Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Alex

Girls are stuck up. Nice guys are desperate for a nice girl to notice.

Katie

For about half of the population, yes, there are a lot of people who play games andnever leave their dorm. There are a lot of girls if you know where to find them. I am a member of a sorority, of which there are several on campus.

Matt

To a certain degree; half the students are nerdy, but the other half are normal

David

Yes, but they are not a downfall of the college. If you are socially capable of being normal, you can have as much fun as any college student, and even more because so many of the students at RPI are all genuinely like you.

Kevin

1, is not true, RPI has a very interactive social life if u so decide to be a part of it, and has strength in many athletic teams, not just the hockey that u always hear about. 2. It is true that there r a lot more ales than females at RPI, but this is in the process of changing, our freshman class set a school record for the most {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of girls @ 33{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} and the accepted students 4 this upcoming year is suppossed to be about 50/50!

Ben

yes and no. There are very few girls at the school - about 31{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} - and that number is inceasing only slowly. and yes the school can be a bit nerdy, but if it wasnt so, it would'nt be one of the world's best engineering schools. Troy isn't a glamorous town but its getting better and there are some great parks, golf courses, and places to eat, all in close proximity

Kristin

There are a lot of nerds on campus...I will not lie , but there is a lot of normal kids too that are into having a good time.

Gabrielle

As far as I can tell, these stereotypes only apply to about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of RPI's student body. For the most part, as a student you won't see these alleged antisocial nerds... because they are always locked away in their rooms. Who knows if they actually exist? If you are social, you will meet other people who are social. As far as the boys go, most of the odd guys are either too interested in video games, or too intimidated by females to ever talk to a girl. For the most part, the odds are good... and the goods aren't too bad either.

Zac

All RPI students have some level of geekyness, but that doesn't mean everyone is antisocial. I can't judge the male population. As for the females, there exist a handful of "distractions."

Christie

RPI's what you make of it...if you dont put yourself out there you'll sit in your room all weekend, but if you join clubs, teams, greek organizations, there's always something to do

Jon

exaggerated but based on truth

Mel

It's been said that Troy, where RPI is located, is a really unenjoyable and weird place. I'd agree that it's weird, but therein lies the charm. The actually city of Troy is architecturally beautiful with lots of brownstones and stunning turn-of-the-century buildings. There's also a bit of a revival going on downtown; I keep seeing more and more young working professionals strolling around, and judging by the number of very lovely cafes, restaurants, and shops opening up, I don't think I'm too far off on my revival assumption. The people can also be great - I've been at RPI for two years now and I've never had a truely unpleasant run-in with a local. I wouldn't go walking around alone in Troy at nighttime, but that's sort of common sense. As for the nerdy engineers - of course there are some like that, but most are quite nice and dress normally. We have a little bit of a rivalry going on between the engineering school and the architecture school. They think we're arts and crafts majors and we think they're stale nerds with zero creativity. As for the ratio, there is a much-loved saying that goes with the male predominance: "While the odds are good, the goods are odd" There is truth in this, but by the time one eliminate those fellow male students who only date their computers, play video games 24/7, and fear social interactions with girls, the ratio is about 50-50.

Vick

Troy is unsafe, but use your common sense and you will be fine. Don't walk around after dark alone holding your $2,000 laptop. There are some girls at RPI. Most of the people here are geeks.

Dylan

All of the stereotypes are rooted in truth, but not EVERYone is super nerdy, and a lot of them (in my experience) aren't even that smart, especially when it comes to common sense. RPI has an array of students just like any other school, with the exception that a larger portion can neither write well nor spell. There are some girls at RPI that lean towards the "I'm a girl at RPI so every guy wants to date me," but many of the ones I've met are not like that at all. And the only reason there would be nothing to do at RPI is if you're really lame. There are malls, movie theaters, restaurants and parks close by, and there are TONS of outdoor activities that are not too far away. Plus, if you want to play sports, we have fairly decent facilities to use. Also, there are A LOT of clubs on campus. We have a bunch of intermural sports teams, and clubs for almost anything you're interested in. And if there isn't one, it's not too hard to start it up yourself.

Rina

Although there are many smart people in RPI, not all of them are socially inept. RPI really does know how to party. Every week, there is at least something going on. I personally find that there isn't a shortage of females in this school after coming here. It is something that is talked about often but is not apparently seen.

Blake

They are pretty inaccurate, because students are not so much athletes or nerds, but those that are socially skilled and those that aren't. Many students don't leave their room, and even more seem to have a skewed sense of reality, whats real and what is socially acceptable.

Kendall

In the technical sense, yes, the stereotypes are accurate. Generally, the students who attend this college are very mathematical and scientifically inclined and do spend a lot of time on their laptops. Additionally, the male to female ratio is 3:1. All this said, that doesn't mean that it there are no "normal teenagers" or "good-looking" people who attend this school, you just have to find the crown of people you fit in with. If you're an athlete like myself, you'll immediately find yourself congregating around jocks who are very much like yourself. If you're a girl who feels a bit outnumbered, join a sorority that has 50 girls who share your likes and dislikes and compliment and complete your style. Just because everyone here is smart doesn't mean we're all nerds. One of my closest friends is your typical "girly girl" but she's studying to be a biochemistry biophysics major as well as an engineer. This school has the same crowds of people as any other university, they just aren't as large or overwhelming. Every type of person attends this school, you just have to look beyond the stereotypes to find them.

