University of Rhode Island 2007 (College Prowler)

We all know that the main purpose of attending college is to get an education. It is also common knowledge that college is not all about academics. There are so many outside elements regarding college life that students need to adjust to. Whether it’s being away from home for the first time and having to make new friends, or learning to manage time better and balancing extracurricular activities; students need to know what they can, and should, expect. College life is like no other, and the more you know what you are getting into, the better you will be able to deal with it.

When I first started looking for colleges, I didn’t know where to begin. Did I want to go to a big university? Did I want to stay in state? And where would I get the right educational experience? After researching and visiting the campus, I finally decided on the University of Rhode Island. I fell in love with the energy and ambience of the campus. It had everything I was looking for. When I first arrived at college, there was the initial shock of being on your own and not knowing anyone. Suddenly, I didn’t care how beautiful the campus was or how big the classrooms were. All I kept thinking was, "how I am going to survive this?" One of the most important things to realize is that your whole world changes when you get to college. There are so many important factors to consider that go beyond university statistics. I mean, this is the next four years of your life we’re talking about. It certainly isn’t an easy decision to make and the more you know the better. Remember, no one can tell you where to go, they can only tell you where you can’t.

I have received both positive and negative responses when I tell people that I go to the University of Rhode Island. URI is a well-known institution, but might not be well known for the most significant reasons. Academically, URI has its strong points and there is a wide variety of majors and programs to choose from. It is not particularly hard to get into the University, so many people have low expectations concerning the URI’s academic credibility. Every program is different and, yes, some are much better than others. The bottom line is, if you are willing to learn and want to succeed, you should have no problem doing so. A lot of opportunities await you at URI; you just have to know how to take advantage of them.

Hopefully, this book will paint you an accurate picture as to what it’s like being a student at URI. All the basics are covered, and the students have spoken loud and clear! It’s now up to you to figure out if the University of Rhode Island is the school for you.

Jessica Pritz, Author
University of Rhode Island