I see that my fellow blogger Nicole mentioned the Providence College Relay For Life took place on Friday night, and I thought you might enjoy some pictures! So here they are, courtesy of "Team Admissions," made up of members of the counseling staff and our student Admission Ambassadors.

The approximate time that these pictures were taken = 4:00 AM... so actually, this was Saturday morning! I especially enjoy the blurry tug-of-war picture at the far right... definitely entertaining and it really helped to keep us awake in the early morning hours!!

The Relay For Life is truly an amazing team event held to fight cancer, and over 800 students and staff members participated this year. It is just one of countless community service opportunities available here at PC!

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!

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 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!

These are the smiling faces of part of our 2008 Admission Ambassador Relay team, which spent last weekend raising money - and doing a lot of walking - at the American Cancer Society Relay for Life that took place in Peterson Recreation Center on campus.

A big thank you to all of our Ambassadors - and admission counselors - who gave up some sleep for a great cause!!

There's no other place quite like a college campus in the springtime... With the warm weather, our campus is so alive with activity - frisbees flying on the quad, students studying on Slavin Lawn, and yes, even professors holding class outside:

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!

The performing arts have taken up a prominent role on the Providence College campus, especially after the opening of the Smith Center for the Arts in 2005.

The Smith Center is the home to our Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film and Department of Music, and features performance, practice, and teaching space for each of these departments.

Walk straight through the front door of the Smith Center and you'll be standing in front of the Angell Blackfriars Theatre, which is the main performance facility for our Theatre Department. The theatre has 283 seats and provides our students with an exceptional venue in which to perform - or watch a performance!

Let's go behind the scenes - lighting and sound:

In addition to the main theatre, the Smith Center also houses the 110-seat Bowab Studio Theatre, a black-box theatre used for small performances, rehearsals, and as a teaching space for theatre classes:

The Music Department takes full advantage of the 272-seat Ryan Concert Hall, with performances throughout the year by students and faculty:

The Department of Music's 2008-09 Concert Series schedule was recently released, if you're interested in learning more about the different types of concerts that take place at PC.

By the way, students do not have to be Theatre or Music majors to take part in Theatre or Music performances, clubs, or organizations - so even if you aren't thinking about a major in the performing arts, you will still have opportunities available to you in the Smith Center!

Travel season is underway, with this message coming to you from Phoenix, AZ (where it was 100 degrees this afternoon - a little different weather than today in Providence!). Thanks to everybody who stopped by the PC table yesterday at the NACAC Phoenix National College Fair... I look forward to seeing those of you who will be at the Xavier-Brophy Fair tonight!

Later on this week, I will introduce you to our three new freshman bloggers, each of whom will be writing about their first-year experiences in and out of the classroom at PC. Their stories will begin on my blog later this week!

Also, I want to say thank you to everybody who has posted comments and questions over the past few weeks... The traffic on our blogs has picked up quite a bit with school back in session, and I encourage you to keep your comments and questions coming!

More updates soon - from somewhere!

*Scott
Phoenix, AZ

As I mentioned yesterday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this weekend in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Tom...

My name is Thomas Halsey Nailor, usually Tom for short and most of my friends call me Nailor. I’m originally from New Canaan, a small town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. As for my place on the Providence College campus, I live in the McDermott dorm on the basement floor along with my two roommates Mike and Marc--I'm sure I’ll reference them quite extensively in future blog entries.

Before coming to the Providence College, I attended the Canterbury School, a smaller Catholic college preparatory school located in New Milford, CT. New Milford is about an hour away from my hometown, so I naturally boarded which was a fantastic experience that I think more than prepared me to live in the dorm here on campus. As much as I don’t like to toot my own horn, I was quite the big fish in a little pond at Canterbury, so it’s quite a shock being in such a big place as Providence. However I have always relished a challenge, and I think if anything it will be at least interesting to not see the same 350 faces every day.

Here at PC, I’m hoping to become involved in numerous activities but some that I’ve seen around campus that I’ll do my best to tell you all about when I’m more deeply ingrained are The Cowl (our newspaper,) Rejects on the Rise (an improvisational sketch comedy group I saw on campus this past Saturday) and Campus Ministry. Other than that I’m sure I’ll find some new things to try (my roommates and I are thinking of starting a 3 on 3 basketball team for instance) but I’ll keep everyone posted on that front. I like to think of myself as an active member of whatever community I am a part of, so hopefully I’ll have quite a few stories to tell.

Other than whatever I may be involved in, I enjoy a wide variety of things in my spare time. When asked, I usually quote writing and lifting weights as my two favorite activities, which I think surprises many people. As I like to say, I am a firm believer in “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano” which is Latin for “A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body.” That is to say, I think that neither pure physical nor pure mental ability can get you anywhere--you have to have balance in my opinion. Other than these two things, I also enjoy reading, listening to lots of different types of music, and of course just messing around with my friends, as I’m always up for a laugh.

