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Providence College
- Local Atmosphere

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Providence College - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Local Atmosphere

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

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Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Federal Hill
  • Fleet Skating Center
  • Providence Place Mall
  • The RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) Museum
  • Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens
  • Roger Williams Park Zoo
  • Thayer Street
  • WaterFire

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Pop! You have stepped off Huxley Avenue, popping the “PC Bubble.” The small, private, Catholic campus is precariously encircled by poverty-stricken North Providence. While the area directly surrounding campus is one that anyone with presence of mind avoids, PC is minutes away from downtown Providence. The heart of this cleaner, smaller version of Boston is home to numerous hot spots for college students. The Providence Place Mall is five floors of carpeted consumer bliss, and it houses such eateries as the Cheesecake Factory, Joe’s American Bar and Grille, Napa Valley, Uno’s, and Fire and Ice. An eclectic mix of shops and restaurants can be found on Thayer Street, near Brown University. With numerous entertainment venues from the Providence Performing Arts Center to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence has something for everyone.

Providence College has all the benefits of a small, close-knit school in an urban setting. For students who don't enjoy the drinking scene, there are countless options to keep you busy around town. Walking places is not the best idea in the vicinity of the school, which can be unsafe, but biking, cabs, the PC Shuttle, and free RIPTA buses are always an option. Overall, Providence is a city irradiating a vivacity and youthfulness that can only be attributed to the several nearby colleges and universities.

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Providence Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Providence College

friar26

'13

English

4.2
A-

So Much to Do... If You Take Advantage of It

The city is a short, free bus ride away. There is a mall, great restaurants, clubs, a performing arts center with fantastic plays. Problem is that many students much prefer the bars in the area right around the school and don't take advantage of the many other things there are to do.

Aug 22, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Providence College

iceplaya202

'14

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

4.2
A-

People

Providence is a small city with a very youthful culture. This is a result of the many colleges that make up its population. It's mostly clean and the mall is fantastic. People of all different types are to be seen downtown, giving it a diverse feel for a New England town.

Aug 15, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Providence College

Friarfan16

'13

History

3.1
B-

Providence Is Small!

Ok, maybe it is because I am from New York and I'm spoiled by a huge city with anything you could ever want in it. But the city of Providence leaves A LOT to desire. It's very small and doesn't feel like a city to me. However, it does have some small gems. The mall is huge, Thayer street is fun, water fire is always fun to experience, and there are a lot of surrounding colleges such as Brown, Johnson and Wales, and RIC.

Mar 23, 2011

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Providence Place Mall
  • Thayer Street
  • White City Shopping Center
Major Sports Teams
  • Boston Bruins: hockey
  • Boston Red Sox: baseball
  • New England Patriots: football
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Boston: MA: 1 hour
  • New York City: NY: 3 hours
Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about Providence:
• Providence has more coffee and doughnut shops per capita than any other city in the country.
• The Rhode Island State House was depicted as the U.S. Capitol building in the movie Amistad. The city was also utilized in There’s Something About Mary, Outside Providence, and NBC’s TV show, Providence.
• A state referendum exempts artists living in Downcity (downtown) from state income taxes.
• The Dunkin’ Donuts Center (the Dunk) is an indoor sports and entertainment venue that seats 14,500 people and is home to PC’s men’s basketball team, as well as the Providence Bruins.
• The plans drawn up by the architects of the State House originally called for a female figure to sit atop the dome. The Independence Man now residing there is 11 feet tall and stands 278 feet off the ground.

Famous People from Providence:
George M. Cohan – America’s first acting superstar
Nelson Eddy – Actor, singer
Bobby Hackett – Jazz artist
Ruth Hussey – Actress
Galway Kinnell – Poet
H.P. Lovecraft – Fiction writer

Local Slang:
Bubbler – What a Providence native calls a water fountain
Cab'nit – Milkshake
Downcity – Downtown Providence
ProJo – The Providence Journal
Soggie – Hot dog
Sub – A hot sandwich known elsewhere as a hero
Wicked – An adjective used instead of the word "very"

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Avon Cinema
260 Thayer St.
(401) 421-3315

Providence Place Cinemas 16 & IMAX
10 Providence Pl.
(401) 270-4646

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at PC

Name: Amanda Mathieu

Hometown: Groton, CT

Major: English/Business

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