Throughout my years in public school, not a single word of God was ever spoken by one of my teachers, and conversations with my peers on the subject were minimal. So I went on through high school not truly grasping the perspectives of people of faith, rejecting their beliefs based on generalizations and stereotypes. When my parents suggested Providence College, I took a look at the core and said, “Two theologies?! No way.” And that was that. Months later, however, I went to a college fair with my parents in which my mom dragged me over to the PC table - the representatives from PC assured me that the core, namely the theology courses, were nothing to worry about and would definitely not be a fair reason to rule PC out.
And they were right. Deciding to come to Providence College was the best decision of my life, and the theology courses have actually opened my eyes to a new world of perspectives I had shut out for many years before. These courses highlight the importance of community and friendship - loving others for the sake of the other - as well as a strong emphasis on the application of reason. It was nice to hear some of my preconceived notions about the topic shattered. While there is obviously some clash between me and fellow classmates regarding religion, it has not stopped me from making lifelong friendships and sparking interesting debate. These debates cause both parties to challenge their existing beliefs, which, I think, is positive; you won’t learn much if you keep your mind closed to other visions of the world.
But while PC is most definitely a catholic college, religion is a secondary part of the experience for those who want it to be. The education offered by the school should be one’s primary concern. Definitely do not look at the core of any curriculum and rule it out just because there are certain things you may not understand or agree with. The worst thing that could happen is you do not like a course and you push through it just like you would with any other class you don’t like; but hopefully you learn from these courses like I have. Also, it’s pretty cool to have a Dominican Friar as a professor - they dedicate their lives to helping students and the community at large!
Nobody is standing over you to make sure you are Catholic. That would be kind of weird. And no, you do not need to wear a uniform. But you will feel a little strange being the only one of your roommates not going to church on Sunday. And not eating meat on Fridays during Lent. But that is no big deal; it’s what you sign up for, and you will get used to it. You cannot reject an entire group of people or a school because of its religious views. That is ignorance, and ignorance is not bliss.
