Carla

I would say that RPI students are stereotyped as being nerdy engineers. Well, we are nerds, and we are proud of it! However, not everyone is an engineer and in terms of majors, interests, and personalities, we definitely do not have a homogeneous student body.

I could not be more happy that I chose to attend RPI. I found friends more similar to me than anyone I ever knew in high school. There is rarely a walk I take that I do not see at least one person I know; I'm always glad to give and receive a friendly hello. The size of campus is wonderful for walking; however, for upperclassmen who live in the residence halls farther away from academic campus, shuttles are readily available. Walking throughout campus is aesthetically pleasing as well, with the flowers, trees, and brick buildings. I am rather involved in campus, so I notice a lot of school spirit, which just makes for a fun college experience. Hockey games are especially exciting and are a campus-wide pass-time, which pleases me because I love hockey. Even though I am already involved on campus, there are so many interesting opportunities, I wish I could participate in more clubs and activities. My major disappointment with Rensselaer is the lack of a foreign language program, considering I adore languages. I wish Troy were more of a college town or more of a city-atmosphere, but downtown Troy has some wonderful mom and pop type businesses that I rather enjoy.

This semester, my third at RPI, I have noticed the intensity of engineering courses more than I did in my past two semesters. Yet, the material I am learning is interesting, so despite the stress, I still enjoy myself. The fact that office hours are so readily available also helps. Attending office hours has also proven beneficial in that the professors have had the chance to learn who I am, which is especially difficult for them in larger courses. With more difficult classes comes more study time, but that does not mean that we students find no time for activities other than schoolwork. I also enjoy that professors or graduate TA's often hold review sessions before exams, although questions during class are typically welcomed. So far, I have been happy with the course requirements for chemical engineering. I especially love the humanities and social science requirements considering I am working toward a psychology minor.

I have noticed a large variety of students on the RPI campus. Just going to the activity fair that is held every semester, one can observe the diverse interests of the student body. We have about 206 student union-funded clubs, and any student with enough signatures of interest can start a club. I personally have friends of varying racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic background, but none of that matters. I personally love that international students have a large presence on campus. Of course similar interests, personalities, and backgrounds do draw people together as friends, but I have not experienced or observed any bias towards others. Many students are from the northeast, but there is a significant portion of students from farther away as well .One of my favorite aspects of the students is that they are interested in academics, just as I am. Even though we are a technical school, I know many students who share my love of humanities. Many students also love video games and Pokemon.

Hockey games are the major athletic event of interest. We even have a hockey line celebration to buy season tickets. We have special games such as the Big Red Freakout and there is a club entitled the Red Army that is dedicated to hockey. I am involved with Habitat for Humanity, but there is a plethora of community service oriented clubs, with one example being Circle K. I am also part of the Resident Student Association because I have had a great experience in my residence halls. I met my best friends on my floor last year, and the people in our hall were almost inseparable. Other major clubs involve the Outing Club and Red and White, the student alumni association. We also have academic honor societies and clubs based on major or ethnicity. We have annual events such as Alumni Weekend and Winter Carnival, both of which garner a lot of student participation.

As a non-party goer I always have something to do, such as Sheer Idiocy student improv shows, UPAC cinema, the RPI Players shows, and miscellaneous club-sponsored events. I also hang out with friends; we have tea parties. Greek life is definitely present on campus, but there is not pressure to join or not to join. I happened to go through recruitment this semester and have been thrilled with the decision, even though I never expected this for myself.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sits atop a hill that overlooks downtown Troy, which is on the front of the Hudson River. Most buildings are charming red brick buildings with historic construction dates. Yet, the school married the old and the new. One example is our Biotech building was built in 2001 with a very modern interior, but on one external side was built to look like the Quad, which was built around 1915. A prominent-looking building on campus that sits on the side of hill is the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, which also has a modern look, said to appear like a ship in a bottle. The only building on campus appears tall. If one ventures down the hill, one will find a building that was a hospital in the nineteenth century and it maintains its appearance of being a historic building. Campus is essentially split by a street (but we have a pedestrian bridge) that divides the academic buildings and the student life and residential buildings. I have always been pleased with the landscaping. The grass is kept well and flowers and trees are plentiful. One will find significant areas of greenery, such as our '86 field, throughout campus.

This semester, my classes are lecture style, using Powerpoint presentations to guide the lecture. However, in one of my courses, the professor uses the blackboard and teaches through practice problems. I have a quiz either weekly or bi-weekly in each of my classes and three exams along with a final. My professors all welcome questions during class and hold reviews before exams. Fortunately, in my two-hour long classes, the professors allow us a ten minute break in the middle. I find minimal, but occasional, distractions from other students.

As far as athletic spectatorship, men's hockey is the most popular sport. Season tickets are popular and are sold at a celebration called the "hockey line." Hockey games are a blast! I love hockey, but I have friends who disliked sports and have been converted to hockey fans. The pep band is lively and humorous and the fans are enthusiastic. Men's and Women's are the only division I teams at RPI; all others are division III. For athletic participation, about 70 percent of the student body participates in an athletic endeavor. Options include varsity sports, club teams, intramurals, and athletically inclined clubs (which are not club sports since they do not compete against other schools). Walking around campus, I typically see a group of students playing a pick-up game of frisbee or soccer or football. I personally do not play on a team, but I run almost every day, so I include others like myself as part of the sports scene.

We have four dining halls on campus. each has different hours of operation, but none serve dinner past 8pm. One does have a service from 10:30 to 11:30 on weeknights.There is not large variety from day-to-day and from week-to-week, especially for picky eaters, but the food is decent and sometimes really good. As for allergies, one dining hall offers a specialized room that requires specialized access, so only students that make known their allergies can utilize this room. The Student Union houses some food court style options which have much extended hours of operation. These options include sandwiches, pizza, chicken tenders, and the like. The Union and one residence hall also have small convenience stores. There are four, maybe five, cafes in academic buildings, which serve soups, salads, snacks, baked goods, sandwiches, drinks, coffee, and tea. One uses meal swipes in dining halls and flex dollars to purchase items in cafes, the Union, and the convenience stores.