<p>Just want to point out that I was in Newport (about 30 min from URI) last Saturday and there were surfers at Sachuest Beach. Of course they were wearing wet suits but they are out there no matter the weather.</p>
<p>So go to URI then. It sounds like you’d like it, it has a good program in what you probably want to do, and can afford it. Some URI Jewish students came down to my school a couple of weeks ago and spoke highly about the university and reportedly bragged about the party scene. It’s also not a commuter school. 9% of freshmen do not live in university housing, which means 91% do.</p>
<p>6,000 students out of 13,000 live off campus at URI. Check the ranking of both schools and where the students come from who attend. Visit both of the campuses and talk with the students. See if you can sit in on a class in your intended major. Visit the career centers of both schools to see how they set up internships and their success rate of job placements. At the end of the process, go with the school where you feel most comfortable and where you feel that you will reach your goal. Best of luck, once you make your decision, you will feel confident and much happier!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean it’s a commuter school, it likely indicates that many students opt to rent a house or apartment just off campus after their freshman or sophomore year. Next semester, I won’t be living off campus. Doesn’t mean that I’ll be flying back to California every evening, it just means that I’ll be living in a place less than half a mile from my school.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the help! It’s really clarified some misconceptions I had about both schools. I think I know now with a fair deal of confidence where I want to go. Thanks again everyone.</p>
<p>Will you let us know? :D</p>
<p>Sure! :)</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>lsky17, did you ever consider UDel? When we visited last year, our tour guide was from NJ and she’d toured up and down the east coast and settled on UDel. Like UVM, they attract a lot of OOS students. They’re not cheap either, but they have less of a party school reputation and I think you might like the atmosphere.</p>
<p>My son just got a card in the mail yesterday from them letting him know that, while the “priority deadline has passed (they’re) still considering qualified applicants.”</p>
<p>Take a peek before you make a final decision:</p>
<p>[For</a> Prospective Undergraduates | ceoe.udel.edu](<a href=“Undergraduate Programs | College of Earth, Ocean & Environment | University of Delaware”>Undergraduate Programs | College of Earth, Ocean & Environment | University of Delaware)</p>
<p>[School</a> of Marine Science and Policy | ceoe.udel.edu](<a href=“School of Marine Science & Policy | College of Earth, Ocean & Environment | University of Delaware”>School of Marine Science & Policy | College of Earth, Ocean & Environment | University of Delaware)</p>
<p>[UD</a> Department of Music](<a href=“http://www.music.udel.edu/Pages/home.aspx]UD”>Home)</p>
<p>And good luck!</p>
<p>After freshman year at URI, the off campus housing population increases a lot. Many students live in Narragansett (a beach town about 15 minutes away from campus). We considered purchasing a small house there 15 years ago and back then the realtor told us it was rented all school year to URI students. That is the residential culture there, it may work for you. Also, S1 was accepted to both URI and UVM - liked UVM better. But he wasn’t into marine science. The music at both seemed fine. UVM has Ray Vega (excellent jazz artist) - Ray gave S1 a sample lesson after his audition - really nice…we did not arrange it - he just came out and offered it. Good luck with your decision! I think you will know when you visit URI again (we actually did not like the music building at URI - it was too dark and dreary). So be sure to check it out while you are there and see what you think.</p>
<p>LucieTheLakie- I got the card as well. I thought about it when they emailed me a few weeks ago before the deadline had passed, but nothing about it really stood out to me. </p>
<p>Chemusic- I guess the music department is of some concern, but not hugely if I’m only going to be minoring in it- I just wanted an excuse to have access to a drum set cause I’m sure as hell not lugging mine there lol. I guess I’ll just have to see it again. </p>
<p>Yes my D lives off-campus at her college and you can literally throw a rock at the on-campus dormitory across the street. These statistics can be very misleading.</p>
<p>I promised I would tell everyone which school I chose, so here I am! I chose URI. Thanks everyone for the help :)</p>
I know this is almost a year old but in case people are searching, URI is a top school for marine biology better regarded in that field than UVM and UNH. It is not a huge commuter school though there are off campus apartments across the street and down the line (Narragansett). There is a huge watersport culture there, not surprising for the Ocean State. When I went the first two years for marine biology, I became a certified diver and learned to sail. Marine biology is not underfunded. Not all fields are underfunded, gross generalization. I did many water related projects including raising salmon and an internship with the DEM as an assistant marine biologist (did a lot of work with shellfish). The Bay Campus, GSO Graduate School of Oceanography) is close by and can be a good place to get a job while in school. Dr. Ballard is well known and widely respected. Regarding location, Narragansett is great for beaches (there is now a fun bike path from URI to the beaches), Newport is fun and Providence has a cool music scene.
One last things because I found this thread so surprising. Not everyone has first hand knowledge. Some people are being very well intentioned but are interpreting statistics for you. Definitively speak with real live students when making decisions. Also, please speak with professional in the field that you are interested in!!! Looking up school rank based on who knows what criteria is not the best way to make choices but if you spoke with real marine biologists, you would gain important insights on how to best be successful in that career. I think you made the correct choice with URI for that field and I think that you will be able to network with many important researchers. And don’t worry if you have to buy a wet suit. Not all scientific research is conducted in the tropics.