Finally, I guess I had better answer the most basic questions people ask when it comes to describing myself. I am Roman Catholic, as well as being a Conservative when it comes to the political race, though I try not to let either of those define me to others. I enjoy a wide variety of music but my two favorite bands are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and anything by Bruce Springsteen. I have a great passion for movies, and my favorites are comedies, especially “Caddyshack” and “Spaceballs.” I wish I could list all of my favorite books, but I think it would end up taking far too much room here--if you would like to know some of them, just ask away readers! My favorite TV shows include “Scrubs” and “Law and Order” (surprising for a declared English major, no?) and my favorite sport is hockey, more specifically the New York Rangers.

I hope I’ve given you at least a small glimpse into who I am, and I hope that as you read my blog this year you’ll be able to not only get a great idea of what an amazing place Providence College is, in addition to a more accurate portrait of who I am. Hope you all keep reading and best of luck with the college process to those of you who are going through it!

As I mentioned Thursday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this weekend in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Hannah...

Hey PC friends! My name is Hannah Moriggi and I am one of the newest members of the Admission Blog Team here at Providence College. Along with my blog mates Tom and Alex, we will be sharing hand and hand with you our experiences as freshmen adjusting to the new and exciting life here at PC. But first I guess I should tell you a little about myself.

I am originally from a little town in Massachusetts called Blackstone. I’m sure that for the majority of you reading this you are probably thinking, “Where on earth is Blackstone, I have never heard of it!” Blackstone is actually on the Rhode Island border next to Woonsocket, RI and from PC it is about 30 minutes tops (Good for when I forget things at home!). I graduated last June from Blackstone-Millville Regional (BMR), the public school in my town which is shared with our neighbor Millville. Overall there are only 600 students in my high school; however we have one of the best marching bands in the country! Imagine that!

Just to give you a little bit of what I am about, at BMR I was a three-sport varsity athlete, playing field hockey, basketball and softball and I’ve been dancing for 16 years. I graduated 3rd in my class, and served as Vice President of both National Honor Society and Student Council while working as Sports Editor for our school paper. I have a passion for writing and although currently Undeclared here at PC, I am leaning towards an English Major, but I guess only time will tell! As of right now, I could not even begin to tell you what I want to get involved in on this amazing campus, because there are way too many options. But the Involvement Fair is just 2 weeks away, so I will be sure to let you know which groups catch my eye!

How did I end up at PC you ask? Well the first time I visited the campus was to see the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Smith Center here on campus. We had been reading this spin off of Hamlet and my English teacher organized the field trip. The play was fantastic and as we were leaving I really took a look around the campus at night and thought to myself how beautiful it was, and how I really wanted to look into applying here! Two years later here I am living on the second floor of McVinney with my awesome roommate Jaime! I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout!

I look forward to interacting through my blog with anyone interested in reading and cannot wait to get started soon! Please don’t be afraid to ask me questions, I would be more than happy to answer them. Until then, enjoy the lovely fall weather!

As I mentioned Thursday, our new student bloggers will be introducing themselves this weekend in this space as their own blog pages are created. Here's Alex...

Where to begin? If this entry were to set the scene for a dramatic, heart-wrenching movie, I'd probably open up this blog with a flashback of a dying comrade in arms. If this were a 007 movie, I'd probably jump right into the action as I snuck my way into a Siberian missle silo to gather intel on what those crazy Russians are doing. And if I were Tom Sawyer, I probably wouldn't do much at all, because I'd be busy getting you to do my dirty work.

But because my dirty work mostly consists of heading down to the practice rooms at the Smith Center for the Arts and learning some sort of Sonata in G minor, and because I'm probably the most athletically challenged person you'll ever meet, I'll try to keep this a simple introduction and less of anything else. I'm Alex, a music and psychology double major at PC with high expectations and not much idea of what I'm going to do with myself after college. I play the piano, clarinet, and sing, and desperately want to learn to play some sort of brass instrument and the bass guitar.

Essentially, I'm a music dork, with a bit of a technology dork in me as well. I work at the help desk on campus, a job I was graciously handed and was allowed to move in early for, and so in many ways I get to do everything I want here. I can perform musically, watch so many amazing concerts in either Providence or Boston (I'm actually going to see The Kooks at Lupo's this Sunday and Matt Nathanson next month!), study Psychology, and have an amazing tech-based job. It really is like all my bases are covered.

I'm literately always busy or doing something or the other, to the point where I only had an hour break today and am going to continue busying myself until this meeting for music majors is over at 6:00. But in all the mayhem and chaos of my already growing daily routine, of waking up at 7:00 every morning and hurrying over to Accino for my 8:00-9:30 shift, I'm hoping this blog will give it all some sense of order. And I hope it gives a whole bunch of new meaning to this experience, too.

Come chat with admission counselors (me!!) and current PC students today (11/12) and tomorrow (11/13) at www.collegeweeklive.com. A counselor will be online from 9 AM to 8 PM both days, and current students will be available to chat after 4 PM both days. It's a great way to get any quick PC questions answered!! Hope to chat with you later today or tomorrow!!

*Scott