University of Rhode Island Top Questions

I loved this university more than I thought I would, there is so many opportunities presented to you if you choose to get involved.

URI is a great place academically. The amount of knowledge I gained here far exceeded my prior expectations. The faculty are extremely impressive, and some I would consider life changing. The size of this school is convenient. On campus housing buildings are for the most part grouped along one road, making it easy to socialize. At the same time, the school has around 12,000 students, making it easy to meet a variety of people. Unfortunately the area surrounding URI is pretty dull when its not beach season. On campus however, features numerous free or cheap events such as concerts, dances, movie nights, potlucks and more. Clubs also liven up the campus if you are motivated enough to become involved. At the top of campus is also a plaza called the emporium, which has an abundance of delicious restaurants and a couple stores. The food there definitely makes up for the redundant, underseasoned dining hall meals if you can afford to pay for take out. Most places also deliver. If not, dining hall food can be good if you get creative and maintain enough variety. Overall the students here are friendly and there are many opportunities for good memories on campus.

URI is a great place academically. The amount of knowledge I gained here far exceeded my prior expectations. The faculty are extremely impressive, and some I would consider life changing. The size of this school is convenient. On campus housing buildings are for the most part grouped along one road, making it easy to socialize. At the same time, the school has around 12,000 students, making it easy to meet a variety of people. Unfortunately the area surrounding URI is pretty dull when its not beach season. On campus however, features numerous free or cheap events such as concerts, dances, movie nights, potlucks and more. Clubs also liven up the campus if you are motivated enough to become involved. At the top of campus is also a plaza called the emporium, which has an abundance of delicious restaurants and a couple stores. The food there definitely makes up for the redundant, underseasoned dining hall meals if you can afford to pay for take out. Most places also deliver. If not, dining hall food can be good if you get creative and maintain enough variety. Overall the students here are friendly and there are many opportunities for good memories on campus.

URI is a school full of surprises. I'm constantly encountering situations that make me go "Really?", for good and for bad. It's surprising how, being from Rhode Island, people naturally assume that URI, the local state school, will naturally never be someone's first choice school. It's the local state university. People must just come here because they have no other choice, no better ideas, because it's cheap, or because they heard about all the things I mentioned above. And then the realization sinks in that people come from all over the world just to come to URI. People from South Korea come to be pharmacists. People from Kansas who have never seen the ocean come to be marine biologists. People who have spent their entire lives reading philosophy come to take classes with professors whose students have no idea how renowned they really are. It's surprising how many GOOD reasons there are to be here. It's surprising how far URI takes its apparent dedication to freedom of expression. Some other reviews here have mentioned the recent controversy with the anti-abortion protests and their large images of aborted fetuses (foetuses for you British English speakers). This is far from unprecedented, however. Evangelical preachers occupy the quad at least once a year with full permission from the administration to tell everyone all the reasons they are forbidden from entering God's kingdom, to paraphrase it nicely. Part of me wonders if they don't allow this to avoid being seen as too liberal, considering the amount of activist undertones that lay in the presentations of many invited academic speakers and even some of the courses, but I admit that is speculation. It's surprising just how much bureaucracy builds up over time in any institution. Some of my proudest accomplishments at URI involve conquering this bureaucracy, so to speak, and just getting done what needs to be done without dealing with the systematic hiccups that seem to appear all too often. And yet, the more I complain about this, the more professors who have transferred from more rigorous, academically competitive schools (a fact surprising in itself) tell me that URI has by far the least "red tape" of any institution they've been a part of. It's surprising how bureaucracy can make a person feel good about a decision sometimes. At the risk of taking this theme too far and stealing content from the following sections, please keep this fact in mind as I describe the encounters I've had with people in my years here. It is entirely possible to "coast" through four years at URI without really thinking about any of this, but you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to really think about this decision, right? (...Right?)

My overall opinion of U.R.I. is that it is a decent school. It is like any school where the more effort you put into it the more you get out of it. I work at the Union and if you are out of state getting a job on campus is your best bet. They are understanding of classes and breaks. The best way to describe U.R.I. is that of a miniature UConn. My girlfriend, sister, and best friends from high school attend UConn and the similarities between the schools are impressive. Most people don't recognize the name of the university, unlike UConn. U.R.I. is still a growing school and I believe it will begin to stand on its own and start to make an academic name for itself. They are building more residence and academic halls as well as updating many facilities. The student life is mostly off campus. As it stand right now you're looking at Eastward or Bonnet Shores. The campus is dry so the majority of students move off campus as soon as they can. This limits sport support and "Rhody Pride". Overall the school is decent and I think it will be making huge strides forward soon, which will make it a great school and will aid to your portfolio.

