How does the tuition cost of Grove City College compare to the other schools you looked at during your college selection?
When I looked at potential colleges, Grove City College was more affordable than the few others I was considering. It still is somewhat pricy since it does not accept government funding in order to stay independent, but I know that the College is spending my money wisely.
How has your faith been strengthened and perhaps even challenged during your time here?
While here, other strong Christians (and professors) have fanned the ember of my faith into a fire. I could give many examples, but a prominent instance was during my freshman year. I was invited to a weekly prayer meeting by one of my mentors the first semester, which I then invited some of my friends to as well. Through this, I quickly became comfortable with corporate prayer and being vulnerable with other Christians. The older and more mature Christians in the group challenged me through their words and disciplined personal devotion in their lives to continue to seek after Christ—through this, I have grown more than I would have expected in such a short amount of time.
What drew you to choose biblical and religious studies as your major?
I decided to major in biblical and religious studies because, throughout my life, I always wanted to know more about God and the Bible, asking difficult questions to my parents, youth leaders, and pastor. During the end of high school, I felt like God was calling me into some form of ministry. I reasoned that even if I was wrong in my discernment, I could still use what I learned after I graduated in my family and personal life.
What is the relationship like between the students and the professors?
Like any relationship, you will get out of it what you put into it. All of my professors have been kind, helpful, and willing to do a lot to help me be successful. Because I enjoy their fellowship, I will often stay in class for a few minutes up to a half an hour or more if I do not have another course to discuss what we talked about in class, learn more about something else, or simply talk about life.
What advice would you give to an incoming student?
This could be quite extensive, but here are five simple things:
- Make Jesus Christ first in your life and have a set apart devotional time each day where you pray and read/study the Bible (Phil. 3; 1 Tim. 4:7-8).
- Get connected with mature Christians to be encouraged and challenged in your faith (Heb. 10:24-25).
- Build good studying habits while you are in high school so when everything is more difficult in college and you have to develop your own schedule, you will already have a system in place to keep you productive and prevent procrastination (Eph. 5:15-16).
- Build relationships with your professors, they care about you and have a lot of wisdom to share (Pro. 16:31).
- If you do not do well on an exam, something does not go your way, or you just feel overwhelmed, keep an eternal perspective by meditating on what Jesus Christ has accomplished through His atoning death and glorious resurrection—and then thank Him for another day (Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Pet. 1:13-25).
Describe your experience in campus activities.
I’m on the cross country and track teams. Through both of these, I have built deeper relationships, developed self-discipline, and have learned to hurt for the benefit of my teammates. The head cross country coach, Coach Severson, often reminds us that it is the smallest decisions over time that shape who we are and to focus on what we can control. I both literally and metaphorically exercised these principles to become a better runner, and I have applied them to become the Christ-like, diligent student that I am today.