Rochester Institute of Technology Top Questions

RIT has really smart kids, and the professors make them use their brains. It's a lot of hard work with a quick pace because of the ten weeks, but for me, it's worth it in the end.

Yeah they do. My Film Arts elective was incredible. I learned a great deal about the art of film (imagine that) and the class was incredibly interesting. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but I learned more from this one elective than I did from a year and half of classes related to my majors. Also, the professor's lectures were logical, ordered, structured, and appropriate to the audience, and you could tell he actually gave a fuck about the class, which is more than I could say for my other teachers. (And although my major is listed as Psychology, the shitty teachers I reference are from my time as a Networking Major.) My least favorite class was OS Scripting because it was a bunch of fucking bullshit that I never would have used for any practical purpose and the teacher was an asshole. It seems like most of us don't study at all, but I'm probably just more inclined to make friends with lazy scumbags rather than studious individuals. We have many intellectual conversations covering a broad range of topics, which is something I quite enjoy about this school. I don't know many competitive people. It seems most of us are either too jaded to care or didn't care in the first place. Most unique class, again, was Film Arts. Watching and talking about movies six hours a week with an extremely intelligent and well organized professor, you really can't possibly beat that. Can't comment on Psychology as I just switched into it very recently. The Networking department seemed to think that they didn't really have to teach, as anyone who would be in that major loves computer stuff so much that they'll just go out and learn it on their own anyways, so what's the point in teaching it? I think the major was designed specifically for kids with a passion for computer technology, which I just didn't have, so it didn't work out for me. But apparently it works great for other people, so if that's their method of weeding out all the people who don't belong, then I guess they're doing their job. (I don't mean that to sound sarcastic, that's just honestly how it seems. I don't fault them for it or hold a grudge, but I do think it's an accurate appraisal of the situation.) I rarely spend time with professors outside of class, but when I have, it has been good. Three of my professors have taken me and other students out to dinner, and a group of faculty took us to an internet cafe to kill each other in computer games, which is always fun. Academic requirements are pretty lenient, which is good since it seems like it doesn't take much to fuck your grades up pretty bad. Especially at a quarter-system school where one bad test can have devastating results. RIT doesn't punish you stuff like that unless you screw up repeatedly. Getting a job! Screw the learning, go get a career and send us donations.

Depending on what classes you're enrolled in, there's either a good chance the professor knows every person in the class, or a chance that you're just another face in the crowd. Freshman lectures tend to be impersonal, but once you get into your "core" classes that pertain to your major, professors get to know you much better. In a seventy person marketing class this past fall, my professor actually took the time to learn everyone's name - impressive. There are professors that make you want to go to class and those that make you want to stay as far away as possible. Students are competitive in most cases, but it makes it interesting. I'm in the Multidisciplinary program, which combines classes from a variety of chosen majors, so I'm not exclusively involved in one department, but I still find it easy to get to know the professors in each department and get help when I need it. For the most part, everyone is very approachable. Academic requirements are usually pretty fair - the liberal arts credits are easy to fill up, especially if you come in with AP credits, and the math and sciences aren't excruciating. The beautiful thing about the RIT curriculum is how easy it makes it to find a job after graduating. The job fairs and co-op advisors really help you to find co-ops and internships in your respective fields, and help you to gain the experience that employers look for after graduation. Of course, it still takes a lot of effort on our part as the student, but it's worth the work.

Classes here vary from quarter to quarter, person to person, major to major, and every other imbetween. Studying is recommended for classes that aren't project based, and I rarely see someone who never has time to relax and hang-out because of studying or class work all the time, but there are those select times, but normally they're only like 2-3 days long. Most of the professors work at learning names, and if you talk to them the sooner they learn it. I've even just been talking with professors as we leave that class to the point either I walk to their car or they walk to my dorm building and then one of us realize, "Crap, wrong way!" (never any missed classes or such, due to this thankfully).

A few professors know my name, but most don't care to learn their students' names unless the student frequently visits them during office hours. My favourite class has been Cyber Self Defense- ridiculously easy course, but the professor made it worthwhile with his interesting and stimulating lectures. Least favourite would have to be Discrete Mathematics. The professor did not know how to properly convey the material, all he did was give example after example and I had to figure out how to solve eahc problem on my own. Too much time was spent trying to teach myself the course. Most students study a few hours per week. Class participation depends on the course and how stimulating the professor is- most people are practically braindead in the introductory philosophy courses, but there is more participation in the writing seminars. Networking Security and System Administration has a few common sense courses that make the major seem boring, but the higher levels appear to be much more enjoyable. I don't spend much time with professors outside of class, unless going over an error in a test or encountering a problem with the course material. Some of the academic requirements are ridiculous. The Programming for IT courses don't really teach you a good understanding of programming. I honestly think that NSSA and Game Design majors would benefit much more from taking the Computer Science courses to get a better grasp of programming. RIT is very focused toward getting its students a job.