URI is a school full of surprises. I'm constantly encountering situations that make me go "Really?", for good and for bad. It's surprising how, being from Rhode Island, people naturally assume that URI, the local state school, will naturally never be someone's first choice school. It's the local state university. People must just come here because they have no other choice, no better ideas, because it's cheap, or because they heard about all the things I mentioned above. And then the realization sinks in that people come from all over the world just to come to URI. People from South Korea come to be pharmacists. People from Kansas who have never seen the ocean come to be marine biologists. People who have spent their entire lives reading philosophy come to take classes with professors whose students have no idea how renowned they really are. It's surprising how many GOOD reasons there are to be here. It's surprising how far URI takes its apparent dedication to freedom of expression. Some other reviews here have mentioned the recent controversy with the anti-abortion protests and their large images of aborted fetuses (foetuses for you British English speakers). This is far from unprecedented, however. Evangelical preachers occupy the quad at least once a year with full permission from the administration to tell everyone all the reasons they are forbidden from entering God's kingdom, to paraphrase it nicely. Part of me wonders if they don't allow this to avoid being seen as too liberal, considering the amount of activist undertones that lay in the presentations of many invited academic speakers and even some of the courses, but I admit that is speculation. It's surprising just how much bureaucracy builds up over time in any institution. Some of my proudest accomplishments at URI involve conquering this bureaucracy, so to speak, and just getting done what needs to be done without dealing with the systematic hiccups that seem to appear all to often. And yet, the more I complain about this, the more professors who have transferred from more rigorous, academically competitive schools (a fact surprising in itself) tell me that URI has by far the least "red tape" of any institution they've been a part of. It's surprising how bureaucracy can make a person feel good about a decision sometimes. At the risk of taking this theme too far and stealing content from the following sections, please keep this fact in mind as I describe the encounters I've had with people in my years here. It is entirely possible to "coast" through four years at URI without really thinking about any of this, but you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to really think about this decision, right? (...Right?)

The best thing is the classes, I would change the price, the school size is just right. There is no reaction in particular, I spend most of my time in my room or the library. This is a college town. School admissions are alright. There is a lot of talk about how much the drug increase at our school has been. There is some school Pride. There is nothing usual. My experiences at URI athletic events. The most frequent complaint is about the price and dorms.

