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Main
| October 2007 »
Today is going to be a very relaxing Sunday. I woke up somewhat early around 10:30 and had brunch with one of my roommates. The breakfast potatoes never disappoint. I went to the library for an hour and got my civ seminar questions done. Then I attempted to study for my exam on Friday and then I realized I just couldn't concentrate. So now I'm back in my room, perhaps about to take a nap. Later today there is a men's soccer game that I'm going to watch, and then I have dance club from 4 to 5. This week we are learning contemporary. Later tonight my friend from home, Melissa, is coming to visit me! She is a senior in high school and interested in PC, so I'm going to bring her to my classes on Monday morning. I can't wait to see her! It really is then highlight of my week! And that's it for my Sunday. Gotta love the most relaxing day of the week!
I'm sure you all are curious about the eating situation here at Providence. The main dining hall on campus is Raymond Hall, which also has an all girls dormitory above it (where I live). You go in and swipe your card and once you're in you can have as much or as little as you want and it counts for one meal. There are a variety of choices at Ray. For breakfast, there are cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, assorted fruits, muffins, breads, bagels, and then heartier choices like eggs, meats, pancakes, waffles, and French toast. And this is just breakfast! I have to say, I do enjoy this meal most of all. Lunch and dinner offer similar choices during the day. There is always salad, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, cereal, and vegetarian choices. The ever-changing selections are the classics (anything from mac and cheese to turkey dinners), theme cuisine (offering things such as fried clams or fettuccine) and the grill (the burgers are great). There is always a dessert selection, too, offering cookies, pies, cakes, and brownies. There is also an ice cream section where you can add your own toppings. I have to say that the options are endless and I've had quite a few delicious meals!
Now if you're just not in the mood for Ray food, the Slavin center offers its own food court. Here you pay by the dollar with the Friar Bucks on your PC ID card, or if you run out of that, you can pay in cash. The grill there is amazing! I get a grilled cheese every time I go because it's just so good. There are other options like pre-made salads, yogurt or pudding parfaits, and sandwiches. There are different fruits, drinks (I recommend the smoothies), ice creams, and snacks available, too. They also have a deli and a bakery section. In the dining section, there are TVs with games usually on, so it's a nice atmosphere as well!
And I guess if you don't feel like either you could always head to the Providence Place Mall to grab a bite!
So that's the food situation here at Providence. The food is good, and the choices are many. I'd say its a pretty good situation!
More to come on living here at PC in my next post...
So this weekend was my first venture back into Norwood, MA. It has been 3 weeks since I've driven in a car, seen my house, and hung out with my friends. Let me tell you, it was weird going back. I was actually surprised that I was wishing I could go back to school so I could hang out with my PC pals. Now that I've actually been home, I realized I don't miss it at all. I am having so much fun here and there's always a new experience -- home is just boring now! But of course, I absolutely loved seeing my friends! :)
On a Sunday night in Norwood, I would be doing some homework and hanging out with the family. But here, I'm going to go watch some of my friends play flag football and then probably head to the library for a few hours. Usually I'd be in bed a little earlier than during the week, but knowing my schedule here, I'll still probably go to bed much later than I ever have before. But that's fine with me! I'm getting used to the lesser amounts of sleep!
I'm running late, so more on PC life later!
So the initial excitement of new classes is over, and now the excitement lies in all there is to do here! I've been here for a little under 3 weeks, and I can barely even remember all I've been doing!
For the most part, the weather has been amazing. I've attended quite a few soccer games at Glay Field on lower campus. It's been so much fun getting together with a bunch of people and watching the Friars!
On the 12th, there was an involvement fair. There is so much offered here at PC! There were sports clubs, academic clubs, awareness clubs, and many more. I signed up for the dance club, which is a low-key club that meets Sundays from 4 - 5. Each week, we learn a new dance. It's just for fun and there is no pressure to be amazing, which is great because I've only taken one dance class in my life! I went this past Sunday where we learned some Jazzy Modern. It was so much fun! I also signed up for the Outdoor Adventure Club, a club that gets together to go hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, and things like that. I don't know how many adventures I'll end up going on, but I thought it might be fun to check it out. I'm also thinking about signing up to be a portfolio writer for the school newspaper, The Cowl. We'll see what happens.
I also had my first quiz and papers due just recently. I had a Calculus quiz on Thursday and I was so nervous, but I think I actually did well. We'll find out this week. The first paper was a group paper for Sociology, which we did really well on, and then a DWC paper that I just passed in. I've got my fingers crossed on that one!
And speaking of Honors Civ, I also just signed up for the Liberal Arts Honors Program spring break trip. This year we are heading to London and Paris for a little over a week and I can't wait!
