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Today marked the final day of the 63rd annual National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Conference in Austin, TX. A handful of counselors from PC made the trek down to the Lone Star State to network with other admission and guidance counselors, to attend dozens of presentations on college admission issues, and to share ideas with other admission professionals from all over the country. Over 5,000 NACAC members made their way to Austin for the week in order to get together for this annual event, which provides us with the chance to catch up with colleagues who we may only see a couple of times per year while we are on the road.
Austin is the second National Conference that I have attended during my time at PC (the first was in Tampa, FL in 2005), and it is an amazing sight to see 5,000 admission professionals all gathered together to share their individual stories. The NACAC Conference featured a wide range of presentations, many of which focused on topics of college access and ways that postsecondary and secondary schools can work together to make the admission process less stressful for high school seniors. One of the panels I attended focused on the importance of honest communication between the college admission staff and their prospective students, and highlighted blogging as one of the ways to remove some of the mystery from the process. I hope that my blog has accomplished that to some extent for you, but if there are still some areas that you have questions about, I do encourage you to post them on this site and I will be happy to find the answer for you!
My favorite portion of the conference was a three-hour "college fair" for our colleagues on the secondary school side of the desk. The 500 or so colleges and universities represented at the conference set up booths as we would for a college fair for students, but we spent the three hours speaking with guidance counselors who visited our tables instead of students. This event provided a fantastic opportunity for guidance staff members to gain insight into how specific colleges handled their review processes, and also gave them the chance to learn more about colleges they might not have been familiar with. For me, it gave me the chance to speak with guidance counselors from high schools all across my different geographic territories, and gave me the chance to get to know their specific schools a little bit better. In addition, exchanging contact information with these counselors gives me a contact person to go if and when a student applies from their high school later on in the admission cycle. All in all, the fair is extremely helpful to college counselors on both sides of the desk.
So much takes place at this conference that it's hard to fit it all into one entry, so I will fill you in with more early next week. In the meantime, I continue to encourage you to check out the blogs that our students are writing and send along any student-related questions to them. Their blogs can be accessed from the menu on the left side of this page.
*Scott
9/29/07
Austin, TX!
Although I haven't been in the office for the last three days, the word is that our campus visit traffic has picked up significantly from where it was last week. As we get further into the semester, we see more and more seniors visiting campus as they continue to narrow the list of colleges and universities that they plan to apply to. If you haven't been to campus yet or if you live too far away to visit campus at this point, please continue to visit my page as I will be posting more pictures of different campus locations over the next month or so. Of course, looking at pictures on a website will never be able to replace an actual campus visit, but I will do my best to show off some of our facilities (starting with our brand-new Concannon Fitness Center) over the coming weeks. Also, please continue to check in with our student bloggers, who will be posting updates of their freshman year experiences at least twice per week-- and you may see some pictures of student life on their pages as well!
Talk to you again soon! Have a nice weekend (can you believe Monday is October 1...? Yikes...)
For the staff members and students who are on campus everyday, PC (Providence College) abbreviations and acronyms are a second language that we all understand. But I know that for people who are unfamiliar with PC, they can be very confusing... So here are what a few of our most common ones stand for, FYI (for your information):
PC = Providence College (that's an easy one!)
BMSA = Board of Multicultural Student Affairs
BOP = Board of Programmers
DWC (or "Civ") = Our two-year Development of Western Civilization Program
FFE = Future Friar Executives
IAB = Intramural Athletic Board
JRW = Junior Ring Weekend
LAH = Liberal Arts Honors Program
OAS = Office of Academic Services
PACT = Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers
PC ID = Providence College Student Identification Card
RA = Resident Assistant
"Ray" = Raymond Hall (the main student dining hall)
RHA = Residence Hall Association
RIPTA = Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
ROTC = Reserve Officer Training Corps (Army)
SAIL = Student Activities Involvement and Leadership Office
WDOM = The call letters of our student-run radio station.
First of all, I want to say thank you to the two students I met on Friday in Medfield who both were faithful readers of my blog... I appreciate the compliments!
I know I have said this before, but I will reiterate that travel season is one of my favorite times of the year... I love being out on the road and visiting new high schools and cities I haven't been to before. Right now, I am in one of the favorite restaurant spots for admission counselors everywhere when we are traveling -- Panera! More variety than the same old fast food choices AND free wireless internet so we're able to keep up with what's going on back at the office. Actually, I am not traveling for PC this weekend... I moonlight as a "DJ" (or as I prefer, "radio personality") for a Top 40 radio station in Connecticut on the weekends, and surprisingly did not have to go into the station today, so I figured I would catch you up on the past week on the road:
Part of the Massachusetts territory I am responsible for is new to me this year-- the Concord, Lowell, and Wellesley areas west of Boston. On one hand, I love having new travel territories-- new areas to explore, new high schools to visit, etc... On the other hand, I am not 100% familiar with where all of the high schools are-- and when one visit ends at 9:15 and the next starts at 9:30 and the schools are 15 minutes apart... well, there isn't much time to get lost! Actually, I prefer to call it "taking the scenic route" -- I'm not really lost, I just don't know the quickest way to get there (HAHAHA). Anyway, I did take the scenic route to one of the schools I visited Friday during the three school mini-fair program I was attending... but luckily there was enough time between the visits (more than that aforementioned 15 minutes) that I still made it just before the students arrived in the cafeteria for the fair! (And even the admission counselors from other schools who had GPS systems in their cars had some trouble-- the actual high school address was different than the address their GPS had... can't always trust those high-tech systems... sometimes, you just need to drive around aimlessly and stumble upon the school!)...