The best attribute of the school is the atmosphere. The old buildings with ivy growing along the sides, a beautiful quad, and an awesome location near the beach has got to be one of the best highlights URI offers. It is a good setting to really focus and hone in on one's schoolwork. I would change the parking situation at the school. Everyday at least one of my friends or myself has a complaint and it often makes many students late to class. Sometimes for important tests or classroom activities I leave my house an hour early just to ensure my timely attendance. For me personally, the school is the perfect size. It is big enough to meet new people and small enough to have close ties with many people and see them frequently. I can walk to my classes when it is nice out but it is also big enough to have a shuttle for those rainy or snowy days that would make walking unpleasant. It is a good size for people from towns and smaller cities. URI is still regarded as a good school and many people have positive reactions when they hear where I attend college. Most people have friends that have graduated from the university and/or they themselves have graduated from the school. I spend most of my time in the library because I need absolute quiet to get my work done. However, on the scarce occasion when I have free time and no work between classes, I enjoy sitting on the quad and talking with friends. It may rain a lot in Rhode Island, but when it is sunny, it is really beautiful out and the quad is a good place to take in the great weather. The actual town of Kingston where the school is located may not be regarded as a college town. However, Narragansett, otherwise known as "down the line", or "Gansett" is a huge college town. There are bars only a mile down the road and almost all of the students who move off campus reside there. There are two main developments, Old and New Eastward where there are hardly any full time residents and this is where the kids have house parties and create the fun of a college town. I think the school's administration is extremely helpful, empathetic, and concerned for the student body's welfare. I feel comfortable approaching them and asking for aid, guidance, or strategies for bettering my college and future career. They seem to respond well to problems that arise within campus clubs and organizations. Recently LGBT had issues with housing and safety concerns. Within a couple months our president responded and found them a place near campus. All of the administration acts in the best interest of the campus and the school. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the graphic genocide posters and images of pro-life protesters on campus. It is fine to voice your opinion, but people that come to the school need to keep in mind that we are college kids, one person walking by that they were screaming at and shoving graphic unpleasant pictures in their face could have been someone who was struggling with the decision of abortion, have already done it and regretted it, has a friend who was contemplating it, or god forbid raped and pregnant. I am all for people having their own opinions, but there are certain ways to go about attempting to spread them and they must also keep in mind the emotions and impact the can induce in others. We may be a Division 1 school, but not all our sports are up to par. The only sport that our school shows spirit for is our basketball team. We have different events such as a Pink out where students buy a pink shirt and all wear it to the game. Many people have fun at the games and there is even an organization called "The Mob" that has a section for dedicated fans who cheer and root on our players. The unusual thing about the school is that there is rumors that asbestos was discovered in the library and that is why they are doing construction and have areas blocked off. Funny enough, there was a case study done on the Chaffee building due to mold and asbestos. This seems to be an unusual trend at URI. One experience I will always remember is when I forced all my roommates to come with me to go see Jerry from the famous Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory speak at a building in our school. We hadn't known each other that long and I really wanted to go see him because I had worked at Ben & Jerry's for 4 years at that time. Needless to say they all made fun of me and didn't want to go but came anyway. We all got free ice-cream samples, went back to the room, ate ice-cream and stayed up all night bonding and talking. That little event sparked a great evening and I'll never forget it. The most frequent student complaints are (as I said before) the parking, or lack there of. The second biggest concern would be the amount it rains in Rhode Island. The third would be the line to wait at the dining halls and that there is only one entrance that both commuters and dorm residents share. The fourth would be not enough study rooms in the library during finals season. The fifth and last most frequent complaint would be that you can't take food or drinks out of the dining hall, not even a cookie.

The best attribute of the school is the atmosphere. The old buildings with ivy growing along the sides, a beautiful quad, and an awesome location near the beach has got to be one of the best highlights URI offers. It is a good setting to really focus and hone in on one's schoolwork. I would change the parking situation at the school. Everyday at least one of my friends or myself has a complaint and it often makes many students late to class. Sometimes for important tests or classroom activities I leave my house an hour early just to ensure my timely attendance. For me personally, the school is the perfect size. It is big enough to meet new people and small enough to have close ties with many people and see them frequently. I can walk to my classes when it is nice out but it is also big enough to have a shuttle for those rainy or snowy days that would make walking unpleasant. It is a good size for people from towns and smaller cities. URI is still regarded as a good school and many people have positive reactions when they hear where I attend college. Most people have friends that have graduated from the university and/or they themselves have graduated from the school. I spend most of my time in the library because I need absolute quiet to get my work done. However, on the scarce occasion when I have free time and no work between classes, I enjoy sitting on the quad and talking with friends. It may rain a lot in Rhode Island, but when it is sunny, it is really beautiful out and the quad is a good place to take in the great weather. The actual town of Kingston where the school is located may not be regarded as a college town. However, Narragansett, otherwise known as "down the line", or "Gansett" is a huge college town. There are bars only a mile down the road and almost all of the students who move off campus reside there. There are two main developments, Old and New Eastward where there are hardly any full time residents and this is where the kids have house parties and create the fun of a college town. I think the school's administration is extremely helpful, empathetic, and concerned for the student body's welfare. I feel comfortable approaching them and asking for aid, guidance, or strategies for bettering my college and future career. They seem to respond well to problems that arise within campus clubs and organizations. Recently LGBT had issues with housing and safety concerns. Within a couple months our president responded and found them a place near campus. All of the administration acts in the best interest of the campus and the school. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the graphic genocide posters and images of pro-life protesters on campus. It is fine to voice your opinion, but people that come to the school need to keep in mind that we are college kids, one person walking by that they were screaming at and shoving graphic unpleasant pictures in their face could have been someone who was struggling with the decision of abortion, have already done it and regretted it, has a friend who was contemplating it, or god forbid raped and pregnant. I am all for people having their own opinions, but there are certain ways to go about attempting to spread them and they must also keep in mind the emotions and impact the can induce in others. We may be a Division 1 school, but not all our sports are up to par. The only sport that our school shows spirit for is our basketball team. We have different events such as a Pink out where students buy a pink shirt and all wear it to the game. Many people have fun at the games and there is even an organization called "The Mob" that has a section for dedicated fans who cheer and root on our players. The unusual thing about the school is that there is rumors that asbestos was discovered in the library and that is why they are doing construction and have areas blocked off. Funny enough, there was a case study done on the Chaffee building due to mold and asbestos. This seems to be an unusual trend at URI. One experience I will always remember is when I forced all my roommates to come with me to go see Jerry from the famous Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory speak at a building in our school. We hadn't known each other that long and I really wanted to go see him because I had worked at Ben & Jerry's for 4 years at that time. Needless to say they all made fun of me and didn't want to go but came anyway. We all got free ice-cream samples, went back to the room, ate ice-cream and stayed up all night bonding and talking. That little event sparked a great evening and I'll never forget it. The most frequent student complaints are (as I said before) the parking, or lack there of. The second biggest concern would be the amount it rains in Rhode Island. The third would be the line to wait at the dining halls and that there is only one entrance that both commuters and dorm residents share. The fourth would be not enough study rooms in the library during finals season. The fifth and last most frequent complaint would be that you can't take food or drinks out of the dining hall, not even a cookie.

