Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Jeff

Rensselaer is an amazing school that can reward you with great opportunities for the future. As a local, I was skeptical about going to a school that was so close and the tough reputation that it has. After just a few weeks I realized that it was going to prepare me for the future. Student life at Rensselaer is fantastic. It may not be a party 24/7 but you are constantly busy with sports, friends, etc.

Emily

Overall, I really do love RPI. The class sizes are perfect, not too many students, yet still enough to meet new people on the weekends. The campus is beautiful and has an IVY league look with some modern buildings. Although the city of Troy itself isn't that great. There are constantly notifications from public safety about people getting mugged near campus. Their isn't a lot of school pride. The football games never get a big turn out even though we have this great new complex. The hockey games are usually a lot of fun. The Greeks on campus to contribute to a large portion of making school pride better.

Carla

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.

Shawn

The best thing about RPI is the absolute focus in developing students into people who can truly work in the real world. A strong emphasis is placed upon taking at least one course in different fields, even if drastically different from your own (e.g. biology for Architecture majors). Similarly, professional development courses have their place in many majors to enhance the ability of students to work professionally and well with others. When people visit my school, they are amazed that the research-oriented view of the school. It is truly amazing how simple it is for students to become involved in academic research, whether it be in a science or engineering laboratory or in studies about lighting. RPI is surely full of pride and one of my fondest memories will be banding together and singing the Alma Mater with my friends at one of our many hockey games.

Chelsea

I LOVE my school. It definitely isn't perfect, but it's perfect for me. The classes are challenging. They don't sugar coat anything here. The professors are tough and aim to make tests that actually do test your understanding. But the professors also actually make sure they give you the opportunities you need to learn the material. What really makes me love it here, though, is the community. If you talk to anyone here, you are likely to hear the same basic story. They were a little reserved in High School, they had their friends, they had a pretty good time, but they also spent a lot of time on their own. But then they came here and discovered a 1000 other people who appreciate science, who care about academics, and who love the same nerdy things they had always loved, and they blossomed. The type of people you find here are generally accepting, non-judgemental, and friendly. They don't make nasty comments about the "nerds" who play LoL in the union or the people who wear funny clothes to class. They understand that everyone has their quirks, and they embrace it.

Sharon

RPI is a great school that provides you with a great education that prepares you extremely well for your future. The classes are extremely rigorous, which has prepared me so well when it comes to having great organization and work ethic skills. When companies see that you went to RPI, they are immediately impressed and know that for the past 4 years, you have worked hard. However, this is a double-edged sword. Sometimes I feel like the classes are so rigorous, that it almost feels unfair. There are weeks where you are not very busy, and then some weeks where you are smaller with three exams, and you have to put your social life aside and just study. Although almost all of my professors make themselves very available and are always there to help, there are times where I wish they put themselves in our shoes for a minute so they can realize that we have 3-4 other classes, activities, and sports that we are also a part of.

Brittany

I love RPI and I wouldn't change a thing. RPI has given me opportunities I wouldn't normally have elsewhere.

Laryssa

The school is small enough that you can walk to class and say hey to 2-4 people on your way, but big enough that you won't know everyone in your classes. When you do meet new people, they are usually no more than 2 degrees of separation away from your current friend circle. That's what I love about this school. There is a ton of school pride- everyone owns at least 1 piece of RPI clothing- and you can get usually 1 free t-shirt a year from some organization on campus. When you tell people at home that you go to RPI, usually you get a blank stare and they say "What is that?" But the big name tech companies all know about RPI. One of the biggest controversies on campus is how our President, Shirley Ann Jackson spends tuition money. The administration is spending money on upgrading buildings and developing new departments when the engineering department is seriously lacking funding. When half the student population are there to learn engineering disciplines, one would expect state of the art facilities. Instead, we have a new monstrous building, EMPAC that is used for hosting Shirley's events and guests.

Alex

RPI is the perfect size for a school. It's not too bug or too small. You will know many of your classmates, which will turn out for the best. It's tough, but you will succeed if you can make it.