Yesterday also marked the first day this year that there was a fire drill at one of the schools I was visiting... always a good time! Although nothing will match my first year, when SIX schools had fire drills during one week of visits! A nice way to break in a rookie admission counselor! At one of those visits (at an upstate New York high school that will remain nameless), one student was so interested in PC that I continued answering his questions while standing outside of the building (in a light rain shower) for 15 minutes. Hey, I might as well do something while I'm waiting for everybody to leave and reenter the building, right? And by the way, all of us in the admission world love it when students are loaded with questions at our high school visits-- it makes the whole experience much more productive for everyone involved (hint hint!!).
As I mentioned on Friday, I will be back in the office for a few fleeting moments next week, so I will stop this rambling and share more "road stories" then. I hope that you will prepare some questions of your own for that admission counselor who will be visiting your high school soon!!
...And I am completely exhausted this afternoon... My first stint in Massachusetts this fall is done-- but three more trips up to the Commonwealth before November 1! That's all I have to give you this afternoon... I will be back in the office (for a minute or two!) next week so look for further updates then!
*Scott
9/21/07
Medfield, MA!
Day 1 of travel season is in the books for me! As I mentioned last week, it consisted of visiting four high schools and attending "mini-college fairs" at each of them. LOTS of interest in PC today-- it's great to start off travel season here in New England... and I bet my table won't be quite as busy when I am down in Nashville, TN during the first week of October... We shall see...
It's an all-Massachusetts week for me, as I have four high schools to visit on both Wednesday and Thursday, and then another mini-fair program on Friday. Thanks to everybody who stopped by the PC table today in Hopkinton, Ashland, Holliston, and Milford-- it was great to meet all of you!
*Scott
9/18/07
Milford, MA!
Yes, travel season is officially upon us! It is the time of year when the admission staff "hits the road" to share the Providence College story with juniors and seniors across the country and throughout the world. My first day of high school visits is next Tuesday, September 18, when I will be visiting four Massachusetts schools as part of a "mini college fair" program. We are at an "in-between" point in our office where the summer has ended and we can't wait for travel to begin! For some reason, Tuesday feels a little late for me to be starting travel, as a couple of our staff members have already been out to visit some of you - one of our counselors spent the beginning of this week in Nebraska while another has recently returned from his trip to Texas. But next week marks the big travel kickoff for our office...
Where are we headed this travel season? Well, over the next two months, PC counselors will travel on four different levels: local, regional, national, and international. On the local level, two counselors share our home state of Rhode Island, while four counselors split up Connecticut and seven of us have pieces of Massachusetts. With so many interested students in our backyard, we need to have multiple counselors for each state to handle the volume of applications that pour into our office each year.
Regionally, we have a counselor who will head to Northern New England, visiting high schools and attending college fairs in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Both New York and New Jersey are divided among five counselors, one of whom will spend a great deal of time on Long Island in September and October. As we spread out further from New England on the East Coast, counselors will spend time in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic, including high school visits in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
On the national level, counselors will be attending college fairs and visiting high schools in more than 30 states this year. Our stops outside of the northeast include: Atlanta, Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego... (just to name a few) ...
On the international level, three our of counselors will be visiting more than 10 countries throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
So, between today and November 10, the PC admission staff will be meeting a few prospective students (and racking up a bunch of frequent flier miles!). Each year, we meet with students, parents, and guidance counselors on the road to give them an accurate picture of who we are at PC, to explain the application and admission process, and to answer any questions they may have about Providence College. It's definitely an exciting time for us because we are traveling to so many places and meeting so many people, and I will keep you up to date on our travels over the next two months!
Have a great weekend -- we'll be packing!
*Scott
9/14/07
Providence, RI
I hope that you have enjoyed meeting our three student bloggers over the last week. At this point, their postings will be moving to their own pages, which can be accessed from the drop-down menu on the left side of this page. Happy reading!
As I mentioned on Saturday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this week in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Kaitlin...
Nice to Meet You!
Hello everyone! I am really excited to share my freshman year experience here at PC. First off, let me introduce myself. I’m Kaitlin Searfoss and I’m from Norwood, MA, just south of Boston. I am 18 years old, I am an English major/writing minor and I am in the Liberal Arts Honors Program. I live in Raymond Hall (right above the dining hall) with two great roommates!
How did I become interested in PC? My sister is a senior here and I had a lot of opportunities to visit her and attend some of her classes. I loved the campus and really enjoyed my tour. All in all, it was a tough decision, but I'm so glad I ended up here!