Courtney

There are some people who stay in their rooms all day long but its a small amount of people here, maybe 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}.

Mike

Not 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. There are both "nerds" and normal people. A lot of the people here are athletic. Although the gender ratio is bad, it is improving. I know that our class year is about 1/3 girls.

Heather

These are obvioulsy not accurate. Of course we have students that are socially inept, maybe even a few more than most schools, but there is a social scene at RPI.

Kate

well, yea there is a noticeable smaller population of females, but they're not all weird. a lot of them are pretty normal, and sweet. in regards to the stereotype about us all being nerds, that is definitely not true. definitely. there are all the different groups, and even the cliques. theres the jocks/athletes, the stoners, the party-ing slackers, the nerds, the computer wizards, the white trash, etc. ya know? like high school, the only real difference is that they're, for the most part, actually intelligent. even the jocks.

Jason

While Rpi is a very technically based school and a majority of students may tend to keep to themselves I'd say that at the same time the student body is comprised of a very broad range of students and teachers and it is very easy to find one's own niche where you will feel confortable to grow and develop.

Pat

There are plenty of nerds here but not as many as the stereotype would have you think. Most students do have a geeky quality or two but they aren't nerds by stretch (except comp sci majors, they're pretty much all computer geeks). As for the girls, its noticeable but getting better. Each incoming class has a better ratio. Also, if you don't count the complete nerds, the ratio of normal guy to girls isn't nearly as bad.

Julian

yes sir

Rob

Yes and no. There are definitely some individuals that I have met that are overly smart and socially awkward. However, there are individuals such as myself that are very outgoing as well as intelligent.

Jesse

60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} true

Isaac

It's all true. 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of it. There are no females, everyone is a huge nerd, and nobody EVER wants to go into Troy.

Dylan

In some circumstances they are.

Casey

the stereotypes are accurate to a T

mikey

These stereotypes are true however, there are those that are intelligent but also like to party and there are the occasional attractive girls.

Sarah

not all of them. Some students are antisocial and overwork themselves but most of them are really nice and friendly and helpful

maureen

there are nerds, but they tend to stay together. there are also cool kids. it is not hard to find people like yourself.

Jacob

to some extent but there a good amount of people who actually are outgoing mixed in with the normal math geeks. There are much less girls but the ratio is usually controlled at parties buy allowing certain guys in and all the girls in

Carl

There are a lot of geeky/weird kids, but also a lot of normal kids. A lot of kids join fraternities to find fun and a social life here because outside of fraternities its not very happening. The ratio here is about 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} guys which sucks so meeting girls from other schools is the way to go. Girls from RPI are usually kinda strange and the RIBS is common amongst the girls here.

Whitney

yes

Danielle

somewhat... there are computer geeks, but just in the academic sense. there is more to people than what they do for a living or what they study. and it is mostly guys that go here.

Matt

Every stereotype is based on some truth. There are a lot more guys than girls and because of the school's rigorous academics, there are a lot of socially awkward guys. However, there are also plenty of normal people who get along great and there are many friendly, fun girls.

Jillian

Yes and no...there are definitely some people who don't leave their rooms and play video games all day, and then there are some really social party-goers. It's all what you make of it.

Kristin

Not for the whole school. The school is split between those that you never see out of their rooms and only play video games, but the Greek life and sociality of a good portion of students is normal.

Tony

Ask the majority of people here and you should get the same answer.

Kelly

Yes we are all nerds. But we do party like rockstars. Our "Motto is Work Really hard during the week and party on the weekend.

Steve

for the most part

Jordan

In a way, these stereotypes are accurate and inaccurate. On ANY campus you will find extremely awkward nerds, it doesn't matter if you go to UC Santa Barbara or RPI, they are there, and if you let go of the stereotypes a little, you will find that those awkward nerds are sometimes really cool, interesting and quirky people. I do agree that a lot of the student body is conservative and uninterested in any type of politics or really understanding the world and different cultures, but don't let it get to you. There are definitely people on campus who are interested in these things and if its important to you will be able to ignore it and take classes pertaining to your social and political interests. As for RIBS... many guys at RPI love to throw that term around.. usually because they get turned down. And yes, I can agree with a lot of guys that over half the girls at RPI do indeed have RIBS, but on the other side of the argument, over half the guys using that term never would have gotten "those" girls anyways. Not at any school. And stereotyping the athletes as the dumb management majors is pretty extreme too. As a Biology major I've met some pretty nerdy looking, but not so smart, kids. Yes, the management majors do not have the hardest major, but you can't fault them for it. Like I said, you'll find every type of person in every type of major... and take it from me, the hockey players aren't so bad. The fact that they are division 1 with every other team being division 3 would call for a dispute at any school. The girls think all the guys at school are inferior of these D1 athletes, and the guys think that the girls are completely at the will of t

david

As right as the laws of probability.

Torry

not at all

Tanya

For the most part, the nice thing is that there are enough socially ept people who leave there rooms that there's always new people to meet, and always people you know.

Michael

Quite.

KJ

It is true about many students, but it does not describe how nice everyone here is and how they have made RPI a friendly, laid-back environment.

Dan

There are more males than females by a lot, and the females that are here aren't the greatest. There are a ton of nerds and socially awkward people, but there are also a ton of drunken frat boys as well. Don't worry though, there are also plenty of normal people.

Jay

1. no, we have other majors and plenty of people in them 2. kind of, but it is getting better 3. most top colleges are so no biggie 4. not really, albany is pretty close and its fun there