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?!

University of Rhode Island

With nearly 15,000 students, a variety of majors, and about 3 hours from home, Students from Voorheesville who like Syracuse U and/or UVM might want to consider URI as well. Their International Engineering and International Business programs sound very cool and have students regularly spending semesters in China, France, Germany and Spain. Their Pharmacy and Nursing programs are very selective but, overall, students with above average high school records stand a good shot at acceptance into the college.

New England Institute of Technology

In 2 years, the New England Institute of Technology will be moving to a new, centralized location in Rhode Island while still offering accelerated degrees in Auto Tech, Architectural Tech, Nursing, Electrical, Computer Programming and many other technical fields. They start classes 4 times per year, have 10 week quarters and allow students to earn an Associates in just 18 months or a Bachelors in just 3 years. They will have campus housing available once they move and are just 3 hours from Vville. Open admissions means that all high school grads will be accepted here.

Wiliam&Mary

The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg,VA is the country's second oldest with the oldest college building-Wren Hall- pictured above. Known as a 'Public Ivy', W&M is far more difficult to get accepted into for out-of-state residents than for locals. Many grads from here go on to serve in the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps and many more go on to Law or Med School. Located adjacent to the historic section of the city, minutes from Busch Gardens and less than an hour from the ocean, students have many options for fun outside of campus. On campus, lots of activity happens in and around the 'sunken gardens', a massive tract of land in the middle of campus that is several feet lower than the surrounding grounds. Greek life is big here and you can, according to legend, kiss your BF/GF on the Crim Dell bridge and be together forever! Students from nearly every state and many foreign countries attend W&M although at least half come from Virginia. Thomas Jefferson and Jon Stewart are famous alums as will be Jenna Massaroni (VHS class of '07)!

Princeton

The average applicant to Princeton scored about 2100 on the SAT1 and over 700 on 3 SAT2 exams. They rejected more than 90% of them. Add to that the fact that over 1000 undergraduates (of the 4800 total) play a varsity or JV sport AND that students from all 50 states and hundreds of foreign countries apply here and you might have an appreciation of how difficult it is to be admitted.
That said, it seems like such an idyllic place that, if you have the numbers, you should consider it. It's easily one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever been on, focuses on undergraduates, has an incredibly rich history and super-famous alums (at least 2 presidents, 1 queen, senators, actors and our current first lady).
Another plus; their financial aid policies make it possible to graduate debt-free.
With majors in Architecture and several types of Engineering as well as dozens of more traditional Liberal Arts, there is a lot to choose from.
Princeton is just under 200 miles from the Ville, right in between Manhattan and Philadelphia with a small train station right on campus.

TCNJ

In 1996, Trenton State changed it's name to The College of New Jersey and, perhaps, changed it's image at about the same time. While on the bus tour in Vermont, I spent a lot of time with some counselors from NJ and got the impression that this was a 'hot' school for many of their kids. High praise from several prominent national magazines certainly supports their claim. It's a really nice looking campus located in Ewing which is actually right next to Trenton. Ewing seems like a more upscale suburb- a nice place. The admissions couselors I spoke with made it clear that they would love to have more out of state students. There are currently 5600 full time undergrads with plans to grow to 6000. The campus is just over 200 miles from VVille, has majors in Engineering, Sciences, Nursing, Education, Business, Creative and Performing Arts and most of the common majors you'd find at other liberal arts schools. Just 10 minutes from Princeton and less than an hour from both NYC and Philly, TCNJ is worth a look.

Dartmouth

The smallest of the Ivy League with just 4300 undergrads, Dartmouth is quite difficult to get in and has an extremely high retention rate and satisfied grads who give back to the school generously. Located in the small town of Hanover, NH it's just over the Vermont border and about 3.5 hours from VVille. While I was there, I happened to run in to Steven Wang (VHS '07) and had coffee with Billy Corbett (VHS '06). Amazingly, in 2008 we had 5 former students attending Dartmouth at the same time!
A unique feature about this college is "the Dartmouth Plan"- basically a quarterly calender that allows students flexibility to take just 3 classes at a time for 10 weeks. Typically, a student will attend 3 of the 4 quarters each year, including at least one summer quarter (New Hampshire is beautiful in the summer). Most students will spend at least 1 and up to 3 quarters abroad. The schedule also allows for internships during times when most college students are not available to intern, making the competition for spots almost nonexistent.
The Tuck School of Business and the Thayer School of Engineering offer popular majors. Current hot paths of study include International Studies as well as Global Health. Small classes but lots of opportunities for undergraduate research were points stressed during both the tour and info session.
Social life tends to be dominated by the Greeks. 60% of eligible students (sophs and older)are members of a frat or sorority. The school's student run newspapers might have one believe that debauchery was the rule on weekends, but academics are challenging and students must work hard to be successful. The are many artistic, athletic and altruistic options to follow for those who don't believe the school paper.

Johnson State

Johnson State is the 18th, and final, college I'll be visiting in Vermont on this trip. I believe I have now seen every traditional residential college in the entire state. Located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, it's a well-kept state school that might be a great fit for students coming out of high school with less than stellar grades.
It also has a working television studio and puts on it's own newscast 5 days a week. For students interested in this field, it's a hands-on program that allows students to easily get involved. Education is it's largest major and the Hospitality & Tourism department is popular. Outdoor Recreation is offered as a major. An interesting option is the Wellness and Alternative Medicine program.
Visual and Performing arts have a major presence around campus. A large percentage play varsity sports here as well. Behind one of the dorms is a hill that students use for skiing and snowboarding in the winter.