It depends on the class size. In some of the liberal arts courses that everyone has to take, some classes could reach over 200. But most of the core courses or more specified courses have about 30 people, so the professors are usually pretty friendly. Favorite class: Interactive digital media, a combination of design and programming in Flash. Least favorite: Programming 3, professor made it essentially a self-taught course. A lot of students at RIT are smart, so sometimes they don't have to study, but there are study sessions that I would imagine are the same as other universities. Whether students have intellectual conversations outside of class depends on the student and subject, however, most of the time, if a topic comes up in normal converation, students discuss it academically. of course students are competitive, this is a capitalistic society, but there are group projects and students tend to help eachother when asked for help. Most unique class: Massage: learned massaging techniques and practiced on other classmates. Game design and development: pretty much the most kick ass major anywhere, but that's not to say it's not challenging. We make games, but don't always get a chance to play them. Sometimes, I usually only go to a professor's office hours it they are interesting people that I wouldn't mind sitting down and talking with. The requirements are rigorous, but I would rather be challenged than stagnate in my ignorance. Your goal at RIT is your own, sure you can go bare bones and only take courses related to your major, but you are also allowed to take extra courses if there is a topic that we are interested in.

I'm a freshmen on campus doing research in my field - physics - and am getting paid for the time I contribute to the lab. My job is to make my resume look better while learning relevant applications of physics at the same time. If that isn't career orientated, what is?

Prof/ Names: Yes they know your name specially if you are a minority with a very strange name like myself lol. Every prof. I've ever had knew my name even in the large 100 student lectures.. why i dont kno... im not one of those people that go and tlk to the prof after class except for those few times I needed help. IF you are in a small class they will def kno your name especially if you stand out somewhow (and i dont just mean race!!!) The BEST classes will have to be the small liberal arts ones, BEautiful teachers I love them. This is probably bias because I'm better at such things but still. They are usually smaller, and I feel like I actually learn things from these teachers and the students that participate (like creative nonfiction, intro to poetry, latin america literature. The BEST class I ever took in RIT is Public SPeaking with Reeves O'Connor. I loved it. EVEryone should take this class. You learn so much about things you never knew in your life from your fellow peers and the speeches they give. I enjoyed this class, and I was sad when it was over (everyone in the class felt this way!) My least favorite classes were the sciences (Chem and Bio class in particular) Over a hundred students... Only 3exams that determine whether you fail or not...ONce again this is bias because Im not a science person eventhough it's my major. Even those who loved were bored though... Everyone studies a different amount depending on the kind of student they are and depending on what class you are taking. The people I know don't study too much though lol (myself included... but hey im too smart for such things). Yeah people participate in most of the classes I've taken as long as they know what the teacher is talking about. I would say kind of.. Intellectual conversation.... yeah kind of. Thats all I have to say about that. I know my friends and i do atimes... Matter fact yes RIT students do have intellectual conversations... I wouldnt say students are competitive. I mean we all want to succeed! This is not H.S where everyone's asking what did you get while the whole class is listening. I think if anything the competition might be more among friends that are in the same class. In my circle we tend to help each other more than anything, and I believe that is representative of other people too.. maybe. I definitely don't feel an atmosphere of competitiveness though maybe I'm just naive, but I highly doubt it. WEll the major thing is a problem/ big secret that I will reveal right now... I was an Ultrasound student so I was in college of science. If you dont love science get out of it quickly!!! It's a pretty cool major though for those that can actually do well in the sciences. I loveedd my advisor (Hamad Ghazle, very popular dude). he was very helpful, great guy overall. I'm in the Exploration program right now and they are pretty good too. I actually learned a lot about myself and what I'd be good in which is something I was unable to do by myself so it definitely was not a waste of my time (I completed general required courses). Im going into business (human resources management). I went to the College of Business office... the advisor i met with was not friendly at all, she was a little to business like for my taste... I mean im not a computer or robot it seemed as if she was jus tryna move on to the next task unlike my other advisors that actaully care. You also dont have a particular adivsor, you just go there and whoever is on duty gets you (how rudee). I like being able to make m own decisions, but she was making it for me when it came to choosing my classes. She barely gave me any eye contact, and I wasn't even given the chance to ask my questions. SO what I'm saying is I DONT like the business department. I've heard of people that spend time with their prof, but not me. If I see a prof I like on my way somewhere, I might talk to them for a few minutes or something like that. There was this one really cool prof. who invited the whole class over for dinner at the end of the quarter (liberal arts once again lol) at her apartement. It was a greatttt experience. I was reluctant at first because I didnt want to be bored, but we all had a great time and the food was goooood!!! RIT's academic requirements are pretty decent I guess. Nothing ridiculous really. SOme classes are excruciatingly difficult (popular one being BIology, chem, UNiversity physics among others) but you just have to do what u have to do!! The thing that makes it hard is the fact that you're learning an enormous amount of work in 10 weeks ... so everything is like thrown at you and you barely have enough time to keep it in ( i dont really like that but it also has it positives). EDucation here is geared towards getting a job, but there are also general education requirements that are just for learning sake. The coops are what really get you the job though.

