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Nicole Facompré
Class Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Pennington, NJ
Major: Marketing
PC Activities: Admission Ambassadors — Urban Action — Junior Ring Weekend (JRW) Core/Chairperson
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Today was a very exciting day for the sophomore class. Today was our JRW ring premiere. JRW, in case you don't know, stands for Junior Ring Weekend. This a weekend long event that takes place our junior year and it is dedicated to celebrating our class rings. This is a tradition unique to PC and most students take great pride in the event. I'm on the planning committee (JRW Core) and I am in charge of planning the "social night." There is also a class mass where all of the rings are blessed along with a formal night. The anticipation is definitely building after today’s party. We worked with an artist at Herff Jones and designed our own ring collection. We've been working for months now planning the premiere. Today's premiere was a casino theme and we brought in a professional casino company. Majority of our class went to check out our rings and win some great prizes. Events and traditions like these make me proud to attend PC. The theme of the ring premiere was Lucky to be at PC and I think it was a perfect theme. I feel lucky to be at PC.
Last Saturday was family day and it was a great success. We really lucked out with beautiful weather. I was standing outside welcoming you guys for two hours and I was soooo happy that it was sunny. I was able to talk to a lot of prospective students and I got really jealous. I wish I was in your shoes! I hate to think I'll be here for only two more years. This morning I was trying to think about what I wanted to post this week and I figured it would be beneficial to give you the play by play of my day. You've heard about the academics, the dorm life, the clubs and activities and how much I love PC but I wanted to share what a typical day looks like. So what do I do on Mondays? This morning I woke up to a gray day but I rolled out of bed and got ready for my 9:30 civ seminar with Dr. Costello. We had a in class write today, kind of like a quiz, and then a discussion about our assigned reading. At 10:30, I met a bunch of my friends for breakfast. I'm back at my room right now writing to all of you. At 12:30, I have my theology class with Fr. Allard. Next, I have to go to the mail room and stuff mailboxes. We're having our huge Junior Ring Weekend Ring Premiere next week and we are sending out invitations today. After I stuff mailboxes, I'll head over to the library and meet with my math tutor. I have a math quiz tomorrow and I need some review! Next, I'll probably head back to my room and hang out with my friends for a little bit or do some laundry. We usually go to dinner around 5:00 because there is no line at that time. I have a meeting at 6:30 for admissions ambassadors. We'll discuss day visits, information sessions, and other activities that we run throughout the week. I'll probably watch some tv when I get back...Dancing with the Stars maybe or maybe 24 (the dorm gets kind of quiet at this time because the show is so popular and you can hear the ticking of the timer throughout the halls). I have to read for civ and study for my math quiz and then get some beauty sleep. I typically try to go to bed around midnight but when you're living with your best friends sometimes that becomes difficult. If you think my day is busy, a lot of people have busier days and a lot of people will only go to class. It is really up to you how much you want to get involved.
We just got back from our Easter break and there is about one month left. This spring semester is going by so quickly! April is a busy month for everyone. Everyone is working hard to get that good grade and a lot of the clubs on campus are planning the last hoorah. My roommate is involved in Future Friar Executive and they are planning their annual event the Miss PC pagent. This year they will have a representative from each club on campus competing for the title. It should be a thoroughly entertaining event. The Board of Programmers is a club that plans tons of activities on and off campus. Tonight they have an open mic night and free Ben Jerry's ice cream. They also have trips running to Boston for Red Sox games. I wish I had more hours in the day so I could take advantage of all these activities!
There is a huge event going on tonight at PC called Relay for Life. A lot of the student body is involved in this effort to raise money for finding a cure for cancer. The night consists of teams of people that walk ("relay") around the indoor track the entire evening. The idea is to always have someone walking for a cure. Most of the clubs and organizations form teams and raise money for the night. Its a great scene! There is music blasting, people shaking their groove thing, games being played and of course teams relaying for life. I have people very close to me that have suffered from cancer or that are currently fighting the disease and I really appreciate this opportunity to give back. Relay for life is just one of the many charity events that are held throughout the year, here on campus. The student body definitely values the importance of giving back to the community. Tonight is not only working towards a great cause but a good time for everyone involved. You can really tell at an event like this, that PC is a tight community and can be comfortably called a family.