Katie

Rpi is a small school, about 5500 undergrads. The athletics take second stage to the academics there, but theyre changing that. A lot of money is spent on research. There is no college town- ish atmostphere in Troy, but if you know where to go, you can have a good time

David

The school is little known outside the Engineering atmosphere, and you will have to end up saying "I go college at Rensselaer... Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute... Yes, Ren-sa-leer... RPI... It's a college in New York" But since you'll be employed by other engineers, it really doesn't matter if your mom's friend's co-worker doesn't know what college you went to. The campus is condensed, and only takes about 10 minutes to walk to the farthest corner away. A lot of the buildings are older, but *everywhere* is in range of a wireless signal, and most places have an ethernet jack. The class sizes are a little too large to be able to get 1on1 time with the professors, and the professors sometimes lack the ability to keep the students engaged. The town around the area is anti-college students, with a lot of older couples staked out in their wilting homes that will sometimes call noise complaints. School pride is great at hockey games, and randomly at parties and events, but you'll notice that the less social students look at the floor while passing people in the hallways, and it is hard to get to know a lot of people if you are not Greek because of the overwhelming greek population. Students mainly complain that there are not enough girls, and that the area is too cold in the winter. Both are true, but both are not bad enough for me to wish i went anywhere else.

Kevin

Overall after checking the college out it sounded just ok, a good reputation but not too exciting, after orientation my outlook improoved a little, though i was still unsure. Though after the first week of actually being there, my mind changed in a hurry! Overall RPI is great it has a lot of opportunities for fun and enjoyment and meeting new people and making lasting friendships. U always hear horror stories about college food, but don't believe it all, RPI has a lot better than expected food plan, most of the time the food is very good, with a variety to please different tastes. As far as classes, they can be a lot of work, if u blow it off and procrastinate it will catch up to u and bite u... but if u stay up with your work and talk to your teachers, or even other students, u will be fine.

Kristin

RPI is pretty nice campus is very nice and I think it is just the right size. When I tell people I go to RPI they usually are like wow you must be really smart. One of the problems with RPI though is that it is not really in a college town there not tons to do in the city of troy, but not far away is two big malls and quite a few other local colleges.

Gabrielle

A lot of people hear RPI and say, "Oh that's rochester, right?". Um, no. It is not. Most high school, and even college students have no idea what RPI is unless they are looking to go into a technical field. This really bothers some students... until they talk to older generations. When talking with adults, it is easy to realize that RPI has made a name for itself, and that name is quite impressive. Companies know RPI, and looking at the big picture, that is what matters. Who cares if the person sitting next to you in your high school graduation knows about RPI? The companies that will be looking to hire you in about four years know about RPI. The size of RPI is just right. It is not so small that you know everyone you see everyday, but it is also not too large so that you won't see any familiar faces on your way to class. The campus is small enough that it feels comfortable, but big enough that there is always somewhere to go.

Zac

Many RPI students feel and appreciate that RPI has a geeky identity. There are so many friendly people on campus and when you aren't studying, there are always things to do and people to meet. Classes can be tough, but you will get a very good education as long as you don't slack off too much. Also, the weather in Troy can kind of suck, but it's bearable.

Jon

Don't come here if you aren't prepared to get busy... everyone has a sizable work load here. There's help with time management and stress relief to help you get down the right path but be sure to bring your best work ethics with you. RPI is a niche school... in order to get in the door you need to be smart and capable, and as a result you will find that your classmates and dormitory denizens are intelligent people who probably share common ground with you. While Troy, NY does have some local vibe to it for the most part RPI is not a college down as it were and parties in the streets is not a frequent activity. This isn't to say there isn't anything to do; there's hundreds of student clubs, greek life, and special events going on frequently.

