University of RI. Info please... (Providence, Newport: rent, houses, best school)

[jessemh431]

I will soon be applying for colleges, and am coming here for info. I was wondering if I could get some personal experience on the university since the only things I know are the good aspects from the university website.

I took a mock SAT last year and got 510, 550, and 570 in critical reading, math and writing, respectively. I'm positive I did better this year, because I didn't know enough math last year, so hopefully, all of my scores will be over 550, maybe even 600. My GPA will be 4.0 or higher, and I am very involved in school activities and clubs.

So, with that said, do you think this is a good college for me? Also, is it in a good area in terms of a good mix of safeness and liveliness for a student?

Thanks for any replies ahead of time. If you have any suggestions, feel free to say them.

[traceyr13]

What do you want to major in?

What is drawing you to Rhode Island from (according to your profile location) California?

URI has its good points and its bad points, but I would want a little more information about you before I could say whether it would be a good fit for you. Most likely there will be a good amount of culture shock coming to URI from California, so you would need to be prepared for that and be able to justify and articulate to yourself what you are looking for in a college and why you would choose URI.

[jessemh431]

I like Rhode Island because I have been to several areas in New England and love them all. I'm trying to apply to one univ. in a couple of out of state.

I want to major in dentsitry, pharmacy, something with geography, or something with populations and demography.

[skytrekker]

If you like Geography (my second major) Look into Central Connecticut State University in New Britain-has an excellent Geography program. Also Clark University near Worcester Mass.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I will soon be applying for colleges, and am coming here for info. I was wondering if I could get some personal experience on the university since the only things I know are the good aspects from the university website.

I took a mock SAT last year and got 510, 550, and 570 in critical reading, math and writing, respectively. I'm positive I did better this year, because I didn't know enough math last year, so hopefully, all of my scores will be over 550, maybe even 600. My GPA will be 4.0 or higher, and I am very involved in school activities and clubs.

So, with that said, do you think this is a good college for me? Also, is it in a good area in terms of a good mix of safeness and liveliness for a student?

Thanks for any replies ahead of time. If you have any suggestions, feel free to say them.

You should do well with those SAT scores. Also I believe URI has one of the best Geology departments as well as Oceanography dpeartments anywhere so if you should find you are interested in those things, it would be a good choice. The only thing you may not like about it is a large number of students are from nearby and tend to leave the campus on the weekends-- but not everyone leaves.

[GermanSpy]

I got my four year degree from URI. The pharmacy, oceanography, engineering and communication studies departments are pretty decent. As already mentioned, URI in Kingston is a commuter university, lots of students rent houses together in nearby Narragansett etc.

You'll probably do fine in your chosen study area, I never found URI to be a particularly 'tough' university when it came to classes, maybe even a bit too lax for some.

I'd also think that URI is pretty safe, although there's lots of partying going on sometimes with the corresponding risks.

The two most annoying things I found while being a student at URI were the parking policies and the university staff, which I rarely found to be helpful or well informed. But that might be just me.

[wxjay]

One thing to consider about URI - you are pretty far from downtown Providence (30-40 minute drive), so if you like more urban life, this may be a problem. Around URI itself is not very much. I didn't go to URI but my cousin does go there and she likes it for the fun university lifestyle but admits that she missed living closer to Providence. That said, if you spend the summers at URI, you will have great beach access!

[TomnNC]

I really enjoyed the URI area and its campus. The school is well known for its Pharmacy and Engineering programs. I lived about 10 miles south of the campus in Wakefield. Never once did i feel unsafe while attending school there. Sure, it is in the middle of farmland, but that was all good with me. What's good is that it is fairly close to the casinos, Providence, Newport, and the beaches. Dont think about driving back to URI from "Down the Line" after a Friday night of drinking. As a matter of fact, police in this area seem to target students. Everyday I would see cars pulled over on the outskirts of the campus. I know fraternities and sororities are prevelant. I didnt enjoy the parking situation, although I hear it has improved in the last 3-4 years. Also, the support of the athletic programs was weak. My friends and I went to many URI basketball games and the place was nearly empty. Basketball is the only sport that seems to get good publicity. Hope this helps..

[demian]

Hi. I am an Iranian; admitted to the URI for the PhD program in industrial & manufacturing engineering. But a problem led to a one year defferal of my enrollment. I'm now living and studying for another master's degree in Sweden. Since I have almost a year ahead of me, I wanted to gather more info around life in there. It might sound odd to you but unlike most of my countrymen who prefer to apply for universities in west (esp. CA) I like New England. First of all, I still have no idea how life is around there, since the city seems to be much smaller than I thought (in a way I'm feeling the campus is biger than the city!). However one thing that draws me to the northwest is its beauty in nature. Secondly, I havn't recieved an approval for a fund sofar. If that isn't granted I'll have some financial troubles. I wanted to know how worthy the university is since I found out that its official ranking has dropped dramatically (from 197 to 390 in 2 years!). I mean is it good to stick with this program and plan to start in URI next year or try to find other opportunities (esp. in Boston) the year after with 2 master degrees in pocket?! Thanks in advance.

[jessemh431]

will you become as United States Citizen or a study abroad student. If you become a resident, choose to live in a state with good state schools as it will be much cheaper to attend a college in the state you live in than a college in one you don't live in. for example, if you live in Massachusetts's, colleges in that state will be cheap but ones in New York will be expensive. I suggest moving to New York if you become a citizen since they have the best school system besides California.