Roger Williams University

Overlooking Mt. Hope Bay, Roger Williams is a beautiful but very windy campus! Each building looks new, the grounds are well maintained and everything seems pristine. Here one can earn an Associates, Bachelors, Masters and even a law degree! The school of architecture is very popular as is their marine biology program. There's also engineering and construction management majors and a variety of other more liberal art type majors. Most students will study abroad at some point, there's a great sailing team, no classes are taught by TA's and there is an excellent placement rate after graduation.

Brown University

The 8th and final Ivy League college I've visited in the past 14 months, Brown is the 7th oldest college in the nation. Like the other Ivies, gaining admission here is very difficult. The average accepted student scored over 700 on each part of the SAT. The average rejected student probably did as well! Students here experience an 'open curriculum' - meaning there are no general education requirements. There is also a 2 week 'shopping period' at the start of eah semester that allows kids to sign up for a bunch of courses and choose the 4 they like best after the 2 weeks. Students seem very happy, reportedly work extremely hard, but say the atmosphere is much more cooperative than competitive. The acceptance rates in to Law and Med schools is very high. Many students will study abroad during their 4 years at Brown. One curious note about Brown; regardless of when you complete all other graduation requirements, students here must stay all 4 years (except transfer students). Total cost is about $54,0000 per year but there is a lot of grant money available to students with need.

RISD

The Rhode Island School of Design is a very popular and very selective art school. Located in Providence and practically next door to Brown, RISD offers Bachelors degrees in art, architecture and graphics. The MFA is available as is an MA for those who wish to teach art. The 2000 or so students here are 2/3 female and were admitted based on their outstanding portfolio as well as excellent high school records in academic subjects. Most work as an intern at least once during their college years and the job placement rate is impressively high for graduates.

Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales has locations in 4 cities; Charlotte, Miami, Denver, and Providence. The Providence site of JWU is actually split between the city campus and the Harborside Campus. JWU is not your typically college. Students here are here to prepare for a career. They call theirs an 'upside down curriculum' because students start courses in their major immediately. The Culinary Arts programs are huge here and their new facilities at Harborside are state of the art.

Bryant University

Bryant is just outside of Providence and is known for it's emphasis on business. Regardless of major, students will leave here with a solid knowledge of the business world. Study abroad is readily available, most students live on campus, the retention rate is high as is the job placement rate. A diverse group of 3500 undergrads come from all over the country and all over the world. Bryant has recently moved to D1 sports. Bryant is also famous for sophomore Taryn Smith (VHS '08) who served as our tour guide and is very involved in many aspects of student life at Bryant.

Providence College

Providence, Rhode Island is home to 5 colleges and 30,000 college students and is only about 3 hours from the Ville. Providence College is home to about 4000 of these students, most of whom are of the Roman Catholic faith, almost all live on campus or within 1 mile of campus and nearly all graduate within 4 years. PC is test optional and is looking for A- type students who have taken a challenging course load each year of high school. Division 1 sports are big here as is community service. The price tag is high (~$50,000) and although need blind, they do not promise to meet full need.

Salve Regina University

If not the most beautiful college I've ever seen, Salve Regina is certainly one of the prettiest. Located in the Mansion District on the shores of Newport, RI, the school's buildings are just incredible. There are just over 2000 undergrads here, strong science and criminal justice programs, an MBA program, division 3 sports and a strong chance for B+ students to gain admittance. Every student I spoke with here seemed very happy and couldn't say enough good things about their school. Where else do students really want to stay at their college over the summer?!