The best attribute of the school is the atmosphere. The old buildings with ivy growing along the sides, a beautiful quad, and an awesome location near the beach has got to be one of the best highlights URI offers. It is a good setting to really focus and hone in on one's schoolwork. I would change the parking situation at the school. Everyday at least one of my friends or myself has a complaint and it often makes many students late to class. Sometimes for important tests or classroom activities I leave my house an hour early just to ensure my timely attendance. For me personally, the school is the perfect size. It is big enough to meet new people and small enough to have close ties with many people and see them frequently. I can walk to my classes when it is nice out but it is also big enough to have a shuttle for those rainy or snowy days that would make walking unpleasant. It is a good size for people from towns and smaller cities. URI is still regarded as a good school and many people have positive reactions when they hear where I attend college. Most people have friends that have graduated from the university and/or they themselves have graduated from the school. I spend most of my time in the library because I need absolute quiet to get my work done. However, on the scarce occasion when I have free time and no work between classes, I enjoy sitting on the quad and talking with friends. It may rain a lot in Rhode Island, but when it is sunny, it is really beautiful out and the quad is a good place to take in the great weather. The actual town of Kingston where the school is located may not be regarded as a college town. However, Narragansett, otherwise known as "down the line", or "Gansett" is a huge college town. There are bars only a mile down the road and almost all of the students who move off campus reside there. There are two main developments, Old and New Eastward where there are hardly any full time residents and this is where the kids have house parties and create the fun of a college town. I think the school's administration is extremely helpful, empathetic, and concerned for the student body's welfare. I feel comfortable approaching them and asking for aid, guidance, or strategies for bettering my college and future career. They seem to respond well to problems that arise within campus clubs and organizations. Recently LGBT had issues with housing and safety concerns. Within a couple months our president responded and found them a place near campus. All of the administration acts in the best interest of the campus and the school. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the graphic genocide posters and images of pro-life protesters on campus. It is fine to voice your opinion, but people that come to the school need to keep in mind that we are college kids, one person walking by that they were screaming at and shoving graphic unpleasant pictures in their face could have been someone who was struggling with the decision of abortion, have already done it and regretted it, has a friend who was contemplating it, or god forbid raped and pregnant. I am all for people having their own opinions, but there are certain ways to go about attempting to spread them and they must also keep in mind the emotions and impact the can induce in others. We may be a Division 1 school, but not all our sports are up to par. The only sport that our school shows spirit for is our basketball team. We have different events such as a Pink out where students buy a pink shirt and all wear it to the game. Many people have fun at the games and there is even an organization called "The Mob" that has a section for dedicated fans who cheer and root on our players. The unusual thing about the school is that there is rumors that asbestos was discovered in the library and that is why they are doing construction and have areas blocked off. Funny enough, there was a case study done on the Chaffee building due to mold and asbestos. This seems to be an unusual trend at URI. One experience I will always remember is when I forced all my roommates to come with me to go see Jerry from the famous Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory speak at a building in our school. We hadn't known each other that long and I really wanted to go see him because I had worked at Ben & Jerry's for 4 years at that time. Needless to say they all made fun of me and didn't want to go but came anyway. We all got free ice-cream samples, went back to the room, ate ice-cream and stayed up all night bonding and talking. That little event sparked a great evening and I'll never forget it. The most frequent student complaints are (as I said before) the parking, or lack there of. The second biggest concern would be the amount it rains in Rhode Island. The third would be the line to wait at the dining halls and that there is only one entrance that both commuters and dorm residents share. The fourth would be not enough study rooms in the library during finals season. The fifth and last most frequent complaint would be that you can't take food or drinks out of the dining hall, not even a cookie.