Professors at RIT will go by their first name and many strive to have good relationships with their students. My favorite class was taught in Second Life about Online Advertising. Students at RIT study hard, though some students coasts through. Class participation ranges from tech classes to liberal art classes. RIT students have conversations that many other students can't understand. It is scary sometimes what students discuss. Students at RIT are competitive and team oriented. It is a great place to work as a team. In Advertising & Public Relations students frequently visit their professors and not for class help. The professors in the Department of Communication are very open and willing to chat with students about anything. RIT is a leading career oriented university. Students are required to do co-ops or internships before gradations often allowing students to make real world connections.

Certain professors know my name, but if the class has over 150 students I don't personally expect the teacher to know everyone by name, although some may memorize quite a few. I've had quite a few classes that I thoroughly enjoyed, surprisingly one of them being Public Speaking. My favorite class this quarter was the Philosophy of Poker, Monty Python, and Superheroes. My first favorite class that I had my freshman year was History and Aesthetics of Photography. My least favorite class was Materials and Processes of Photography because it was extremely difficult and I felt completely out of my element. Students study more or less depending on the subjects, and their own personal difficulty levels. I will study for days for a class that is much harder than a class that doesn't require memorizing eight chapters of Human Biology. Again, depending on the class and the teacher, participation is taken very seriously, or isn't considered at all. Lectures are a great example. All of my teachers have encouraged questions or input from students, but there are days when students just listen and have nothing to add or ask. Other classes that consist of 20-30 students, are expected to have participation count as part of your overall grade for the course. I find myself having rather intellectual conversations outside of class ranging anywhere between history, to science, to the arts, etc., etc. Students can be competitive, but I don't find it often except in the business department. If there are group assignments or projects, your group wants to have the best product and/or presentation. My most unique class is one of my favorites, the Philosophy of Monty Python, Poker, and Superheroes. My teacher was a 36 year old woman, who loved typical "male" things [according to society], yet she connected with every student on one level, at least! She opened my eyes to other topics I never would've given thought to, and has helped me become a better person. I belong to the Communications department and I am enrolled in the Advertising and Public Relations major. I have been with this department for a full year now, I began RIT as a Fine Art Photography major but realized it was my favorite hobby and not what I was going to turn into an occupation. The APR (Adver./PR) major is more than I expected. I will finish with a professional core in Marketing, which helps my background even further. The professors I have are phenomenal and I find it to be a very active department. I do spend time with one professor outside of class. We grab lunch now and again and talk about life and school. It's as if she's a guidance counselor or a close aunt. It's amazing that RIT has such wonderful scholars. I feel that RIT sets high expectations for its students purposely. They expect great results from great students. College wouldn't be college without the challenges and hardships that we have to face. The standards RIT sets are everything I hope for each and every college student; a path leading them to the "real world." The education at RIT is learning for the sake of getting a job in your own field of passion. The resources we have at RIT are not geared at leaving with a degree for the sake of having the degree. The reason RIT exists is so that students can accomplish whatever they set their minds to, and can end up enjoying for the rest of their lives or until retirement if they so desire. The wide range of majors and minors that are available at RIT was something that made it stand out in my eyes when I applied to universities.

Some professors, mainly the ones in the communication department, and ones with small classes do indeed know my name. I don't necessarily have a favorite or least favorite class at the moment, because I didn't get my grades back yet. But seriously I don't have a favorite class, but my least favorite class so far would have to be PR just because I can't stay awake in that class to save my life, and ironically I need that class for my major. Class participation is not only common but it is encouraged. RIT do have intellectual conversations outside of class, it's a given because of what's going on right now in the world. Students are competitive, but it depends on who's around or who cares to the extent of the competition. In my major it is very competitive because RIT can't really find many employers to come to RIT for the communications profession so anyone that does it's the survival of the fittest, that and the power of networking to your advantage. The most unique class I've taken so far would have to be Arts of Expression: Understanding Contemporary Art, just threw me in a loop and I weirdly enjoyed it. The department of communications is very warm and welcoming, consistently throwing mixers and get togethers so that the faulty and students get to know each other on a more personal, friendly basis. I do spend time with professors outside of class, especially department of communication (doc) professors. RIT's academic requirements are understandable and attainable. RIT is definitely geared towards getting a job, especially since each school and major makes co-ops required for graduation so that we have that work force experience and so that we are sure on what we are getting ourselves into.

Education is very Personalized. Class participation is encouraged and rewarded, and the intellectual conversation outside the classroom are everywhere you go. RIT is definitely a place for those who are interested in their education. I would say that professors are also very approachable.