During high school, I did a lot. I spent my years at Norwood High in sports and clubs. I was on the soccer team all four years, as well as the spring track team. I ran long distance and threw the discus and the javelin my senior year. I was a member of my high school's SADD chapter, the Post Prom Party Committee (a group that plans the party at our local civic center for after the prom) the National Honors Society, and the National French Honors Society. I played the clarinet in my high school's wind ensemble and often volunteered for the concert band and orchestra. My senior year, I participated in two plays: Scrooge, the Musical and Romeo and Juliet. While at PC, I'd like to get involved in the literary magazine, the Alembic. I also might try my hand at intramural sports. We'll see what happens after I attend the Involvement Fair!
More to come on moving in, classes, and the happenings of PC...Feel free to ask questions, and I hope you can learn a lot about the college experience here at Providence!
As I mentioned on Saturday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this week in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Billy...
Hey everyone! My name is Billy Winters and I’m going to be the second freshman blogger this year…I’ve come all the way from a little town called Half Moon Bay, California, a little beach town between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, to go to PC.
Everyone asks me why I came all the way to PC, and I really don’t have a good answer, I just loved it here! I guess what really did it for me was all the people I met on my day visit. It’s a small, intimate campus and I just love everyone I’ve met here. I mean if you visit somewhere and just get that feeling there’s no reason not to go! I made a choice and am very happy with it, I certainly wouldn’t even consider going back and changing my decision if I were able to.
The whole East Coast environment certainly takes some getting used to…I spent most of my life in Dallas, Texas (which I still consider my home) and California. Since many of the students at PC are from the East Coast, they are all absolutely stunned when I tell them that I’ve never seen snow…
I’ve been having a blast at PC so far, the people are great! I’m living in McDermott, right on the quad. I'll be writing 2-3 times per week and hopefully will be able to answer any questions you guys have. I’d like to close by reminding everyone that today is September 11, so don’t forget to take a minute and remember all those who lost their lives on this day. Do something kind for your neighbor because we’re all in this together…God Bless America!
As I mentioned on Saturday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this week in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Elizabeth...
Hey, everyone!
My name is Elizabeth McNamara, (but just call me Liz) and I'm going to be one of the freshman bloggers this year! I'm very excited to start blogging about my freshman experience here at Providence College, so I'll tell you a little bit about myself.
I made the very long and extremely tiring drive to PC all the way from my hometown of North Providence, RI (which is, at most, two minutes away) a little more than a week ago. Since it's so close, I've always known about PC, but had never, ironically, considered it as an option for me because I'd only wanted to look at schools out of state. Yet thankfully, my parents forced me to tour PC, and I fell completely in love with the campus; I was floored by how friendly, pleasant, and well rounded the students and staff here are.
After that, there was only one option for me, and I even applied early (something I highly recommend!) My decision was secured right after Christmas (while all of my friends were still scrambling to get their materials in on time!)
At my high school, North Providence HS, I was extremely active: I was captain of my school's mock trial team, a member of the National Honor Society, a varsity member of the girls' lacrosse team, a cast member of the drama department, a math club member, a math tutor, and much more. I also wrote columns for my town newspaper, The North Providence Breeze, volunteered, worked at my town library (and still do), and was a Cadet Second Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol (which, for lack of a better way to describe it, is like a military-oriented group of Boy and Girl Scouts).
Here at PC, I am a member of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and I'm also majoring in political science.
In my next blog posts, I'll be able to get into more detail about my dorm, roommates, activities around campus and Providence, classes, teachers, and college life in general. There's so much to say!
With a week of college under their belts, our three freshman bloggers will introduce themselves to you on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. As their official blog pages are being created, each of our students will make their initial postings on my page so you can start to get to know them. And our first-year bloggers are...
1. Elizabeth McNamara-- She is the "local" of the group, from North Providence, RI. She attended North Providence High School and will post her first blog on Monday.
2. Billy Winters-- Billy comes to us from a bit further away... Half Moon Bay, CA! A graduate of Junipero Serra High School, he will let you know what it's like to attend college 3,000 miles away from home. You can read his first blog on Tuesday.
3. Kaitlin Searfoss-- Last but not certainly not least, Kaitlin is from Norwood, MA... a little further from PC than Elizabeth and a bit closer than Billy. She attended Norwood High School and her first blog will be posted on Wednesday.
You'll learn a lot more about each of our students as they post their experiences throughout the semester! Other things you'll learn a lot about in the coming weeks include our new Concannon Fitness Center (it's incredible!) and when a PC admission counselor will be coming to your area! All of that to come... until then, have a nice weekend!
*Scott
9/8/07
Today marked the first day of classes for the fall semester here at PC! Campus is fully back in "school-year mode," with more food selections in the dining halls and longer hours at the gym than during the summer months! Members of the freshman class moved into campus on Sunday, and then the upperclassmen returned yesterday. Ahhh... moving back to campus-- something I always looked forward to when I was a student... except for the actual "moving the stuff in" part. It's great to walk around campus and watch the moving in, though:
And speaking of moving in, our new student bloggers have moved in to campus as well, and we will be introducing them to you next week. Stay tuned!
*Scott
9/4/07
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