Going off to college is, no doubt, a scary thing. I was nervous about the school work being much harder than high school. And yes, the school work is harder just like your junior year was harder than your sophomore year of high school. But the other thing to keep in mind is that you’ll only being taking three to four classes a day, leaving you with lots of free time. The biggest challenge that I encountered was learning how to manage my time wisely. Since I’m now living on my own (no Mom or Dad telling me to do my work—love you guys) it’s easy to procrastinate. A little hint to all: keep up with your reading! This is something I’ve learned after doing almost two years of this “college thing.” I tend to procrastinate when I have work to do that I don’t enjoy. I don’t like Math. I have never liked Math and probably will never like Math. I always seem to struggle with my mathematics courses. The marketing major here requires everyone to take what they call business mathematics and statistics. Currently, I’m taking the business mathematics course which is mostly comprised of calculus. The summer before I started school at PC, I took a placement test and they suggested that I take this course based on how I scored. Now like a said before, I do not like Math but there are plenty of services that PC provides to help me succeed. The Office of Academic Services (better known as OAS on campus) runs multiple programs that you can attend for free. The programs range from tutors covering most subjects, to seminars that help you to become a speed reader or even teach you how to better manage your time. I have used their tutoring service multiple times and it is not intimidating because the tutors are all current students at PC. I have a tutor for my math class now but I have also used their writing center. All you have to do is walk down to the basement of the library and someone will read your paper and give you feedback. We had a math quiz today and I walked out of class feeling confident that I did a good job. My tutor, Kaitlyn, definitely helped me out!
It seems like Mother Nature is quite the tease. After a week of spring weather, we are blasted with coldness once again. I’m looking out my window right now and it looks like blizzard conditions. TGIF! Friday tends to be my favorite day of the week. There is always something going on at PC. Tonight, we are celebrating my friend Beth’s 20th birthday (Happy Birthday Beth!). This year we decided that we would try a new restaurant for each of our birthdays. We went to a great Mexican place for my birthday even though I usually love going over to Federal Hill for some delicious Italian food. The city of Providence has a ridiculous amount of restaurants providing a great opportunity for us to get out into the city and explore. All PC students can ride the RIPTA for free by simply showing their student ID. The RIPTA is the public transportation service and you can go practically anywhere in Rhode Island (this includes Newport and other fun places). If the bus schedule doesn’t work for you however, there are always taxis. Tonight, we’re going to a place called Shanghai. The restaurant is located on Thayer Street which is definite hot spot if you are a college student in Providence. Thayer Street is about ten minutes away and is a great place to go out to eat, go shopping, or get a yummy cup of coffee. We always seem to end up in the Urban Outfitters or Starbucks! I’m just hoping this snow will slow down so we can make it over there.
It seems like spring may finally be here and hopefully we won’t get another blast of coldness. It is a beautiful day on campus. The sun is warm and birds are chirping. The student body even seems to have an extra spring in their step. Maybe it’s the combination of the weather and arriving back to PC after a relaxing spring break. It was great to have a week long break after studying hard for my civ exam. I guess I should explain what civ is all about. First of all, everyone on campus refers to it as civ even though the proper name for the class is Development of Western Civilization. The course is a five credit course, it meets five days a week and everyone at PC is required to take it for two years. I think that this provides for a real bonding experience since we’re all going through it. It is a team taught class made up of four professors: a history, literature, theology and philosophy professor. The class basically starts at the beginning of western civilization and looks at its growth from four different perspectives. You guessed it! We study the history, literature, theology and philosophy of western civilization throughout time and try to make connections among the four concentrations. Most of the lectures are in a traditional lecture hall setting and so once a week the class breaks down into smaller seminar groups to better discuss the material. My seminar professor is Dr. Costello and he is our philosophical representation. Since I’m in my fourth semester of civ (ahh fourth, it goes by so quickly) we are studying mostly 20th Century happenings. We just conquered Freud, World War I and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. These were all topics on my last exam. Now we’re moving onto totalitarianism and tomorrow and Wednesday we’re focusing on WWII.
Hey everyone! I’m very excited about the student blogging because I think it will give you guys a real taste of what it is like to be a student at Providence College. I love it here at PC and so I have a lot to share and I hope that I can answer some questions for you too.
I figure you’re probably wondering about me. I think through the blogging process you’ll learn more about me but there is some basic information I thought I should share. Firstly, I am from a little town called Pennington located in central New Jersey. I went to Hopewell Valley Central High School and graduated in 2005. I have one sister, Michelle, who is a senior in high school and I am a current sophomore. Last year I lived in McVinney Hall, 9th floor (a dorm I highly recommend for all freshmen girls) but this year moved to the only co-ed dorm on campus, Aquinas Hall. I live on the second floor with my amazing roommate Jaclyn Falconi. Coincidently, Jaclyn and I are both marketing majors. I came to PC as a declared marketing major but no worries; a lot of my friends came undeclared. I however, have always been interested in marketing and in high school had a couple of marketing internships.
Don’t be surprised but marketing is not my only passion! Since I was four, I have always had a passion for dancing and acting. I am hoping to eventually combine the marketing skills I learn here and my passion for the arts into a career someday. Maybe I’ll take up a career in public relations for a ballet company or something of the sorts. But for now, I’m just trying to get through my mid-terms. Obviously I always want to get good grades but my motivation right now is my spring break trip to the Bahamas! I can hardly wait for the warm weather after a snowy week at PC. Hopefully the only white I’ll be seeing is the white sand and ocean spray.
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