Basic Facts
Grove City College is a small Christian college in western Pennsylvania. It is one of the few colleges left in the United states which has not submitted to government control. Because of this, it is free to provide a good education in a moral environment.
Academics
Grade inflation has been a major problem at some major universities, but has not taken hold at Grove City. In the classes at Grove City, the students still earn their grades. When a student gets an A, it is not because he took an easy course. It means he worked hard to get that A. All around, that makes classes more satisfying. It also means that students receive an education, not just a grade.
Grove City College has Saturday classes. Many students hate these because they view Saturday as part of the weekend and hence time to have fun, not go to class. There are several arguments in favor of Saturday classes:
The college has an excellent Engineering program. Biology is quite good, and Chemistry is good. Physics is all right, but the department is understaffed. With even one more professor, the department would be vastly improved. The Education department is excellent. Other departments include Business, Music, English, Language, Accounting, Economics, and Religion. I don't feel qualified to render judgement on these or any others not listed here.
Student Life
The dorms at Grove City College are excellent and have been (or are being) extensively renovated. I lived in one that was quite awful (a condemned building), but it was torn down the summer after I moved out of it.
Every dorm is different. Some are new, some are old. Some have large rooms, some have small. They are equipped (or will soon be equipped) with nice oak furniture. All but one are quite attractive to look at. The women's dorms have nice lobbies. There are no lobbies in most of the men's dorms. Also, most dorms have plaster, not cinderblock, walls.
The campus itself is quite attractive. When I get access to a scanner, I will put up a few pictures. There are many old buildings, some with stained glass windows. The grounds are well manicured, and there are shrubs and other plants all over. There is also Wolf Creek running through the campus. It is lovely, and I have a great picture of it that will eventually appear on this page.
Students eat at one of two cafeterias. I won't claim that the food is anything special. Some nights it's good. Other nights it's horrible. In other words, it is typical cafeteria food.
There are great athletic facilities, a really nice student union, and the town of Grove City is within walking distance. In town there is a movie theater, a coffee shop, a clothing store, jewlers, barbers, banks, a grocery store, two stationary stores, and a few restaurants and churches. Students also can easily drive to Butler, Sharon, or to the Grove City Outlet Malls.
Rules
Some people complain that the college rules are overly strict. This is only true in a purely relative sense. The rules aren't really all that strict, except when compared with some other colleges. I have, of course, gotten in trouble with the college, and I've also broken a few rules that the college doesn't know about.
The specific rules most people refer to are not really out of line with what is to be expected at a Christian school. The dorms are single-sex. The opposite sex may only visit at specific times on the weekend. If a student has a guest, the rule is "shoe in the door, three feet on the floor." I don't find this particularly restrictive. It's private, since anyone would knock before entering, and no one should be doing anything that they would be ashamed to have people walk in on.
Another rule that people are disturbed by refers to a patch of grass in the middle of campus called the Quad. No one may walk on it or they will be fined. Freshmen like to walk on it in the middle of the night so they can feel daring. Upperclassmen who haven't outgrown teenage rebellion do the same thing. My feeling is that this is a pathetic form of rebellion. The only time I was ever on the Quad was when I slipped on some ice and fell flat on my face into the Quad. If I ever feel the need to rebel, I will do something more meaningful than walking on some grass.
Some students are also bothered by a school requirement that all students attend chapel. I don't see this as a problem. It is, after all, a Christian college. Secondly, every student is aware of the requirement when he comes, so it's not something he has been forced into unawares. Finally, one can view it as a class that doesn't have tests and doesn't require note-taking.
I have heard it said that prospective students get the "smoke and mirrors" treatment. They may even be lied to. I disagree. Most either don't ask the right questions, don't do enough research, or come in thinking that the rules aren't enforced (and feel betrayed when they discover that they are enforced). Again, the tours do cast the college in the best light possible, but so does any college tour at any college.
Computer Technology
Beginning with my freshman year, every student received a laptop computer. I thought this was wonderful, but this program has unleashed a lot of controversy. One common complaint is that the computers become outdated too quickly. This is true, but it's a problem with every single computer in existance. Old does not mean useless. I've created this page on a laptop which is about six years old. It seems to still work fine. Too many people are easily swayed by advertising demanding that they get the newest and best computer. In reality, for most people, an older computer is more that sufficient. I'm running Windows 3.1 on a 25 MHz machine with a 486 processor. It has a 2400 baud modem, a 130 megabyte hard disk drive, and 8 megabytes of memory. Nevertheless, except for Internet applications and a few scientific applications, it is more than sufficient for my needs.
Another point of controversy is that everyone gets a Compaq. In reality, there would be complaint no matter what brand of computer the college provided. They had to pick one, and Compaq, for better or for worse, is what they picked. Every few years they will evaluate the computer market and decide if Compaq is still the best. Also, since the college repairs the laptops for free, they can't have everyone picking their own favorite brand of computer. The repair center would need more staff and equipment, thereby adding to the tuition cost. Also, under the current system, the professors know what programs their students have and what capabilities their computers have.
More Information
For more information, visit the GCC homepage at:
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