There's just so much going on, I can barely keep track of it all. But you can be sure that there's more to come...
So then came Wednesday: day 2 of classes. My Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule is great! I have only 2 classes: one from 9:30-10:20 and the next from 10:30-11:20. Way different from high school! But let's begin where I left off.
I began my day with Introduction to Literature. I ended up sitting next to a boy that turned out to be in my Civ class. It's always great meeting people you know you'll see around. We started off by filling out information sheets about ourselves and we went around the room stating our names, hometowns, majors, and something interesting about ourselves that no one would forget. It was a fun way to meet everyone, and we learned some pretty interesting things about one another! After that fun stuff, we started off the course reading Shakespeare's sonnet number 18. You know the one, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?..." It's a classic. And that was my first day of English class.
Then came DWC, but a class this time. We had reading due for today assigned on the syllabus given to us the day before. It was on the history of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and in class Father McGonigle led an interesting lesson on it. He gave us an outline so we were able to take our notes right on it. The organization will really help out when I'm studying for an exam! The greatest part about the class so far is seeing everything intertwine between history books, works of literature, and the Bible. DWC really is a special part of PC, and no other school has anything like it. In all honesty, I'm not the greatest fan of history class, but I haven't even been bored yet, so I'd say that's a good start!
I also had a chance to check out the brand new fitness center with my friend from home and her roommates! It is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, there were no treadmills or elliptical machines open, so we ended up running around the track downstairs. It wasn't as fun as running in place in front of a cable TV, but hey, it did the trick!
And that was day 2. I found all my class rooms and I was on time. Each class came with a handy dandy syllabus so I know exactly when everything is due. I even had some free time to check out the gym. All in all, I think I'm going to survive!
There is also so much going on around campus, but more to come on that later. I've got reading to do!
Move in day was less stressful than I thought it would be. I met my roommates, Steph and Whitney, for the first time and they were both so nice and so excited to be here. We arranged our room easily enough, thanks to my sister. She lived in Ray her freshman year, so she helped us out with the setup. The room is actually pretty spacious, and it's nice that we each have our own closet and set of drawers! I spent the day with my parents and visitn with my sister in her apartment in Davis. It's definitely going to be nice having Kim here to help me out and give me the scoop on how things work. Later that night, my roommates and I went to an ice cream social and bingo in the Slavin Center which was a cool way to see people and perhaps win some prizes. Unfortunately, we did not win a thing! And we were really holding out for Catch Phrase...
The next day was the freshman trip to Newport. I had a lot of fun meeting up with a friend from home, and I spent a lot of time with my roommates and their friends. The shopping was great, the weather was beautiful, and there was so much to see. It’s been exciting meeting so many new people, but I have to admit that I’ve been doing double takes thinking I’ve seen someone from home! Overall, it was a great day.
And then came the first day of classes. My first class of college was Introductory Sociology at 8:30 in the morning. I had breakfast with my friend Laura (also a freshman) and our friend from home Melissa (a sophomore). I was so paranoid about not being able to find my room that I didn’t even think to write it down. I called my roommate while she was getting ready to read the room off my desk calendar. So much for a good start, right? But Melissa led me to my room and all was well. I didn’t know a single person in the class, so I sat next to the first person I saw. We introduced ourselves and had a nice chat about where we were from and our majors and things like that. And that's how I met Rich from Long Island. The great thing about being a freshman in college is that everyone is new and everyone wants to meet everyone else. I also found out that the girl sitting next to me, Tracy, also from Long Island, is in 3 out of 4 of my classes, so I'm really excited about that! The three of us ended up being in a group for the class, so that worked out well!
I then had Calculus and Analytical Geometry II, also known as math 132, at 11:30. We started doing problems on the board and I realized I had no recollection of my AP BC Calculus class. By the end of the day I had remembered some things, and it got better when I realized there was an amazing reference page in the back of the book. We'll have to see where this goes...
Last of the day was my Honors Development of Western Civilization (also known as DWC or just Civ) Seminar. That was scheduled for 2:30 to 4:20, but it got out around 3:45. Not much to do the first day, I guess. It was sort of an orientation, with just meeting everyone, and then we had a writing workshop. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out that I loved my professors. Well, my one professor and two fathers. That’s one thing about PC; you’ll be taught by Dominican Friars. It’s kind of a strange thing, coming from a public school, but they are such great people that it really doesn’t matter. I'm actually really excited to have this class. It will definitely be like nothing I've experienced, especially coming from a public school!
Sorry for such a long blog! Details on my other classes in my next one. I hope you’ve learned a lot so far and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
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!
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