As another beautiful Southern California day began, a number of prospective students and families made their way to the campus of Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California. For most of them, it was the first of many college campus visit days they will attend at various colleges throughout their senior year. As families arrived on campus they were greeted on the expansive front lawn at Providence with fresh coffee and donuts from the favorite donut shop around the corner. More importantly, faculty and staff were on hand to welcome the visitors, who were arriving from as close by as Burbank, CA and as far away as Sioux Center, IA and Edmonton, AB, Canada. Student athletes also joined the group for the day after an early morning tryout with some of the athletic teams and an overnight stay on Thursday evening.

The visit day began with a tour of the historic Providence campus, where students were toured by alumni Candace Janzen as she talked about her experiences as a student at Providence. Parents joined Admissions Counselor Justin Baker on a separate tour of the campus, as they often have questions of a different nature for tour guides. The next event of the day was the chapel service, which featured worship and a message from Dr. Jim Belcher, President of Providence. Chapel services are held each week on Wednesday and Friday and there are no classes or activities scheduled during chapel in order for students to attend.

After chapel, a banquet style lunch was held in the dining hall for the guests, where they heard from Professor Ryan McIlhenny about why the liberal arts and Faith-Guided Learning at Providence is so unique and important. Max Belz, Director of Experiential Learning, also spoke about Providence’s signature Avodah program, which includes off-campus and international experiences as a part of the Providence education. Up next, the financial aid session gave valuable information about The Providence Promise loan repayment assistance program and the affordability of Providence through scholarships, special loan programs and other types of financial aid.

Current Providence students wrapped up the day with a student panel and a chance to tell their stories about life at Providence and what is really like to be a college student. After final questions and choosing a free t-shirt, visitors headed outside to the sand volleyball court for the Beggar Kegger (a root beer keg, of course!) where they mingled with current students and met their overnight hosts for the evening. Students were invited and encouraged to attend afternoon classes at Providence, where they continued to learn about the strength of the academic program and how the Christian perspective is integrated into the classroom. After a full day for the visit, students staying overnight on Friday were treated to a special student senate event that evening, a free concert on campus by The Show Ponies, an indie SoCal band.

Prospective students and parents have always appreciated Providence’s personal and unique visit day experiences, and even as the college grows, it strives to continue that for it’s visitors. “From the early morning team tryout to the various seminars, tours, and hospitality extended to us including my daughters overnight stay that evening, it is abundantly evident that there is a special “air” to your school.”, commented one parent.

Providence will host its next visit day on Friday, November 13 where the featured event will be the Drama Association’s fall play. See the visit day schedule and register now to join us!