One of the things you'll hear Providence College students talk about all the time is the true sense of community on campus, and how the people at PC become a second "family." I think sometimes prospective students and their families can be skeptical of this statement, but I can tell you from my own experience that PC really does become a second home and members of the PC community do become your second family. It's something that I really notice each year during commencement festivies, and it's also something that I notice on campus as a staff member. Let me give you an example - when a bunch of us from the Office of Admission headed over to Alumni Dining Hall for lunch yesterday, we found that one of the staff members had saved one last meatball calzone for one of our counselors because she knew it was his favorite meal and didn't want him to miss out. A simple gesture, sure, but it's the type of gesture that happens so often on this campus - and creates the family atmosphere that includes all: the students, the faculty, the staff, and certainly the Dominican Friars with whom it all begins. Whether it's a professor taking his class out to dinner to celebrate the end of the semester, a group of students raising money to help a friend's family, or one of our Dominicans picking up a stranded admission counselor at the airport after a long week of travel, the people at Providence College aren't just classmates or colleagues - they do become your PC family.

For me personally, the family experience is even more literal as I have had two younger brothers follow in my footsteps and attend PC. I want to say congratulations to my brother Dan who received his master's degree in theological studies this past weekend - way to go!

Posted by Scott Seseske at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's that time of the year - today was the final move-out day for our (now graduated) seniors and all underclassmen who stayed on campus for commencement week activities.

It was always a sad day for me when I was a student; and I still don't love it - I already miss the students, their energy, and all of the activities going on. But on the brighter side, it is easier to get a close parking space on campus in the summer!!!

Posted by Scott Seseske at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is Commencement Week 2008 on the Providence College campus - graduation is set to take place this Sunday, May 18, where we will send off our Class of 2008 into the "real world." (There's a graduation cliche for you...)

As the seniors complete their final few days, I want to take the time to say "thank you" to the fantastic group of Admission Ambassadors who will be graduating on Sunday. We can't say enough about the group of senior Ambassadors we had this year - their positive energy, dedication, and willingness to help in any way they could really made the Office of Admission a brighter and more energetic place this year. So to our graduating Ambassadors - thank you for all of the hours you spent greeting families in the office, for all of the Group Information Sessions you spoke and registered at, and for all of the Day Visit students that you hosted. We wish you all the best as you move from PC students to PC alumni!

I also want to send a special thank you to the six members of our Ambassador Executive Board, who were an outstanding group of senior leaders. To Alyssa, Diana, John, Ryan, Sarah, and Scott - thank you for everything and all the best to you!

Posted by Scott Seseske at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi everybody... Let's talk about completing the admission/decision process - from the student side of things.

When you are invited to a wedding, the invitation asks you to RSVP by a certain date - whether you are going to attend or not...

In a similar vein, when you are invited to attend a college from the Office of Admission, the invite letter also asks you to respond, by the national response deadline of May 1, whether you are going to attend or not...

I'm just going to go out on a limb here and predict that, in general, people are much more likely to RSVP to the wedding invitation than to the acceptance letter from a college - especially if they are not going to attend. But responding to the colleges that have offered you admission is also very important, even if you have decided not to attend...

When a student is invited to PC, they will receive their acceptance letter and also an Enrollment Reservation Form, which the student should sign and return to either accept a place in our freshman class or to turn down that spot. This year, though, 40% (yes, 40%!) of students who were offered admission to PC did not respond at all. That's a big number, and it's pretty disheartening to see...

Why do we ask you to respond and let us know that you will not be attending PC? Well, first, it's simply common courtesy - a college has offered you one of its limited freshman class spaces over thousands of other applicants, and it makes sense (to me, at least) that you would let the college that invited you know that you won't be attending. But more than that, your response indicating you will be going to another institution also helps other students who are on our waiting list for admission, and who DO want to attend. When we know that students who have been invited are not going to attend, we are then able to offer available spaces to those students on the waiting list.

By the way, we also saw a number of students who were offered a place in our highly selective Liberal Arts Honors Program not respond at all - again, we don't expect every student we invite to in turn decide to enroll, but we do expect these students to complete the process by returning the Enrollment Form and letting us know they won't be attending. (20% of students offered a full tuition scholarship did not respond at all this year - full tuition! That's sad.)

Colleges, high schools, admission counselors, guidance counselors, and students all have responsibilities during the college admission process. Responding to the institutions that you will not be attending is the student's final responsibility in the process - so to all of you juniors, please remember next year to respond to the invitations you receive from colleges next year... even if it's to say, "I won't be attending."

Posted by Scott Seseske at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For all of the students who have chosen to remain on our waiting list, we sent out the third e-mail update today to let you know where we are in the process. In case you haven't been checking your e-mail, the information is reproduced below:

With the arrival of May 1, the enrollment picture for the Class of 2012 is taking shape. While we will still receive deposits over the next couple of days that were postmarked on May 1, it is our expectation that we will be able to offer some students on the waiting list a place in our entering class.

As of today, there are 885 students on the active waiting list. We believe that we will be able to offer approximately 60-80 students a place in the entering class. However, it is apparent at this time that there will be no Providence College financial assistance available to students admitted from the waiting list. Students who are selected for admission will be provided with any federal or state funding for which they have eligibility, but our institutional funds for the Class of 2012 have been exhausted. Students who enroll at Providence College as freshmen without aid will be eligible for need-based assistance in subsequent years if they complete the application on time and have demonstrated financial need.

The Committee on Admission is currently reviewing the 885 candidates who have asked for further consideration. This review process will last until at least the middle of next week. Please do not call the Office of Admission to ask about your place on the waiting list; this is a fluid process where we consider not only the academic credentials of each candidate, but also space in particular majors, residence hall availability, and other demographic factors.

Once we determine who will be offered a place in the Class of 2012, the following process will take place:

1. Candidates will be called, offering them a place in the class. Students who applied for need-based financial assistance will be informed of the federal or state funds they are eligible for.
2. While students do not have to give an immediate commitment, we do ask that students be honest about declining the space if they have chosen not to enroll at Providence College.
3. Those students who indicate they are serious in their desire to enroll will be express-mailed the official letter of admission and will have approximately one week to submit their enrollment deposit to confirm their place in the class.

We anticipate two rounds of waiting list activity. Based on the number of deposits we receive from the first round – and based on waiting list activity at other schools that may affect our enrollment totals – we will likely be able to offer a few additional spaces after May 15.

Please remember that at the point when we determine that no additional spaces are available, all remaining candidates will be notified in writing. Unless you hear from Providence College directly, the waiting list is still active.

Note: If the fact that no Providence College need-based financial assistance is available makes it impossible for you to accept a place in our class, or if for any other reason you have decided not to remain on the Providence College waiting list, please respond to pcadmiss@providence.edu so that we can remove your application from further consideration. Thank you.

Posted by Scott Seseske at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good luck to the seniors who have to make their final college decision today!

Posted by Scott Seseske at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)