University of Rhode Island Top Questions

I think URI is the perfect size, and with a campus on a fairly steep hill it feels a lot larger. I wish there was more housing for upperclassmen on campus, but then again you can't beat living on the ocean. The campus is renovating and now there are a lot more places to hang out and do work, not just the library. It is not a college town which has its ups and downs. If you are into the clubbing scene then Providence is the closest place to go, which is a good 30 minutes away. Since the state is small if there is any form of entertainment in Rhode Island it is easy to get to, and there are a lot of concerts. One thing I would change is that we would actually have a good football team. I am from the South and college football is a lot of fun to attend and there is a lot of school spirit. I have never been to a football game and don't plan on it. On the other hand, there is basketball which is pretty good and the games are exciting.

URI is formerly a party-school, but it is much more controlled than it once was, and this is a good thing. it isn' to say you can't drink or party at all--it's just not as dangerous to do so. I mean, there was a time when URI had a strangely high rate of rape and unexplained death (specifically of young women), but that culture is largely behind the school now, and it had quite a lot to do with mid-nineties "dry campus" reform and the expulsion of certain choice fraternities. I do have a lot of pride in my alma-mater. Truly, the school has enough going on for everyone to be their individual selves; the theatre kids have a culture, the philosophy kids have a culture, the physics people have their own thing going on. URI will always be for academics-- no matter ho hard the adminstration pushes all these job-based majors; business, accounting, engineering, pharmacy, nursing, education--it will always be a place for real academics, and that is a beautiful thing. The faculty really makes it special.

I think of URI as a very supportive school. Just coming from orientation, you can really tell that everyone wants you to feel comfortable and to know that there is a lot of help that you can get along with many things that you can be a part of.

The campus is a good size; not too small, but not so large that crossing it becomes a major hassle. I spend most of my time on campus in Pastore Hall, which houses the Chemistry department (but that's only because I'm a grad student now). As an undergrad, I spent much time in the coffeehouse that I managed, as well as a fair chunk of time in the engineering buildings, to use their computers to do projects. There is not much town around here; it's a rural environment. For any sort of entertainment (other than sporting events or the occasional dance/special event) students must travel about 15 minutes away to Wakefield, where there are restaurants, bars, and a bowling alley, or Narragansett, where there is a movie theater. Otherwise, the best option is taking the 35-minute drive up to Providence, where there is a great mall, Waterfire, clubs, etc. In my opinion, the administration here does its job well. Nowhere is perfect, and there have been things in the past that upset me about how the school is run. Recently, the budget issues in the state have forced the administration here to make some very unfavorable cuts to some very beneficial cultural programs; it is regrettable, but seems necessary while our economy flounders. There is a fair amount of school pride here, although it mostly is focused around important sporting events or special weeks (Homecoming, March Madness, Springfest, etc.). Nothing stands out as extremely unusual about the school. One thing that does come to mind is that oftentimes, the average student will not encounter the majority of the other students on campus. This is primarily due to the fact that there is such a large percentage of commuters as well as the fact that the different majors are all segregated in their own buildings. Only on very sunny, warm days when everyone is hanging out on the quad will anyone really see the large volume of students who are on campus every day. Along with the commuter statistic, a very frequent complaint is parking on campus. There are three large parking lots for commuters, none of which are in the center of campus. One must arrive extremely early to have a chance at a good parking spot, otherwise the remaining option is to park a mile away from the center of campus. There is a shuttle system in place, but it is rarely used on sunny days and overcrowded on rainy days.

U.R.I. is the best public college in Rhode Island. It has so many programs that lead to such profitable careers. It's wonderfull. I am so proud to go there and I think anyone that does should feel the excitement that I do. It's a wonderful school with so many great professors. I'm so lucky I got in. I can't wait to prove myself there and start a career at the teachers union with the chance to get the dying pension plan and the great health care with $5 co-pays for the rest of my life. The school is so wonderful. Many of the programs are world recocnized as being some of the best. A great mechanical engineering program, a great computer software program, a super pharmacist program and of course, a great educational program. The School is just the right size to meet so many different interesting people. It's close to Providence and Newport. There is a large amount of school pride at U.R.I. GO RAMS!! Living in the dorms is great. If you can keep your partying in control, I know many who have met there husbands and wives in the dorms. It's great.

There are very few good things about URI anymore. the best thing is the new dining hall. It was built after I graduated, but i have visited recently and had my fiance guest me during a few meals. IT WAS DELICIOUS! The one thing I would change the most is the recent decision to cut many programs and professors at URI. It is a moderate sized school that has the feel of a larger university but the heart of a smaller university (particularly the professors). URI is not near anything really. There is no town to speak of though students do have access to non-school food at the Emporium. The Administration at URI sucks and makes very bad decisions. The budget cuts lately are the biggest mistake they have made, axing many programs and faculty that were invaluable to the University.

THE PARKING!! is probably the most annoying thing about campus life. Even if you got a damn parking pass, you still can't even find a spot and you have to resort to random spots in areas you can't park.. so you get towed even though you paid for your permit!

URI is an amazing school, especially for animal sciences and marine biology which is what i am going for. Telling people i attend URI for these majors, i feel pride and i receive an overwhelming great response. I love the location of the campus. I am not much of a city girl so i enjoy being in the woods with easy access to the beach. And if i need my city fix, Providence is just a short drive away. I love living off campus in a beautiful beach house with great ocean views, yet i am only a 5-10 minute drive to campus. I have a great relationship with my professors and truly enjoy all my classes, especially in my core subjects. I spend a lot of my time at the University's farm, where i help out with all of the animals. My best experience was when i got to deliver two lambs, and watch them grow up over the next few months.

I think URI is a great size and it has a lot of great qualities. I could walk around campus at 2am and not feel like anyone was going to come after me and the people are very friendly. When I tell people I go to URI they get very jealous because they know how close it is to the beach... something URI students love and take advantage of. The one thing I'd change is the fact that it's a dry campus. I dont party much but since its a dry campus there are more accidents and problems with students drinking because they have to go off campus to do so. There is however a lot of school pride. We have a Rhody cheer that everyone yells at the sports games and on the quad or at one of URI's many school events. Though I am transferring from URI, I will always remember the great people I met there. Everyone is very friendly and its easy to make friends and have fun. Springfest week was the best time during the year... there were concerts or movies every night and events during the day like "mocktails" and a thing where you could make personal signs... it was a lot of fun.

URI really is in the middle of nowhere, so get used to driving for at least twenty minutes if (when, really) you decide to move off campus, or to get to the nearest Citizen's Bank, or a real grocery store, or the bars, etc. It is, however, in a really pretty part of the state and the beaches are not far away.