Providence College Top Questions

Quality of academics depends on your field of study. There are GREAT teachers here, and there are horrible ones. Civ is a useful course, but there is way too much religion involved, particularly Catholicism. As a student at PC, expect to be treated like a 5 year old kindergartner. Lots of quizzes, frequent tests, a bunch of busy work, and even “attendance taking” at class. Not saying “no one should go to class” just saying that at 17-22, students should be MATURE enough to deal with the consequences of missing class on their own without someone taking attendance for them. Maturity and self actualization of the student is something that is frowned upon at PC. There are rules and you follow them, unless you have the gumption to convince someone otherwise. Expect a final exam in every class (the exam or paper option is usually nonexistent). That said, there are some very good programs here, but the overall position of the administration on making academics more “rigorous” has in fact failed to do so by instead incorporating more busy work. They are not more “rigorous” as they foster mere short term memorization rather than long term understanding, so they are rather “annoying.” Also the bookstore is a ripoff. They will sell you a book for $150, buy it back for $20, then resell it to someone else Used for $120. All in the name of more profit.

Academics at PC are are really great. The core curriculum is a very strong program that challenges students with all different strengths to think outside of their comfort area. For example, I am a math major and through my core classes I have had to study poetry and art which was quite difficult for me. So I can say that PC's core, especially the Development of Western Civilization program, has challenged nearly all students intellectually. In addition, the professors on campus are really encouraging students to challenged themselves. Professors not only get to know your name, but they get to know your interests. They want to be able to help you challenge yourself in new areas, while continuing to build your strengths.

All students are competitive in one form or another. Because its a competitive school, the students that attend are intellectual and capable of understanding the classes offered. The core requirements are demanding, espicially because of the 4 semesters of Western Civ that most people do not like. The teachers i have had so far are all great. The classes are small so they allow for one-on-one interactions with the teachers.

Overall, my experience with academics as PC has been overwhelmingly positive. Most professors are more than willing to accomodate and problems you have and really want you to take something away from their class, and not simply go through the motions. Many students gripe about the famous "DWC program"; however, if you approach the course with an open mind it's actually a great course, and the amount of knowledge you learn is pretty great. The core courses also get a lot of complaints, and I agree that there are too many, they're even talking about adding some more.

CIV!!! Your arch nemesis for your first 2 years and then your long lost security blanket after it's over.

The Development of Western Civilization course is mostly a waste of time. While it is nice for the whole campus to be well versed in philosophy and theology, this required 20 credit course is usually poorly taught and involves a cumbersome amount of reading. Certain teams of professors can make the course very rewarding, especially the honors teams. The rest of the classes are small, well-taught, and interesting, but be prepared to wait for the really good professors until your junior and senior years.

The majority of professors here are great and more than willing to help students, with the exception of a few but all schools have their bad professors. The entire CIV program is being redone because of the complaints about it so that should be fixed by 2012. I enjoy my classes here and I feel like I am getting a good education. The thing lacking is some sort of system for grading so that students who don't get the "easy" professors they wanted won't get hurt academically compared to the students that did. There is a problem with that concerning the various CIV teams, and also many of the different departments have professors that are more or less demanding than others in the same department, which makes it very difficult to judge a student's final grades.

Civ sucks if the program is so great why arent there any other colleges with it in the nation? just wondering, otherwise classes and teachers are fine

Academics are very strong at PC. Professors are very interested in those students who are interested in them. Least favorite class is DWC. Class participation is a must in almost all courses. Majority of the students here are extremely competitive regardless if they were "trashed" the night before, they will pull through for that grade. The education here is more geared to getting that right internship and/or job and then learning second.

Development of Western Civilization is tough but worthwhile. The class is rigorous but you feel very accomplished after completing two years and you know youre walking away with a great education.