Mel

The best thing about RPI is the fellow students in my major. Being an architecture major really does mean being in studio all day and all night... but we're in there together and as much as it may suck to not have slept and have a huge project deadline hanging over your head, there is comfort in knowing you're in it together. I don't know how it is for the other majors, but there is a huge bond between the students, and often with the faculty too. RPI is just big enough so that there is a fairly large student body, but not one with which the faculty cannot interact on a personal level. My professors are intelligent professionals, often engaged in their own practice as well, who care about the students and really do make themselves available to us for questions, advice, and entertainment. Right now there's theres a problem going on between the faculty and the president of the school, Shirley Ann Jackson. She has suspended the faculty senate, which hasn't happened in a long time (I've been told) and seems to be using much of the school's funding for pet projects. However, I don't know the accuracy of either of these claim seeing as I'm getting this info from random grumblings around campus. It's true though that a lot of the student body feels like she's taking the school in a direction far from our own liking. EMPAC is a common source for disgruntled comments, and there is a great video-remake out there called "End of the 'tute" styled after the much-loved "End of the World." Aside from Shirley's push to make RPI something it isn't (a liberal arts school), the faculty and administration do a decent job. Though I don't understand why there are tuition hikes every year if our school funding is better than ever ... hm. I've had too many good experiences to recount.

Vick

Best thing is the reputation. If you tell your friends or neighbors about RPI they may not know about it. But rest assured all the big companies know about us. Size is just right. 15 minutes is the longest walk you will ever have to take. When I tell people about RPI they are like "wow, that's a great school." Spend most of the time hanging out with my girlfriend (who I found here at RPI my freshman year, so there are females around) working, with friends, Crossgates Mall, Indian food place in Troy (Shalimars or something) bowling in Troy (Uncle Sam's Lanes). Opinion of the administration: very polite and nice. the class sign up process and housing sign up needs massive improvement. hard to get the courses you want. as for the dorms, i got the fourth floor of the bldg most far away from everything! :( what they do in the spring is a lottery as opposed to credit based like class scheduling.

Dylan

I would change the focus of the school. I know RPI needs to bring in research money to stay afloat, but so many of the professors that they hire care only about research and hardly at all about the students. I've had some really bad experiences where the professor, while very nice, just could not teach. The lectures we basically just repeats of the book, and he/she seemed confused when going over problems. RPI still has a great reputation though. When I tell people I go there, it's almost always "wow, you must be smart." Same reaction when I say I'm in engineering. A few people have even referred to RPI as the step below MIT. It's nice to have that kind of recognition for your college. The Union is where a lot of students spend a huge amount of time. There are places to eat, so many people will grab lunch and do homework between classes, and almost every group meeting I've been to has started at the Union. Also, lots of club meetings take place there as well. It's probably the "social hub" of campus. RPI's administration is the one thing that angers me to no end about the school. There seems to be a lot of student disapproval for the president and other high-ranking officials. The biggest recent controversy was the president and dean of engineering getting rid of the environmental engineering program, and combining it with the civil engr curriculum. This eliminates the requirement that Env. Engrs take organic chemistry, which is part of what made the program so highly regarded by environmental professionals. Also, it was the first Env Engr program in the country, and still one of the best. Also, the president is trying to shift the school to be more of a university, which a lot of people don't agree with (largely because most people are engineering majors, and that is what the school is known for - we think it should continue to be its main focus). The Electronic Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) is going to be completed soon - millions of our tuition $ going towards something that most people view as unnecessary. The administration claims that people will be able to use their skills to help put on performances, but honestly, what is a nuclear engineer going to do? Also, RPI is NOT known for its athletics. The only division 1 sport is hockey, and they have been seriously lacking wins the past few years. But that didn't stop the admin from building the East Campus Athletic Village. Most people I've talked to agree that it is also a large waste of money, and annoying because it shut down one of the main roads through upperclassmen housing. BUT that said, I love RPI and I am glad I made the decision to go there. I love the people I've met, the things I have tried (rock climbing, for example), and I've even enjoyed the majority of classes I've taken.

Rina

For me, the best thing about RPI is snowboarding. Before coming to RPI, I have never snowboarded but now I have the opportunity to go every weekend. Off the top of my head, I can't think of things I would want to change. My school is just about the right size. It is traditionally a "small" campus but I can't feel that. There are times I feel I have to walk far and wide to get to certain buildings. Depending on where I am, people react differently to rpi. If I am talking to people that live near RPI but do not go there, they respond with admiration. I spend most of my time in the student union or at my sorority. I hear students complaining about RIBS. It stands for ratio-induced-bitch-syndrome. I see it very often in females.

