University of Rhode Island Top Questions

In a sense, lot of people at URI are very competitive at getting grades. I know from my own experience that people are not competitive to get a better grade to put someone else down. They simply do it to make themselves better which is good because if everyone is striving for a better grade than the next person then we all will end up with good grades in the end.

Sit in the front of your lecture and your teacher may learn your name. It is up to you whether or not the teachers will get to know you. Some programs like the music program are more personalized and the people all know eachother. Favorite class: Environmental Geology...Great teacher. Some students study a great deal while others don't study at all. Some URI students have intellectual conversations outside of class while a great deal don't. Some students are competitve (Within specific programs of study). Not much time spend with professors outside of class in general Ed requirements however this may not be the case with specific majors.

if you choose a small major can get alot of one on one time. It is a big university so some majors are really good while some are really easy you just need to choose the right one.

Academics here are just as diverse as the extracurriculars. Being in a relatively small major, I have had the great pleasure of knowing almost all the kids in my major classes from semester to semester. It makes for a very comfortable learning environment, and since the students are laid-back with one another, the teachers tend to be more comfortable in those scenarios. Aside from those classes, you always have choices between lecture halls if you prefer a less-personal atmosphere or small classroom settings where teachers go by first names and F-bombs are deemed as appropriate. Truly, everything is a class-to-class basis, so it is difficult to relay the general view of academics here. To give examples, I'll explain my best class vs. my worst class. My best has been a sort of continuous class spanning now three semesters. Most of the kids in the first classes have stayed with it, so the classroom has become extremely comfortable with all familiar faces. We call our teacher by his first name, and the classes are extremely discussion-based and hands-on. It's almost like being with a group of friends and we just happen to be learning some very cool stuff. I personally feel like I have learned the most in this classroom. On the other hand, my worst class was also in a small-class setting, but that's about the only similarity between this one and the one I just explained. The teacher was extremely monotone and condescending. Because of this, none of the students felt any desire to participate in the class. The grading was also extremely unfair, and at least two of the kids say that, because of this class, they no longer want to be a part of the class's respective major. As you can see, academics here is very topsy-turvy. The best advice is to listen to choose your classes carefully and listen to other kids who have already been through these classes that you're considering (RateMyProfessor.com is a lifesaver.)

Its ok

Classes at URI are frequently large, but professors make an attempt to learn your name. I think URI is a big study school, so students study quite often (at least I did). Most of my classes did require participation, but you had to attend. Once you choose your major students are fairly competitive, which is a great motivator to do well. I took Abnormal Psychology which was a very interesting class. I was a Psych major which was a great experience. The professors are very interested in the topics they are teaching. URI is a research based school, so they professors are teaching classes on topics they are also researching and writing papers on. I didnt really spend time with any professors outside of class unless they were my supervisor for an internship. I think URI is tough with there requirements, but it helps push you to succeed and beat out the competition.

The professors in the art department are amazing, they constantly push, and are very respectfulof me. And yes, they know me by name for the most part. One of the most interesting classes I have taken was Philosophy of Art, and the professor went above and beyond her expectations. The Art department professors are also very good about shairng news in the artworld, that are happening now, and encourages students to be a part of it.

As I said in the big picture, there are some pretty shitty teachers here. But get the most out of it. Class participation hasn't been common in my classes, but maybe when I'm a senior it'll be common. Very few professors spend time with you outside of class, and that's something URI needs to work on. Students may not study much, but for those that do, they do get recognized. I have very few professors who know my name if I don't make myself known. URI really needs to work on becoming an amazing university again, not a business.