One thing I really appreciated about URI when I came here as a freshmen were the living and learning communities. I was part of a learning community meaning that for your freshmen year all of the same students were in your classes. This really enforced the idea of study groups into my study skills early on. Although I opted to not live in a living community, if I had I would be living with the same people who I was taking all my classes with. This means it's really easy to just go down the hall to ask a classmate a question about homework when your chilling in your dorm. One thing I would change is the quality of teachers teaching the introductory level courses. I've found myself lacking in basic understand of concepts I've learned in introductory classes because the teachers weren't the greatest. But so far in my experience the teachers in the upper level classes are excellent, and as long as your not too shy to ask for help with a basic concept they are more than willing to help you. Overall, I think URI has been an excellent choice for me, and has allowed me to work my hardest, and if your willing to go that extra mile and make yourself stand out in the crowd, then you'll meet great mentors that can stick with out even after graduating. The most important thing to realize is that these great opportunities won't always be thrust upon you, but instead you have to go work to get them. But once you do, you have a world of opportunity waiting for you.

One thing I really appreciated about URI when I came here as a freshmen were the living and learning communities. I was part of a learning community meaning that for your freshmen year all of the same students were in your classes. This really enforced the idea of study groups into my study skills early on. Although I opted to not live in a living community, if I had I would be living with the same people who I was taking all my classes with. This means it's really easy to just go down the hall to ask a classmate a question about homework when your chilling in your dorm. One thing I would change is the quality of teachers teaching the introductory level courses. I've found myself lacking in basic understand of concepts I've learned in introductory classes because the teachers weren't the greatest. But so far in my experience the teachers in the upper level classes are excellent, and as long as your not too shy to ask for help with a basic concept they are more than willing to help you. Overall, I think URI has been an excellent choice for me, and has allowed me to work my hardest, and if your willing to go that extra mile and make yourself stand out in the crowd, then you'll meet great mentors that can stick with out even after graduating. The most important thing to realize is that these great opportunities won't always be thrust upon you, but instead you have to go work to get them. But once you do, you have a world of opportunity waiting for you.

I love URI, I only applied here and one other safety school. But as I am continuing my education here, I am questioning if it was the best decision. Not many people are crazy over academics or just hanging out, but then again this is the same for many schools.

People say believe URI is just a fall back school. I had opportunities to go to the University of Michigan and Penn State, but I thought that URI was a better selection. It was not just a fall back plan for me.

One thing I would change is that there is no shuttle to off campus locations from URI's campus. The majority of social life takes place off campus. The school is trying to change that image by building new dorms (which are beautiful) and putting in a student center and dining hall; but the bottom line is that on the weekends, kids want to go to house parties, or go to the beach. I believe that URI needs to do a better job of recognizing this and institute daily shuttles to the Narragansett area. This will help reduce parking problems (which is a major issue at this University) as well as reduce the ammount of drunk driving. I believe that the school does a great job creating a "community" image among URI students. Events such as Oozeball and Earthday and Springfest bring everyone together. Overall; If you are a freshman and you are thinking about transfering.. consider sticking it out a second year (because I was in the same boat). The more people you meet, the more fun you will have.

Uri has a beautiful campus, its the perfect size, although it seems alot smaller once you actually know where your going. The people can sometimes seem a little clicky, but once you have found your niche, then the school becomes an amazing place. Most of the proffessors are willing to help you out but they also expect you to work hard. Basically if you make the effort to make college a good experience, then URI is a great school, but if you sit back and do nothing, then you won't enjoy it as much.