Courtney

I think RPI is just the right size. Its not too big but it wouldnt take me 10 minutes to walk all around campus. People dont necessarily know what RPI stands for or where it is. Being from Maryland, RPI is not a popular college to attend.

Mike

RPI is located in Troy, which isn't the best area. Occasionally a student may be mugged, but usually only when he is by himself. There are a few nice restaurants, but not much else in the city. I like the size of my school. I'm pretty sure it has about five to six thousand students, and although this may seem like a lot, it really doesn't feel like it when you are on campus.

Heather

RPI is a wonderful school found at the top of Troy, NY. When you tell people that you attend RPI you get a lot of "Oh, what a wonderful school, just over in Rochester, right?" RPI is not RIT, the more people you tell this to, the more people will realize that it is clear across the state. There are almost 200 clubs on campus and there is always something going on. The city of Troy, though it has a bad reputation, is really not that awful. There are some really cute shops and nice places to eat in the area. Everyone here really loves hockey, that's probably where you can see the most school pride.

Kate

well, let's see. i love it here. its easiest to describe why i love it if you understand what i needed/wanted when i was looking for a college. i knew that i needed a smaller school, not to the extent that everyone knows everyone, but it couldn't be like its own city. the nice thing about rpi is that its just right. you know people, you know of people, and then theres the people you've never heard of. and you can be apart of all these different groups and know a couple people out of each and if you know anyone, your accepted into the group. everyone here is so nice, and helpful. rpi is kind of based in a college town, its more of just a smaller city. if you go into troy (down the hill) you could get mugged/raped, and if you go farther into the county (up the hill) you'll hit farms after like 35 minutes, but its comfortable when your here. most everything happens on campus or close to campus and its not like troy, or the rest of the county. we're kind of our own little area. plus rpi is just saving up to buy up troy and just completely remodel it. we even just bought the Best Western in troy. the biggest problem most students, well recently, have had with the admins here and the college itself, is a free-speech problem, but they're working that out currently by having admins, faculty, and students meet together to try and work it all out. everyone here is for the school. the hockey games are awesome. there's always something to do, and everyone owns at least one outfit that has RPI or Rensselaer on each article of clothing. theres also a lot of community stuff that goes on, like frats holding events that benefit charities, or help the community in some way. the frats are probably the most odd aspect of living at rpi. if you want to go out, say party perhaps, there are no clubs. there is one main bar in troy that the students go to, but if your into that kind of stuff NY's biggest party school is 15 minutes car ride away, so its not much of a problem. but back to the frats. they hold all the parties. there is one other party circuit really and they're pretty much the same houses over and over. the frats have fun parties, and are mostly pretty accepting... if your a girl. sorry guys, but your gonna have to pay to party wherever you go, unless its a get-together. but the parties are fun, and themed most of the time, which makes it fun even when your not drinking, when you just want to go somewhere to dance. one experience i'll always remember is kinda bad, but happens on every college campus. 420. there is a grassy "quad" or like square in front of one of the academic buildings, and on april 20th at about 330 the quad gets packed with stoners, spectators, hippies, and everyone. and we all wait until 420 and just smoke. its a blast, and a lot of campus orgs will come out and sell food for some benefit, like a charity or service. its always a good time, even if you don't smoke. most complaints are that there are no girls. but most of the guys are just too lazy to try so its not really the lack of girls, its the lack of motivation.

Jason

In general RPI is a great school with a very techincal background. As a result the events and working at both the graduate and undergraduate level is certainly on the cutting edge of todays technological and design development. While the nature of Troy and RPI can not necessarily be seen as initally exciting and extertaining I assure you that it is very easy to find ways to have fun and enjoy the college experience. The campus and the surroundings are welcoming of collegate students and I've never experienced a dull moment.

Pat

RPI is a really nice school in a pretty crappy city. Troy sucks but there isn't much need to go there. The school itself is nice. The campus s pretty nice but could use some more green space. The academics are top notch and the professors really know their stuff. Most engineers I know hold RPI in very high regard but most non-engineers have never heard of it. The administration can be dicks at times and don't get along well with the faculty. There are a lot of different construction projects on campus building some extremely nice buildings that are not really needed (EMPAC, the new football stadium, etc.). Living on campus is an interesting experience an I recommend it for freshman year as you will meet a lot of people in your dorm. After that though I highly suggest moving off-campus. Its cheaper and anything is bigger than the on campus rooms.

