Not far. In RI but I’ve certainly spent a fair time in Bristol/Roger Williams for soccer.
@resea0312 312 After reviewing CN, I’d choose CN. Less expensive (saving 40k), stronger academics, and a more lively area. Lovely campus.
Christopher Newport has wonderful facilities and is located on the James River. It’s about a 30 minute drive to Williamsburg (College of W&M as well as Busch Gardens) and about a 45 minute drive to Virginia Beach. CNU has a strong liberal arts program. CNU has the Marching Captains, one of the largest (or maybe the largest?) D3 marching bands in the country. CNU has strong school spirit.
It’s a very different school from Roger Williams.
Yeah I don’t see how you can make this decision without actual college visits to each campus.
@gearmom Thanks a lot for the information, I’ll pass that on to my cousin
@OrangeFish True, we are still doing a lot or research before my cousin makes the final decision
@STF4717 True…We are still trying to figure out when he will make the visit if possible…mean while I thought that we can do as much research as possible
I visited CNU with my oldest son last year. Our tour was led by the most impressive tour guide I have had on any college tour. She was fantastic. The president of the university is actively engaged with the students. He walked out and introduced himself to all the kids waiting for an interview. I believe that there is a requirement to live in the dorms for three years. The dorms are very nice. CNU seemed very committed to community involvement, and student support. You may want to compare transfer rates and 4 yr grad rates. Some of the students may use it as a stepping stone to transfer into another VA state university after a year or two. I really did like the school.
@VAMom23 Thank you, I talked to my cousin and he seems to be leaning towards CNU.
I don’t think he have thought about transferring to another VA state university but by chance, do you know the acceptance rate for in-state students (not the specific numbers necessarily but whether the chances are higher if you are a student in CNU)?
Good descriptions above, especially #18, #22, and #25, among the recent posts. I don’t know Roger Williams, though I know that area of RI, and it is beautiful, as described. I do know CNU. It’s among the universities (like Elon) that have received a lot of money and completely developed/redeveloped over the last few decades. So very up-to-date, impressive buildings. It has become pretty popular with Northern Virginia students. President does have a large presence. It’s a good choice, just don’t know if it’s the better choice, in this specific case.
In terms of transferring, it would typically require a 3.5 plus to transfer to the most competitive type schools in VA. Transfer stats vary year by year, and transfer applicants are competing for spots with community college transfers who have guaranteed spots at VA 4-year schools if they have a sufficiently high GPA, so hard to give odds.
I have no idea of the transfer stats. There may some info on the VA State Education website.
If your cousin is going to want to live in the New England area for a few years after college to work I would say RW. If your cousin wants to be more down south I would say CN. That said I have not been to CN. My oldest and our family have now toured about 20 colleges and he is deciding between UVM, Fairfield and a few others. We have been to RW for lacrosse tournaments over the last 4 years and we were not impressed by the campus at all. It was small, not very clean (in comparison to what we have seen at other colleges in the last few years) and the area down by the ocean where there is a path had that boggy smell (yuck) and the path looked slightly scary ( I would not want my daughter to walk there alone). Yes, there are a few nice oceanside communities around as mentioned but when on campus you do not get that feel at all. Again this is all regarding that “charm” factor but it had more of a commuter college feel - all things being equal with money or majors you really need to have cousin visit both to see where their heart lies. Looking only at the pictures online looks very charming and it also has about 100 more acres of campus area which is a nice thing. I’m not dissing RW - I am sure the academics are decent but the feel was not impressive. Good luck we are going through the same thing and it is a very difficult thing to do and sometimes just comes down to that “gut” feeling. Wherever your cousin chooses there is a great chance to succeed as they are both solid schools so its a win-win based on that feeling!
CNU has 64% full time faculty, where RW has 44%.
Graduation rates are higher at CNU as well.
Other than that they seem pretty on par with one another!
@TTG thank you, I will pass the information on to my cousin
@VAMom23 thank you, I will try and look into their website
@Momtofourkids thank you for the detailed description, the pictures on the internet seemed beautiful so we didn’t know how the surrounding actually feels like
@STF4717 yes, the graduation rates seemed to be one factor my cousin is leaning towards CNU
Graduation rates are a significant stat. A higher rate means that more of the people you are getting to know as friends and acquaintances will stick around the whole time you are there. Again, I’m in VA and know less about RW, but I would expect the CNU number to be on the upswing. As I noted, the school has developed and matured into a full-scale university in recent decades. Also, the school is increasingly attracting very good Northern Virginia students who have strong high school backgrounds and are generally financially well off, which means they are less likely to have to leave school because of cost/financial difficulties. Money, very unfortunately, can be a big reason in students having to leave school before graduating. We know several current students. They seem to really like the school and their college experience, and I haven’t heard of any leaving.
