Daughter was accepted to PC and Gettysburg. She is really struggling to make a choice. Any thoughts on either school would be greatly appreciated. Is Providence College worth the pricetag? Does one school have a stronger reputation over the other? She will be going in as undeclared.
Gettysburg is generally seen as academically stronger, Providence is more preprofessional.
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Thanks for this.
They are very different schools. Rural vs urban, D1 vs D3, undergrad enrollment 2900 vs 4400, school spirit thats connected with D1 sports at Providence where Gettysburg is typical D3, Greek life vs no Greek life. Providence has Catholic roots which are still evident. Providence has a 2 year Western Civilizations course that’s required. Gettysburg has that typical LAC feel to it. Very historic areas around Gettysburg. I think both campuses are pretty but the areas surrounding the schools are very different.
Gettysburg requires students to live on campus all 4 years, Providence requires the first 3 years. I’ve heard the food is better at Gettysburg.
Have you had a chance to visit?
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I’d consider these schools to be academic peers. I’d base my choice on affordability and (if both are affordable) then fit. The post above highlights some notable differences. Some things that can be done include:
Visit schools if possible or attend online accepted student events.
Read some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review)
Look at school newspapers online
Look at course catalogues online
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Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. We will be visiting Gettysburg next week. Have already visited PC. From the online stuff we’ve seen, it seems like Gettysburg may feel more like a “community” than PC. Greek life is coming in to question as she’s unsure whether she’d want to join a sorority. Hopefully our upcoming visit will nip this in the bud and she’ll finally make a decision!
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Awesome suggestion to check out the school newspapers. And the course catalogues too. Thank you! When she comes out of college, do you think either college would look strong on a resume?
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My D19 attended Gettysburg and was also admitted to Providence. She really like both of them and the ultimate tie breaker was the travel component…we live 2 hrs drive from Gettysburg vs a 5 hr drive or 1 hr flight from Providence. However, the day she was going to her official tour to visit Providence with my DH, it snowed and they almost missed the tour because the flight was late. It sort of stuck with her that that could happen again coming home at times and it tipped the scales in the end lol. I think she would have done well at either school. Funny the things that come into play at the end.
I’ll also add that I think Providence has a very strong alumni network. Gettysburg may as well but it didn’t seem as evident to me.
Good luck with your decision! It will be great either way!
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Two of my daughters, one son-in-law, a cousin’s son, and a few friends sent kids there. So, we know PC very well. We live only an hour and a half away. We don’t know anyone who’s gone to Gettysburg.
Our daughters both had the opportunity to go to higher profile colleges, but they fell in love with PC and never looked back. Both were liberal arts majors and both studied abroad - one for two semesters and the other for one semester. One did an internship at a local PR firm for a semester and the other had a placement in a low income housing project in Providence. Both have gone on to be highly successful in their careers. Our son-in-law was pre-professional (education) and he is now an assistant superintendent of schools.
When my older daughter was packing up to leave on her last day of senior year, the young woman packing up in the next car burst into tears, wishing that she could spend another year there. That moment sort of sums up the PC experience for me. There is a strong sense of community and kids just love their 4 years there.
There is not a lot of diversity and kids tend to come from similar backgrounds. Except for the Western Civ core, which is taught by a team of professors, there are no large lecture halls. The college thinks of itself as a liberal arts college first & foremost, so even students in the business school and the school of professional studies (education, social work, health policy & management) are required to take a liberal arts core.
Having said all that, I wouldn’t hesitate to send a child to Gettysburg from what I know of it - admittedly second hand.
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Thank you for this great perspective of PC. Your many strong connections and positive experiences with the school attest to its excellence. I haven’t heard anything negative about PC except the price tag and some complaints about the food. Very much appreciate your insight and hearing how your children have fared coming out of PC. I don’t think my daughter will go wrong choosing Providence, which is where I think she’s going to end up.
If she goes there, I think she’ll love it. You will too because they do the best parent weekends!
One of the things we liked about PC as parents is that although it’s grounded in the liberal arts, you can also major in a field in which you can get a job right out of college, i.e. business, health management, or education. With the cost of college these days, I think that’s important even for many middle class and even some upper middle class families.
A friend of mine, who was State Director of a major federal government agency told me that they love to hire kids out of PC. One of my daughters is an assistant director of development (fund raising) for a major research hospital in New England. She commented they have a number Of PC alums in their development and communications office, which is a very large department. She had nothing to do with hiring them. The whole non-profit and NGO sector is another career track with good opportunities for graduates with good written communication skills, which alums of liberal arts colleges like PC seem to possess.
Again, I wish you and your daughter all the best.