Best colleges in RI? Trying to choose

I’m currently a junior but I’ve been very active in my search for colleges, as I’m super excited! I’ve decided that I definitely want to attend school in Rhode Island (I’m from New York but I have family there, and I love it’s small size, culture, and proximity to the water). I have a cousin who attends Brown (family legacy) but doesn’t really like it, and I don’t really have any interest in attending an Ivy. My mom went to Providence College, but I’m not really that interested in going there either, although I will most likely apply last year. I visited two schools this weekend, URI and Salve Regina. URI initially seemed to be my top choice (division 1 athletics, size, location, good marine bio program) but when I visited, I was unfortunately super disappointed, the campus really wasn’t as pretty as the pamphlets had shown, and it was way too large (a lot of walking). I visited Salve Regina today and LOVED it. A friend of a friend gave me a tour, and she says she really likes it there. We spoke to a few other students and they said they loveit too. But when I came online to see some reviews about Salve (particularly on this site) I noticed that there was a large forum post filled with mixed opinions claiming that Salve is “not what it seems”. Personally, I think it seemed perfect- the campus is absolutely beautiful (I want to be on the water), the dorms seem super nice, and my friend (who’s a Bio major) said it’s great. Newport is great too, I love the feel it has and the campus felt really homely to me (a feeling that I didn’t get at URI unfortunately). I would most likely major in Psychology and minor in biology with a marine bio focus, as they don’t offer a marine biology major or minor. I’ve looked at Roger Williams too, but have heard it has a reputation for below average academics and is a huge party school (not really something I want). I definitely like to be social, I’m just not a huge partier. It’s difficult because URI’s social scene is considerably better (D1 sports games, lots of concerts at the Ryan Center, Greek life- which I’d probably want to do). I’d say I have average grades (they could be better but aren’t as I have a medical condition that causes me to miss school often), I probably have what equates to a 3.3 or 3.4 GPA, (my school average is a 90/91, but may rise during the year).

I was just wondering if anyone has some advice/input, which schools are the best out of Providence College, Salve Regina, URI, and Roger Williams?

It really depends on what you are looking for and what is a good fit for you. But in general terms, academics at Providence and URI are much stronger than Salve and Roger Williams

You really have to evaluate which school has the best to offer you for your choice of majors. I have a daughter at URI she loves it there. She also has a close friend at Salve - who is just as happy there.

@mamomoftwo If you don’t mind me asking, how does your daughter like her classes? Do you know if they’re large? And is she enjoying the social aspect of URI?

I love the state of Rhode Island but it is a pretty small state to limit yourself to geographically.

Have you considered Connecticut College? Pretty campus, good academics and being in New London, easy access to RI.