I love the size of URI, its big enough that you can get lost in it, but small enough that you'll probably see at least one person you know walking around. There isn't a big bar scene or anything around, but the beach is great, and its easy to get involved in clubs and club sports. Housing is a really big issue, not enough of it and there should be public transportation from "student neighborhoods" but its difficult to get.

The thing that surprised me most is that there isn't really a town connected with URI, or one that you can get to without driving, anyway, so it doesn't really function like schools built around the "college town" I feel like people don't really take it as meaning much when I tell them I went to URi, because it's not really very prestigious, so people don't really think about it as a big accomplishment. URI is a big campus, it's easy not to see people you know for a day or two, and hard to find a group of people to make friends with because they are all so dispersed. But, there are a lot of extracurriculars offered, and joining one of those groups is a good way to meet people with similar interests.

I have nothing but a positive experience at URI. It was my last choice of schools to go to, but after attending the school for a year I know it is the best school for me. The administration is awesome too. They're always there for help when you need it. The engineering admin. also set up engineering dorms for freshman which really came in handy. All the kids in the dorm were in most of my classes. It made it really easy to adjust to school because all the kids in the dorm were going through the same EXACT same situation i was. It was also good for study groups and doing group projects becasue we all had the same classes

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.

the school size is ok, ppl think its cool to go to URI. Most of my time is spent in my dorm or the dining halls or other peoples dorms. I think most of the teachers are ok.

There is a lot of school pride associated with URI, but our football team sucks so do not expect a big deal about homecoming. Basketball is a big deal to us. The people that do not like URI are usually not involved. To fully get the URI experience you need to be Greek, on a sports team or good friends with one of the above. URI is all about socializing. When the weather is nice everyone is out on the quad or at the beach studying and tanning. There is not much to do around URI besides go to the beach, movies, out to eat or the bar. Providence is the closest "big city" and its approx. 45 min away. URI is a perfect size. There is enough people so you feel like you are at college, but not too many you feel overwhelmed. The campus is also a decent size and you may have to do a lot of walking depending on where your classes are. The emporium has a CVS and many food places that deliver until 2 or 3am so you do not need to go off campus if you don't have a car.

The best thing about URI is the fact that is it is such a large school but the on campus student population is about half if not smaller than the amount of people that go to the school so at the same time you still feel like you are on a very small campus. It would be nice is housing were actually able to provide proper amounts of housing for every student that wished to live on campus, and if some of the technological factors of the school were updated, such as the email and website systems. There is a lot of school pride, but due to the fact of large amounts of budget cuts many varsity sports were dropped down to club status and the football team who has yet to see a win in like probably 20 seasons has seen very little if no budget cuts while sports who do well and probably bring in a larger crowd than football receive all of the cuts.

the students are very comunity organized and freindly with each other and work together in their classes and curriculum the clases are very demanding

Best thing is being near the beach...winters suck. Parking services is a bitch...you will get towed atleast once at URI. Large school but it sems small sometimes because alot of people know each other freshmen year. Live off campus soph year and after.

Its a very fun place to be. Unfortunately the weather is not good at all during the winter months. There are a lot of great people here but there are a handful of kids that you wonder how they got into college at all.

most frequent complaints: there are a ton of commuters, parking is always an issue, you will never hear the end of it. people can't get spots and if they do they leave their house at 9AM when they don't have class until 11...and they live 15 minutes away. try to use public transportation as much as possible, especially if it works well w/ your schedule! biggest current controversy: orange sticker policy- kids who live off campus and throw parties get warning stickers on their doors in narragansett if the cops get called, its ridiculous. however, this year all those kids who got stickers ended up getting brought to some fancy party by like red bull or something and got free drinks all night (this isnt made up) so maybe it's worth it..?