Being a music major... all my classes are small. So all my professors know my name... Along with knowning my name, they also know when i decide to skip class. Yeah thats the downside My favorite class so far has been my comm 100 class. Kris Cabral is an amazing teacher. She connected communication to our lives and how we relate to each other. Great class for those of us who have trouble communicating Least Favorite... Shakespeare with... what was that bitch's name... I cant remember but if you take intro to Shakespeare beware of this woman. Johnson maybe? Studying? Honestly it depends on the major. I dont have to study as much but rehersal times kick my ass. Again, you get what you put into it. If you want to blow off studying to party, dont be suprized when you dont get an A in that class. Study first, then party The smaller the class the more participation. Simple as that. No one is gunna talk in a lecture hall class Unless you are talkin about the right mixture of alchol in something... then no. Just playing. I guess sometimes we talk about important things but ussually im dead from clss and just want to talk about fun simple things I find i wish people to be more competitive here. Im a competitive person but sometimes, I find myself being lazy because everyone else is too Most unique class...my ear training with Mark Conley is pretty entertaining. He knows how to make us laugh. He draws pictures on the board that are to die from. It keeps me interested thats for sure I mentioned before my department is like a family. We are all together throughout class and rehersal time. We are together all day, professors included. Its pretty easy to find a teacher to talk to about something or as a question. they are pretty much always around Yeah... I dont have anything good for the last 2 questions... im starting to get lazy

Some professors know my name because I've met with them or because it's a small class. My favorite class is HDF 298 because it has to do with a topic I'm very interested in. My least favorite class is French because it's super hard!

During freshman and sophomore year (taking General Education classes) you can be in classes up to 500 people, so obviously those professors won't know your name. As you get older or take more specialized classes, the classes get smaller and you usually end up taking a lot of classes with the same professors, so then you can build more personal relationships. My favorite class was military science. It has nothing to do with my major, but we got to go outside and play around with compasses and my professor was hilarious. My least favorite class was Math 107 because I couldn't understand my teacher. My freshman year no one studied or did work, and we all got bad grades, but I feel like thats how it is at a lot of schools. Being a junior now I study a lot, you have to as you get older because the work load just keeps growing. In a lot of my classes you get credit for class participation. You will often hear people talking about their classes while they are walking across the quad, there are also different clubs you can join about different topics. In my major we aren't really competitive with each other, I'm not sure about other majors. The most unique class I've taken is military science. My major is Public Relations. It is a relatively new program here and is still trying to find its place here. We have some good professors and some not so good, but all of them really do want to help you and will usually go out of their way to try and help at least. Advising as a whole is kind of difficult to deal with here so you do have to find your own way sometimes.

Here is the best warning I can give any incoming freshman: PSY 113 with Professor Boatwright is like Chinese water torture. It's a 750 person lecture and just about every student at URI will end up taking it at some point. My advice: go to class or don't, but read the book like there's no tomorrow, because all the quizzes and tests are directly from it. Also, make friends there, it's boring so it's good to have help studying. The professors in my major all know my name for one simple reason: I participate in class discussion. There is no better way to get in with a professor than to talk in class and answer questions, not to mention asking them. I know a lot of people are shy and this is hard, but it's really the best way to get ahead. Going to office hours is also good, it gives you a chance to be one-on-one with the professor, which they love.

If you are a non-science major who has to complete science credits at URI, take BIO 286 with professor Lebrun. The class is titled "Humans, Insects, and Disease" and it is one of the best classes I have taken at URI. I am a Political Science and English major so science is not my forte, but this class was wonderful.

The professors all know your name as you get into more concentrated classes within your major. Some general education electives the professors are phenomenal and seem to know all 500 students names in big lectures. My favorite class is the Ram Fund. We manage a real equity portfolio through endowed funds. We learn a lot and get real world experience. Students study a lot... the library is always filled with students. We have intellectual conversations outside of class all the time... whether it be about politics, wall street, or the latest happening around the world, URI students are in the loop. Students are competitive, that ram fund class is hand picked and people have to apply to be in it. Most unique class I have taken was speculative markets. Advanced derivative securities strategies allowed us to understand what it means to hedge and really eliminate risk. Professors go on group trips sometimes, but outside of class we really only see them at office hours. The academic requirements are good and only getting better. We raised the bar in the business school last year and now URI graduates will be that much better. Education at URI is amazing. We use active learning techniques and do not just sit through lectures. When we leave we have real world knowledge that will help us get jobs and we will be able to utilize that knowledge in our jobs.