Julian

Best thing about RPI would have to be leaving with a degree and a 60K paying job. One thing id change would be location of the school. people have no idea where or what RPI is. im a frosh soo id have to say i spend most of my time in my dorm. administration is good i guess except for the way courses are taught, they make it way harder then it actually could be. an experience ill always remember is taking part in a huge 420 gathering in the center courtyard around classroom buildings. Public safety just watched and didnt say or do anything when people were smoking blunts right in there face. student complaints, uh not enough girls, ratio of guys to girls, ugly girls that think theyre hot...a term here at RPI: RIBS - Ratio Induced Bitch Syndrome this happens a lot at RPI. oo yea most girls here are socially fuckin stupid soo its very hard to find cool chicks here..

Rob

The school is the perfect size for someone who isn't comfortable with the big city but thinks that a more rural setting will be too boring. Troy is a relatively nice city with a rich history. There are parts of Troy, as with every city, that are undesirable. However, it does not take long to figure out where those regions are and to avoid them after dark. Troy is not a true college town, but it is developing into one. There are parks and plenty of great restaurants to be found near campus. When I tell people from the capital region that I go to RPI, they usually say that I must be very smart which isn't a lie. However, when I tell people from home where I go, they give me a blank stare. RPI has a good reputation, and it seems to be increasing with the years. RPI's administration is a case of construction fever at the moment, but the projects that are being built will hopefully make RPI's name more of a household one. One of the most frequent complaints on campus is the apparently lack of women. It is true; the ratio of men to women is heavily in favor of the men. However, this is changing with every incoming class. I've never really noticed a lack of girls, but that may be because of my magnetic personality.

Jesse

RPI is a very focused technical school. Its a good place to go if you have a career in mind. Its not a good place to go to discover yourself

Isaac

I'm gonna talk a little about school pride. RPI has almost no school pride. I say "almost" because we do have some pride for our hockey team. They suck... but they suck at the highest level that they could possibly suck. They're consistently at the bottom of the division 1 hockey league. So at least they suck at being awesome, rather than sucking in div 3 (like our football team). Our pride in hockey brings me to the semi-official Red Army. They love hockey. But everyone else hates them. The Red Army is the hockey "cheer squad". They buy up a row of seats for the season and cheer at the team and jeer at the opponents. Basically they do what the pep band does, only without instruments... and they do it worse. There's been a lot of controversy over the role of the Red Army. I'm not quite sure what's come of it, but from what I can tell, it doesn't seem like they have a very defensible position. They don't really contribute that much, aside from more drunken fans yelling incoherently from the stands, pissing other people off. Also, a lot of what I've said is subjective and possibly flat-out wrong. Believe me at your own risk.

Dylan

Best thing about RPI is that I will get a good job upon graduation and will receive a lot of money for it.

Casey

You go to RPI for the academics, not because it's fun. You do your 4 years or more and move on with your life.

mikey

The size of the school is nice, not too big not too small, and the ratio of students to teachers makes it possible to have a relationship with your professor. When you tell people you go to RPI a fair amount of people don't know where it is or whether or not it is a good school but in the business world it looks good to have an education from this school. The area around the school is really bad atmosphere but within the campus limits its very nice. As long as you associate yourself with the greek community you'll have a decent social life.

Sarah

Most people don't know RPI or have never heard of it before. It's a great school with a lot of things to offer it needs to get out there more and be more available to prospective students. There needs to be more of a connection with Troy that's not just centered around community services. Although Troy is an impoverished area, there should be more things to do there. There could be more school pride too. I mean there's a lot of school pride surrounding hockey, but other than that there's not a whole lot.

Jacob

RPI is a good enough size school that has a great reputation behind it. When i tell someone, who is intelligent that i go to rpi they usually are impressed. I spend most of the time either in my room, especially during the winer, the union, which hosts the pool tables ping pong and other activites, or down in my fraternity house. I would say greek life is a large source of fun at rpi.

