Providence College or Gettysburg College?

Bill_Marsh
Fri, 02 Apr 2021 21:55:55 +0000

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.