@TTG thank you, I was also looking for information on the student bodies of both of the schools. And yes, I want my cousin to be around motivated students so that he can succeed in the future.
@Momtofourkids RW is not a fancy campus BUT it’s silly to portray it as a dangerous area when it is a sleepy NE coastal village with the normal “boggy” smell that you find at any coastal towns periodically. Newport News is has a crime rate 17% higher than the national average. It’s not even close in terms of safety. Night and day. Newport News has serious crime (high murder, rape, assault, robbery, assault) and you’re worried about a beach path in which the most danger you’d find is tripping.
Murders: 0 Bristol 30 Newport News
Rapes 8 Bristol 71 Newport News
Robberies 1 Bristol 269 Newport News
Burglaries 16 Bristol 902 Newport News
Thefts 127 Bristol 4097 Newport News
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Bristol-Rhode-Island.html
Newport News
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Newport-News-Virginia.html
Roger Williams only has 12% of it’s students from RI and 96% of Freshmen live on campus. I wouldn’t call that a commuter school.
Of the three schools listed Roger Williams and Bristol has the lowest crime rate with Christopher Newport having the most serious on campus student crime, And UVM having the most crime. More than double that of Roger Williams @Momtofourkids Burlington’s crime rate is also much worse that of Bristol. Bristol only having 16 burglaries and 127 thefts and Burlington having 228 burglaries and 1222 thefts and a murder.
UVM
https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/university-of-vermont/student-life/crime/
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Burlington-Vermont.html
Roger Williams
https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/roger-williams-university/student-life/crime/
Christopher Newport
https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/christopher-newport-university/student-life/crime/
@resea0312 Post #31 Now you might not choose RW because of price or academics or because it’s too quiet but that was not an accurate description of the area by @Momtofourkids . Of the hundreds of reviews of the area, you will notice that reviewers are rating the area with high mark. Citing the quaintness of historic coastal towns with farms that still run to the edge of the water. So you will go to the locally owned farmstand for veggies and coffee and the customers will be still in their riding kit from the morning. The pictures on the Roger Williams website look accurate to me.
Here is Colt State Park, Bristol:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g54063-d637088-Reviews-Colt_State_Park-Bristol_Rhode_Island.html
Independence Park, Bristol:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g54063-d4738337-Reviews-Independence_Park-Bristol_Rhode_Island.html
Hope St., Bristol:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g54063-d208428-Reviews-Hope_Street-Bristol_Rhode_Island.html
Coggeshall Farm, Bristol:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g54063-d293710-Reviews-Coggeshall_Farm_Museum-Bristol_Rhode_Island.html
Audubon Society, Bristol:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g54063-d7918072-Reviews-Audubon_Society_Environmental_Education_Center-Bristol_Rhode_Island.html
@gearmom sorry if I hit a sore spot with you regarding RW!! Perhaps you work there or went to school there?? Again these were my IMPRESSIONS and I made it very clear. I attended UVM and still am in the area a lot and would NEVER compare the two (nationally ranked University versus regionally ranked)- its like comparing apples to oranges. I also said it depended on WHERE the cousin wanted to land after graduation - Virginia or Rhode Island area should impact the decision although Boston would be a better place to look for employment as the state of Rhode Island’s biggest employer is the state of Rhode Island lol.
@Momtofourkids Oh I don’t have any connection to RWU and had recommended CNU to OP based on academics but your description of the area was so completely ridiculous I felt I had to correct rather than have OP make a decision on your highly inaccurate description of the area as dangerous and run down especially because his alternative will actually be in a place that IS dangerous and located near military base/manufacturing.
@Momtofourkids So having no dog in this race, I compared UVM (which is apparently safe enough for your kid to attend) to RWU which you reviewed highlighting the danger when it is a safer place than UVM and your biggest danger is being bored. I thought I’d bring in facts to have an accurate understand so logic could be used in this decision making process. Your impressions of the danger and run down nature of the area are simply not based on logic and for OP the strengths of RWU are actually the safety and quality of the area. Who knows why you are laughing unless the fact that your description of RWU as a dangerous, run down commuter school was too silly. Traditional RWU has been understood to be a school for midscoring wealthy students.