Carl

I think the size of RPI is right for a good engineering school at abou 5000 undergraduate students. RPI is located in Troy, NY which is not a good college town. It can be pretty rough in places but the RPI campus itself is nice and pretty safe. The administration is very authoritative and just a pain. They are always dictating to students and faculty alike, they do not listen well to the student body or professors. Theres not much school pride, theres only 2 D-1 sports, men and women's hockey. All other teams are D-3 or club team which sucks either way. There are a lot of clubs for every interest but they are not usually well funded and theres not a lot of general athletic space around campus. The few actual team sports get all the priority while club sports, intermurals, and regular students get the screwed.

Whitney

The best thing about RPI is that everyone is smart and usually willing to help you out for nothing in return. Supposedly its easy to find a job after you graduate (unless you do a fringe major like Philosophy). There are enough people here that you can find your niche, whatever it is, but not so many that you get lost in the crowd. I see at least one friend, and tons of familiar faces every day on my way to class. But it doesn't feel crowded. The kids here take up projects voluntarily for stuff like going green, and theres papers and grafiti taped up around the student union and bridge with slogans and causes, but people don't hound you about them. The administration are greedy bastards who are trying to turn this school into a pure IVY league school with a strong liberal arts program, and feel that yearly 7{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} increases in tuition that you never see in scholarships or school programs is a good idea. This is supposed to be a tech school. I suppose that kind of sucks, but at least so far it hasn't seemed to have effected the science and engineering programs in too negative a way. Students routinely make fun of the EMPAC building (Experimental Media and Performance Arts Center) by calling it the "EMPAC spaceship" because its ugly and useless and taking years longer than it was supposed to to be built. RPI is also building a new Sports center that less than half the student population will use, but what is supposedly responsible for the huge tuition increases. The tuition here is too fucking much, but the return on investment makes up for it.

Danielle

it has a reputation for being one of the best engineering schools in the country, and i believe that. the workload is extremely demanding, but in the end it is worth it because if any employer is looking at hiring 2 students with the exact same qualifications, but one is from UCONN and one is from RPI, its pretty safe to say that at least 4 out of 5 would choose the one from RPI because of that reputation. however, it is extremely expensive and not exactlly in the best area for walking around. but if you can deal with that, then there will be bigger benefits down the road

Matt

The thing I love about RPI is that, having lived in a residence hall all three years, I've come to find that most students are friendly and great to hang out with. The school is growing at a rapid pace with the addition of the EMPAC building, the Biotech center and the East Campus Athletic Village. The town, Troy, isn't that great and in fact, is pretty bad. However, there are some nice parts to it, and the monthly Troy Night Out is a lot of fun. There's always something going on that's fun every weekend, you just have to know where to look. Most people who complain, complain about the bad guy to girl ratio, but it's something that grows on you.

Jillian

The campus is medium sized, and is generally pleasant to walk around. It's pretty cold in Troy most of the time, and rains a lot, but it makes the few days that are nice seem that much nicer. RPI has a big reputation for being a top engineering school, so if you mention you are going there, your prospective employer is guaranteed to be impressed. It's not that well known among other people, though. They usually confuse it with RIT. Troy has a reputation of being a sketchy city, but in reality it's not that bad. It has little shops, cafes, galleries, and parks, and Troy Night Out. There's lots to do on campus, so you will never be bored, but with the RPI workload (especially architecture students), you probably won't have time to be bored anyway.

Kristin

RPI is a small school, mostly male (right now), but that is changing as the admissions is working to make it a more evenly distributed class. People on the east coast know the school well, and are stunned that you go there (especially if you are normal). On campus time is spent at the library, union, or DCC. The school is located in Troy, NY which isn't very nice to the students on campus, so you feel confined sometimes to only the campus area, but you can go into the town and not be scared (unlike they tell you the first year). RPI's administrators aren't helping the situation with downtown Troy and aren't doing a good job at encouraging students to go and support the town much.

