Anonymous wrote:Have a kid (freshman) at University of Rhode Island (we are from the midwest). Wanted a change of scenery and a seat in a direct admit nursing program.

Large state schools in the midwest have very limited direct admit seats and are highly competitive (iowa has 84, Purdue has ~125). URI has a cohort of ~200 and a smaller student population (and smaller campus so easy to navigate during less ideal weather conditions). Mix of OOS and instate students, really enjoying it so far.

Glad to hear they’re liking it! URI is on our radar for my junior who has an interest in marine sciences. Seems like a solid place and we like that it’s more of a mid-size school.

Anonymous wrote:Generally, state schools in the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, and the West Coast are much more appealing than the public universities in the Northeast - both for academics and quality of life. New England never really cared about public universities, and that's reflective in their state schools. States like Texas, California, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia and so on take real pride in their state schools. That's not the case in the Northeast.

That's one of the more ignorant statements I've read on the this subforum, and that's saying something.

RHODY RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a kid (freshman) at University of Rhode Island (we are from the midwest). Wanted a change of scenery and a seat in a direct admit nursing program.

Large state schools in the midwest have very limited direct admit seats and are highly competitive (iowa has 84, Purdue has ~125). URI has a cohort of ~200 and a smaller student population (and smaller campus so easy to navigate during less ideal weather conditions). Mix of OOS and instate students, really enjoying it so far.

Generally, state schools in the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, and the West Coast are much more appealing than the public universities in the Northeast - both for academics and quality of life. New England never really cared about public universities, and that's reflective in their state schools. States like Texas, California, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia and so on take real pride in their state schools. That's not the case in the Northeast.

I can't think of any particular reason to go to a NE state school - unless there is a particular program you are interested in - when there are plenty of options closer to home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weather. Why go to extremes when you have amazing options nearby that are close for those wanting to be close and slightly further for those wanting that

But if your child attends a school somewhere with better weather, there could be MAGAs there.

Hard pass.

Yes, because your idiot lib kid couldn’t compete.

Blizzard coming tomorrow! One big draw of NE schools be they private or public is access to snow and ice. Lots of skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice climbing, etc. So lots of outdoor types at these schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weather. Why go to extremes when you have amazing options nearby that are close for those wanting to be close and slightly further for those wanting that

But if your child attends a school somewhere with better weather, there could be MAGAs there.

Hard pass.

There are MAGAs everywhere. Well, in big state schools anyway.

It’s UVM folks.

And Amherst is a lovely college town.

Anonymous wrote:The weather is atrocious.

Weather might be atrocious for the weak and seniors - not for those that embrace the outdoors for hiking, skiing, fishing and beauty!

And kids with whiney parents who can't deal with a bit of snow or rain please stay away - especially those with vanity plates.

I live in Maine and have kid at UVM. We pretty much limited his search to all of the new England state schools (his choice) and he has friends at all of them. There’s a nice range of options in the region and some clear strengths and weaknesses. UMaine is by far the least selective (97% acceptance) and as others have said it’s really the middle of nowhere. It’s fine for some things (especially engineering) but certainly the least lively campus. UMass and UConn are most highly ranked in USNWR they are both also enormous campuses so not for for everyone. UNH/URI are probably pretty comparable how selective they are, both pretty good regional universities. UVM, by virtue of its awesome location and nice size has a lot of curb appeal and because the state population is so small, also has relatively high percentage of kids from someplace else which does give it a different different vibe than the other systems that have a lot of high school networks that all go together. Before we visited UVM, I heard the comment that “looks like a private school“ and I would agree with that.

Anonymous wrote:University of Maine and UNH are not very good schools. That’s the main reason.

UConn and UMass are good and oos kids do go.

UNH and Maine are majority out of state, they're just mostly people from New England or at least further north than here. We're a little far to go when there's lots of comparable schools between here and there.

We looked at U Maine, NH, and Vt. It was freezing and we got stuck driving in practically a blizzard. NH was way more rural than expected. The town was literally a street. DC discovered there is a mud season. It seemed really hard to get to and from DC. NH had a lot of signs saying Closed. Nov to May. DC liked Vt because it at least had a real town. But, decided Northeast was not for them.

University of Maine and UNH are not very good schools. That’s the main reason.

UConn and UMass are good and oos kids do go.