<p>I visited PC a few times on tours and at an open house and I was conviced that PC was the school for me. But after doing some more research I have found that the college has a major drinking problem - more so than many other colleges. </p>
<p>I read your answers to some of the previous questions concerning drinking on campus where you said that the campus is consistently full of non-alcoholic activities for students. But still, I wonder about the attendance at these events. Do most students take part in these events or are they only frequented by the same small crowd? Will I be cast out by my peers for choosing not to drink?
Also, being a quiet and academically oriented student, I tend to need a quiet place to study. Do you find that there are consistently quiet places to study on campus? Will I be able to study in my dorm room or are they usually too loud?</p>
<p>Any honest feedback would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>That is something my family was interested in too. I have twin girls that will probably follow in their brother’s footsteps and not drink in college (at least the first couple of years) Any large percentage frat schools are crossed off because the culture seems more geared to the parties every week as the sole entertainment.
My son knows someone at PC and Georgetown and they both were surprised by the level of drinking but both didn’t drink their first year there. I think males are made to feel more “odd” if they don’t but women can be pushy too.
I’m surprised and mentioned it to the Residence director, that PC doesn’t have a sub-free dorm or floor…it would surely get filled. He said it was thought about, but they do try to match the students appropriately and alchohol is supposed to be off campus. (As a dad himself, I told him that was nice, but he knew better.)
I know my son and his friends liked sub-free dorms, not so much because of the lack of alcohol, cleaner bathrooms and very low dorm fees (his had the least amount end of year)but they tended to be quieter, music might be loud, but not like it is with wild parties and louder music.
We are visiting in 2 weeks in and I will try to ask other students what they think. I know PC grads that found their niche and didn’t drink, but sometimes you have to be a little pro-active.</p>
<p>My D has been accepted at PC and she has two friends who are current students on campus. Neither drink, both are excellent students (not in the honors program), and they are having great fun at college. Over the past year we have heard about sporting events (Div 1 basketball in particular), outings and community service events that have taken place on campus, trips out to dinner from the bus that services the campus and is safe, trips to the mall or Providence for shopping, study group fun (yes, studying together can be a good time!) and other quieter, simpler things as well. My D has a a grandmother who is an alcoholic and will NEVER drink. She is also an athlete who actually understands the need for sleep, eating properly and so on. However, she also knows how to have a good time…without substance abuse and obnoxious behavior. Yes, drinking and such is probably on every campus in America…but there are plenty of students who are not interested.</p>
<p>I agree Empty Nest, you can have a good time without liquor. Even at 18, I couldn’t understand why some fellow students felt they couldn’t have fun without it…made me a little sad to think at that age, they couldn’t… what was there to look forward too!
My daughters have fun watching movies, just talking and sharing stories,reading, shopping, etc., they don’t need a lot or props. I think they will be fine, but I want to see how they feel when they visit. One D visited Villa Nova and knew 10 minutes into it, it wasn’t for her.</p>
<p>You will most assuredly NOT be cast out by your peers for not drinking. One of the greatest things about the PC community is how accepting the students are, and also how genuinely kind they are. I do not drink myself, coming from a family with a history of alcoholism (also I find it a tad pathetic that people need to use a mind-altering “drug” in order to have satisfactory social interactions - but to each his own) and my friends that do drink are completely fine with this. There is a ton of stuff to do, all the time, and many people go. The drinking “problem” at PC is blown out of proportion in my opinion. All colleges have their undergraduate students that drink, and those that don’t. </p>
<p>Students study very, very hard here, because of the challenging academics. There are many places to study on campus. The library is obviously quiet, and ours is 3 floors. The chapel basement is a terrific, lesser-known place to study. It’s got wireless internet, it’s open 24-7 (I believe - if not it’s close), and there’s even a kitchen stocked with study snacks completely free for students. Each dorm will have at least one study lounge, at the absolute minimum. Most I’ve been in have at least two, and the first floor of my dorm is entirely dedicated to studying. The main open area is a “noisy” study lounge, surrounded by 3 rooms dedicated as quiet study lounges. There is a cafe on lower campus in one of the dorm’s lounges great for studying. Slavin student center is open late and students can study in there (I personally study here because the food is so fantastic), although this isn’t quiet all of the time.</p>
<p>When you fill out your rooming application there is a section about where you prefer to study, and if you indicate that you like studying in your room, you will most likely get placed with a quieter student so that you can study. Even if you have a louder roommate, she won’t be in there all the time, and you will be able to study in your room. The hallway noise may hinder you a bit, but I find headphones (regardless of whether or not I’m playing music) block out the noise perfectly.</p>
<p>I took a poli sci course and I absolutely loved it. The professor was amazing, and though he and I differed significantly in our political ideals, he was very fair and neutral when it came to grading and discussions. The chair of the department, Dr. Richard Battistoni, is phenomenal. After taking his class I am very seriously considering declaring it as my major (it’s between this and history, a department I also love). Sorry I don’t have much to tell you, but the department maintains its own website - I’ll attach the link. Good luck!</p>
<p>P.S. We have three active political societies on campus that are always hosting speakers and debates.</p>
<p>i just went on a tour earlier today and PC has become my #2 at this point…i loved it.
My question is about the rugby club you mentioned a couple of times earlier. I have been playing for my high school for two years and i love it. Is it hard to make the team and are they any good?</p>
<p>MaryannC, I read over my old PC visit report, the AO didn’t emphasize appling EA as much as other colleges, he just emphasized SAT optional being really optional and gave guidelines for submitting. (550-up) I wished I had asked him about lopsided scores at the time. The honors college was hard to get into and I think he said if you thought you were competitive for that, apply EA.
I think, if you are ready to apply, it’s nice to know early. My girls are going too, although yesterday I found out something they didn’t mention at the info session. If you are interested in going abroad, federal money will follow, but not any school scholarship. That brought down my “really want to go abroad” daughter" but we will see.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if anyone reads this, but I was wondering how PC is with financial aid or if they’re generous with merit aid. Providence is probably my top choice right now, but I think money will be a big part of my decision.</p>
<p>Also, my average is a 94% (not sure what that is on a 4.0 scale), and I’m ranked 6/103. I’m choosing not to submit my SAT scores because they’re basically terrible. I have decent EC’s and a pretty good courseload. Do if I have a good shot at getting in and would I qualify for any merit aid?</p>
<p>PC has recently changed their merit aid policy. Previously a student could only receive merit aid if invited to be in the honors program as an incoming freshman. For Sept. 2010 they have added additional merit scholarships not linked to the honors program. They also give need based aid, but do not state they meet %100 of need. See the PC web site for details, its all spelled out there. Good Luck.</p>
<p>That’s great to hear about the additional merit awards. When we recently visited, it must not have been official yet. It was very limiting to hear what a small amount of students actually got any. I even heard a few mumbles from parents (and one student) in the vein of “I guess we are counting this school out”. </p>
<p>I see the study abroad policy is still the same though:</p>
<p>It is very important to note that Providence College does not permit the use or transfer of any institutional funding in the semester(s) a student is abroad. However, you are able to use any federal and state financial aid you are eligible to receive. Institutional aid will be cancelled for the semester you plan to study abroad."</p>
<p>If you received half or more tuition paid, it would be hard to give that up to go abroad, but life is full of choices. Many students never go abroad, I just have a daughter that is so excited to at least have a chance.</p>