Tony

If there were a majority of more girls people would learn more social skills. The school size is good the way it is. When I tell people that I go to RPI they look at me as if I am a genius and compliment me a lot. I spend my time most in the Union or at my house. It is mostly a college town. RPI definitely works hard, for the most part, to make things run smoothly. Recently, freedom of speech has a been something debated at this school. School pride is moderate, it is not too big, but for some people it is.

Kelly

The best thing about RPI is the education and the name recognition now that we are a top 25 new ivy. The school is a little too small i think but i like it like that. We only have five thousand students going to this school currently. When i tell people what school i got to they where is that. Now it is getting recognition so people are familiar with this school now. We are the oldest engineering school in the united states. I spend a lot of my time in the Green Building which is the studio for architects and the Student Union. The RPI administration is very goal oriented and they expect a lot from the students. Almost everything is run by the students that go to this school. The biggest controversy was that this Iraqi artist wanted to show a game which features terrorist killing people American and they cancel his event because they thought it was a sensitive issue. They school is very conservative about things like that. I think there is a lot of school pride not as much i would want it to be but they are proud students. One experience i'll always remember are the people and the parties in the apartments on campus.The most frequent complaints is that we don't have enough girls and that the plotters are always back up when the archies have a project due.

Steve

Recently the school has been cracking down on drinking. When I got here, the only people with social lives belonged to frats. There is pretty much a frat to fit anyone here if you can find it. I think the number was {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}70 of students were involved in greek life. Since then something like 15 of the 32 frats on campus have been suspended for something stupid and minor. The Nazi Queen that runs this place hates frats and fun.

Jordan

RPI is what you make of it. If you are social person before you come to college, you will continue on at this school. If Greek Life is your thing, you can do it here, but if its not, there are plenty of people who aren't into it. If you want school to be academic, you can allow yourself to focus on that more than the social aspect. The size of the student body accommodates a lot of what I have just described.. being just about 5,000 students (more or less), you generally know who everyone is, or have heard of them which allows you to be social, but at the same time you can do your own thing with your own group of friends. I'm sure you hear a lot about where the school is located, and I'm sure its purely negative. Being in Troy, NY isn't the best place to be, but don't let that deter you from RPI. I grew up right outside of Boston and trust me, Troy is really not thaat bad. There are so many great little places to eat and districts to explore, and no its not LA or NYC or Boston, but so what? You'd be broke after a week anyways. Overall the friends you make at RPI are friends you will keep in touch with and be close with for many years. And every now and then school feels like a drag, but when I'm home on break I always find myself missing Troy, NY and my new found friends, even though I enjoy being in Boston more than anything.

david

The school is extremely applied ( I guess this is what happens with engineering schools). Don't come here if you are interested in more theoretical studies. Currently, the school is going through a reformation of many programs and aesthetics of the campus ( I would not say a particularly good change). Also, on a side note, It is in a town which is comparable to a small city. Getting back to the scholastic attitude of application, I will also state that this is a great place for someone who is interested in going to industry after school and not into more academic endeavors. This is the overall attitude of many students, driven for the nature of the work and less interested in the classical learning for knowledge. If it does not have a application in their chosen profession many will over look the information and regard it as useless. So, expect this kind of attitude from many students. As for frivolous topics such as school pride , experience , and complaints a.k.a bitching( pardon my French) pride runs in dark corners . Funny experience was when campus was cleared because someone committed suicide ( yep only in tech schools). People complain about how much work they get, but it is not that bad unless your a science major which is about 10 {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the school. Overall, cost is 45,000 a year so buyers beware.

Torry

rpi is a great school

Tanya

The campus takes 20 minutes or less to walk. You will always find someone new to meet, and run into about 10 old friends along the way. Greek life is huge, but totally different from anything I would have expected.

Michael

There's a horrible relationship between downtown Troy and RPI. RPI shelters many of their students by not helping to expose them to the community. Buying up properties in the surrounding area, such as Java++ and Big Apple Pizza only results in further segmentation, which doesn't allow for much community mixing and sharing of values, experiences, etc.

KJ

I had heard that Troy was not the nicest town, but I really enjoy being at RPI and in Troy. I think that it is a great school and a great place to live for four years. It's just the right size, so we can get around easily, but we're not cramped.