Grove City College

Date: Jul 04 2005
Major: Mechanical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
Grove City College is not for everyone. It's a small Christian school in western Pennsylvania. If you're looking for constant fun or pleasure in life, Grove City is not the place to be. Also, the students are definitely unlike any people I've met before. Never have I seen such a high concentration of people that just act different than most other people you meet in society.

However, I must say that I absolutely love this school. Before coming to GCC, I was thinking about going to a high profile tech school school to study engineering. I was very concerned with being a success and making lots of money like many people out there today. However, my experience here has changed me in ways that I am grateful for. I have never encountered so many people that are so interesting to talk to in such a concentrated environment. So many people here are concerned with making a difference in this world instead of putting themselves in an optimal financial situation down the road. I've never met so many people that live their lives with a such a selfless purpose. It's truly amazing and will make you think twice about your own goals.

Anyway on to the education you get at Grove City. One awesome thing about Grove City is that every class is taught by a professor instead of a TA. All the professors speak fluent English. The professors are very easy to talk to and really care about your input. The only reason why most of them are here is because they care about their students. The professors are very good as well. The dean of engineering used to head the plastics engineering department at the University of Michigan. The head of the Mech department is from MIT and has performed extensive research in developing the aluminum frame for Audi's automobiles. This is just a taste of some of the great professors that the deparment has. These professors will challenge you behind what most schools will. The tests are very hard and there are extensive projects. Last semester I had to write five lab reports, design an improved energy storage device (on paper), reverse engineer a mechanical fan and give a presentation on how it incorporates fluid mechanics, take five tests, and do a ton of homework in the last week of class. The grading isn't easy either. Your fellow students are very competitive and sometimes it means that a fairly straight forward test here would get an average of around 90%. To make up for this the bell curve is very tough. However, you will be more than prepared by the time you leave. I'm interning at a MEP firm in downtown Cleveland and the work is easy after what I've beent through here. Load calcs? no problem. Calculating total head in a piping system. Not too bad.

It's gotten to the point where I could help friends with thermo problems over the phone or computer last year.

However, there are one or two professors that I encountered that left a lot to be desired. They were unfair in the grading and created arbitrary tests to trip you up. Also, the humanities classes can be bad. My Huma 101 prof was horrible. However there are some really good huma classes such as Civilization and literature. Overall, I have felt the education has been excellent here.

In conclusion, GCC is a great school if you're serious about studying or religion. However, there is no diversity, not a whole lot of fun in the night club sense, and little challenge to your viewpoints since everyone thinks pretty much the same on major social issues. Deviation in thought is not too common (probably cause most are Christians or say they are). It's not for everyone but it was a great experience for me.