informed peers, I will not be moved. I will stand my ground.

Since attending Grove City College, I have grown into a more mature and complete person. From the challenging educational requirements, I attained a thorough understanding of my vocational pursuit and have learned to work hard to achive success. Engaging with different people from different backgrounds has expanded my understanding of human beings. Living away from home and being forced to cope with a degree of stress has increased my understanding of what it means to be an adult living independently of my parents. College is a time for the student to grow into an adult who is capable of providing for himself and a family. To be a provider, the student must have a vocation, the ability to interact with other people, and the maturity to manage stress. Attending Grove City College has been a crucial part of becoming an adult.

Although I am only a year and a half into my college career, I have loved every minute of it. At Grove City, I learn so much and I feel well prepared for life after college. The professors are helpful and caring, and they give me hope as a future educator that it is indeed possible for me to have an impact on the lives of my students. I know that for a teacher, a degree is a must, and the classes that I'm taking give me information that will actually be relevant to what I plan on teaching later in life. Even though the schoolwork is diffiicult, it is always worth it. I have also met amazing friends there who I know will be a part of my life for many years to come.

It is a huge privilege and blessing to be able to attend a college, especially a school so determined to equip me with as much knowledge as possible. Grove City College has afforded me such an amazing experience, and I am merely a freshman! I have learned so much and not simply just in the realm of academia. Collegiate life has illuminated certain truths of the world a little more brightly than they previously seemed to me. I have learned just how wealthy a man with one truly loyal friend is. I have learned how quickly people can change. I have even learned the value of a dollar, as it is necessary every time I wish to have clean clothes. College has taught me the value of independence; it is up to me to get motivated to study, to do my laundry, even to ensure that I have a ride home for holidays. However, more than lessons of industriousness I have learned the importance of rest. Yes there is a necessary time for intense study, hard work, and diligence; but the fast moving pace of modern society has neglected the importance of rest. To achieve academic excellence rest is needed.