Everything you ever wanted to know

My advice would be to do some extensive research about the school, so you can convince your parents with solid facts. Explain to them how safe the campus and surrounding area is, the bus routes that will take your home, etc. Once they see how passionate you are about the school they may be more likely to change their minds. 

I might be a little biased because I absolutely love URI but here are a few things!

Worst:

There are only two dining halls, and only one of them is open on the weekends. The one that’s open on the weekends doesn’t open until 10am. This is usually not a problem (who wakes up before noon on the weekends?) but there are a couple times where I’ve had a weekend event and have made Easy Mac for breakfast at 8:30 in the morning.

Another thing I dislike is that you have to pay for your laundry. It’s not expensive but it’s just enough to be an annoyance. Depending on which dorm you live in the washers are also not the best, so make sure to wring out your clothes before drying them or you’ll have to pay for multiple dries.

Freshman dorms are also kind of a hit or miss. There are some nice ones, some average, and a couple older dorms that don’t look or feel as homey, but it’s really what you make of it. My sophomore year I lived in an old, worn down sophomore dorm but my suitemates and tower-mates made it all worthwhile. As for the dorm room, decorating is your best friend. It’s really not as bad as it sounds.

Honestly, there are some professors that are awful. Before you choose classes go to ratemyprofessor.com and read reviews, it will definitely save you from suffering through a whole semester.

Best:

URI is a decent sized school and it’s extremely easy to make friends! Especially as a freshman, everyone is new and nervous and ready to socialize with others. There are so many opportunities to meet new people, all the time.

Most freshmen will be put into Living and Learning Communities, which is where a group of about 20 people (usually who live in your building and share your major) are in the same two or three classes together. It’s an easy way to get to know people and extremely convenient when you have a question on the homework at 3am.

Greek life and extra curriculars are so much fun and easy to join! I’m in a sorority personally, but if Greek life isn’t for you there are so many other things you can do to get involved. There is literally a club for everything imaginable.

Dining hall food is actually pretty good. You can make your own fresh waffle, stir fry dish, deli sandwich, pasta dish, etc. The food is fresh and they always serve good breakfasts on the weekend.

School spirit is awesome here. If I could summarize why I love URI in only a few sentences I would most definitely include school spirit. Most students here absolutely love this school and everything it has to offer. It’s not perfect but it absolutely feels like home.

In high school they told us: There will be no grades in a class except the midterm and the final, so you have to study hard because failing one test means you fail the class.

Once I was in college a professor said: Hey, you guys are working really hard on your third paper, so I'm just going to cancel the final and give everyone a hundred on it.

In high school they told us: In college, class always begins exactly at the scheduled start time. If your class is at 9 AM and you get there at 9:01, the doors will be locked and you'll be out of luck, especially if it's the day of the midterm or final, because then you get a zero.

Once I was in college a professor said: Does anyone mind if I start class at 3:35 instead of 3:30? These elevators are really slow and I want to have time for a cigarette before I teach for 90 minutes.

In high school they told us: Every class you miss drops you a full letter grade in college courses.

Once I was in college almost every professor said: You can miss three classes without a penalty, and a few more if you have a Doctor's note. Sorry to be a hardass, but you automatically fail if you miss more than ten days of class.

In high school they told us: If you do have papers, your professors just lecture and put the assignments on the syllabus. You're completely responsible for remembering the deadlines, they won't remind you. All your professors will do is lecture and the rest is up to you.

Once I was in college a professor said: Okay, so your next paper is in two weeks! I'll keep reminding you in the interim, but I just want to make sure you have enough time to do it! Let's run through the structure I want to see real quick, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me or come to my office hours!

In high school they told us: You have to use MLA formatting and if you make any mistakes in your citations, it'll be considered plagiarism. You'll be expelled and probably sued.

Hello! I’m glad that the material in your class is starting to stick. I understand completely, I’ve had to retake a class before and while it does suck, finally understanding what’s going on is very rewarding! My motivation was thinking about how I DID NOT want to take the class again, and if I did well this time, I would never have to! Also remember how great you feel about seeing those good grades, you’ll want to keep it up! 

Clubs are a great way to meet people so if anything sounds even remotely interesting, give it a shot and you may really enjoy it. If you’re interested you could rush a fraternity or sorority (I can also answer most questions on Greek Life if you’d like) and you’ll automatically gain at least 30 friends, it’s wonderful! If absolutely nothing interests you I would start by trying to get to know the people in your classes, or if you live on campus, the people in your building. Not only could they become great friends but they also will be able to tell you all about whatever organizations they’re a part of and maybe even convince you to join!

Take a shower at off times. If you live in a community style bathroom, the showers are going to be limited. Try to find a time when the showers aren't usually full (like when students are in class) to avoid having to wait.

Following #1, Go to dining halls at off times. Dining halls are typically jam packed around 9am, 12pm, and 6pm. That's when everyone on campus wants to eat, so that's when everyone goes. If your school is anything like mine, it gets very crowded very quickly and finding a table to sit at is next to impossible. Try to get to the dining halls slightly before the rush. It will make for a less stressful meal.

Don't bring your laptop to class if you know it will distract you. This is something I still struggle with myself. Sure, taking notes on a laptop might be easier and faster, but what's the point of going to a lecture if you spend the whole period on Facebook?

Do not go to parties alone. Aside from safety precautions, parties are generally more fun if you get there with someone you know. That way you feel more comfortable in a sometimes awkward environment and you'll never be the one standing by yourself wondering what to do.

Get to know your hallmates/suitemates. These are you and you're going to be seeing them a lot. It'll be nice to know them when you're making Ramen a 1 in the morning and suddenly you realize you're out of plastic spoons.

Know your student ID number off the top of your head. You will need it for everything.

Call your parents. They miss you.

Don't wait weeks to do your laundry. It's easier to handle in small, frequent loads than trying to stuff all of your dirty clothes into three washers and then spending the night folding them.

Getting A's is hard. College's workload is a lot harder than what you did in high school. You're going to have to study a lot more and put a lot more effort into learning more material in a shorter amount of time. It's okay if you don't always get A's, as long as you're trying you have nothing to beat yourself up for.