Overall, its a nice looking campus. Its big, but not huge. You can easily get lost in the crowd if you'd rather, or you can get involved and be really high profile. There isn't much to do on campus though, except party, and the surrounding towns of kingston, wakefield, and narragansett don't offer much else.

i like going to URI i think we are a very divided campus in alot of ways and the different organizations do not work together and make the campus more united. I think the recent budget cuts were unfair to almost everyone and those who are not concerned just dont realise how ti will affect them in the long run. One this i dislike is the clothing trend among girls- northface jackets and tights and ugg boots...the most ridiculus outfit i can think if, but URI is good.....WAIT! please get more variety of food and cook it better pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee.... because its sickening

Best thing about URI: When you move off campus, your not moving to some little shitty house... you are moving to a house that is blocks from the beach. When the weather gets nicer you can do your work and hang out on the beach

URI is a mid-to-large size school, but it has a small school feel. You will become very close with your peers and, if you take the initiative, you can receive individual attention from your professors. There is a lot of partying, but there are also those who take their academics very seriously. The administration's alcohol policy has pushed the burden of dealing with parties and drinking onto the surrounding community, which causes a strain on the relationship between students and local residents. However, there is an effort from both sides to repair that damaged relationship.

URI has been pretty good to me so far. I have some complaints in th engineering college, but i don't think URI is directly in charge of that. I don't like all the budget cuts lately, and how they had to cut some sports teams. I had freinds directly affected by that, and they're leaving URI because of it. Generally people are impressed when i say i'm in the chemical engineering department at URI, and a german major. I don't think anyone would be that impressed if i was there for liberal arts. It's an average performing school in other regular majors. There really isn't a lot of school pride, probably due to the fact that the football team is so dissapointing. I like URI because it's very close to my home, because i live at home, and i have horses that i can still take care of.

The location of the campus is perfect. At URI you're only ten minutes from the beach, twenty minutes from Newport and about a half an hour from Providence. There's always something to do and since freshmen can have cars on campus, there's also always somewhere fun to go. The top of campus includes a wide variety of dining options including a coffee shop, chinese food, mexican food, pizza, wraps, subway, quiznos, wings, fries and ice cream. You can find anything you're in the mood for, plus most of the restaurants will deliver right to your dorm. Although some of the buildings are old and need their interiors improved, the exteriors of many buildings are beautiful. The old stone buildings give a very new england college appeal and really make the campus look nice. The quad on campus is always filled with people playing frisbee, football, sunbathing, and even studying when the weather is nice. Slip and slides and moon bounces have also been known to be set up as well. Overall, URI has a very fun and personable atmosphere. There are about 15,000 undergraduates, but the school seems smaller because everyone you walk by will offer up a friendly smile.

Good people. The food. Just right. Cool. Friends rooms. Lots of school pride. Bad food.

Music department is a piece of shit. Program requires ridiculous amounts of work for a near useless degree. Quality of music is poor, quality of student musicians is poor. I feel like the quality of all other classes is a crapshoot, sometimes you get a good teacher, sometimes you dont. The quality of education is not consistent, even throughout different sessions of the same class. FOr example: You might take WRT104, and in one class the students may be told that the final assignment is cancelled "because there is not enough time left in the semester", yet in another session, with a different teacher, the students are required to do it. There needs to be consistency.

It's a nice school because I love the fact that they offer so much help for upcoming freshman and upperclassmen. The environment is pleasant which is something I like. The school is just right, it's not too big or too small. When people heard that I got into URI, they all assume that I'm really smart, but really I just try hard in school. There has been a recent controversy about how the school is cutting out sports because of school budget. The school pride is okay.

The best thing about URI is the off campus housing. The houses are cheap, big, and in communities composed primarily of students. If I were going to change one thing about URI, it'd be the locals who decide to live year round in the student communites. They screw things up by surrounding themselves in communities where kid's are trying to party on the weekends (and alot of the time the week), and end up calling the cops. This year the locals enacted an ordinance which allowed the police to fine home leasing students large sums of money for having more than 5 kids in a house. This is being challenged by some national lawyer group that defends college students rights, and since the ordinance has been proven unconstitutional, it should be repealed. The college is a perfect size I think at around 14,000. You can walk across campus and see a bunch of friends on the way and in class, and you will never run out of new girls to meet.

If were to be born again, I would go to URI again. To me URI is perfect, it has changed my life.

when i went to orientation, i hated the school. i thought it was huge and the worst school ever. After the first week i found out that uri was perfect. The size was great and most of the professors were really nice. The dorms were nice for freshman and the food was actually good. One thing i would change would be to get ice cream in HOPE

URI is awesome - my only regret is not having been more involved on campus or in clubs. Living on campus was cool, and the QUAD is the best part! On a bright sunny day, You see a whole bunch of people doing whatever they want to do-- and thats cool! studying or throwing a frisbee everyone's having fun!