The Rochester Institute of Technology

This school was absolutely horrible. I transferred in from a liberal arts school as I wanted more practical experience. I was sold on the co-op program and other "merits" of RIT. From day one, I felt as if I had to turn in my personality and individual sense of importance. I was treated as an inmate on work release. The campus, faculty and administration spends an inordinate amount of time ensuring that they are paid every last dollar. I had to negotiate at the student aid office EVERY semester for dollars that I had been promised at the beginning. In addition, the cost of this school is way too high to justify the quality of education, instruction or motivation that I received. (By the way, I am now reasonably successful with a six figure income that RIT had NOTHING to do with). RIT is full of continuing education students each of them from Kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb and the likes. As these students are from corporations giving dollars to RIT, RIT caters its education to these corporations. I received a corporate cookie cutter education geared to helping me rise to the middle of corporations like these. I can't urge people enough to not spend their money at RIT and instead attend a State school and use the money you save to launch a business or attend an excellent graduate school.

4th Year Male -- Class 1997

Collaboration/Competitive: B-, Individual Value: F

There is honestly too much to put down for negative aspects so I will just list them
1. Absolutely no social aspect to the school
2. Being friendly is something unknown to most students here
3. they take great advantage of parking tickets
4. They don't plow or keep parking lots properly maitenanced
5. Most classes require extra fees to milk students of every possible cent they have
6. Classes don't get cancelled during blizzards putting everyone's lives in danger
7. labs aren't provided with sufficient equipment and up to date computers/ software
8. Shops that certain majors require run on unscheduled times making it impossible to be confident in getting work done on time

9. The gym will be packed everyday all day. Mostly by people who don't know how to properly exercise
10. Every RIT website is confusing
11. Most RIT websites don't work properly
12. Enrollment is completely unfair. They hold extra spaces open for deaf students that don't require the course even though there are majors that require certain classes to graduate.

13. They have several food places to eat, but it's all interchangeable food, just a different name on the place. for example the chicken at salsaritas is the same at Gracies and commons and everywhere else that sells chicken. That goes for everything like pasta, cheese, etc

14. All facilities are run on RIT's time not the student's
15. To get to your classes you must first walk about half of a mile, and during 10 degree weather in a blizzard it is almost unbearable. And like i mentioned before these walkways aren't shoveled at all... that speaks for itself

16. Specifically to my major... the doors to the studios are never locked so students will come up and steal from you unless things aren't locked up tight at all times

17. they do things like construction in the middle of main campus walkways during prime class times. for example the other weekend they had a bucket truck in the middle of the main walkway hanging up a "Freezefest" sign while thousands of students had to walk by the dangerous site all day.. Negligence

18. from my experience with deaf students... they are immature and wreckless so prepare to put up with this behavior everyday.

19. All campus living is a scam. Do not live at Park point, province, Colony, etc. they are money hounds.

20. They claim to have a great hockey team... They were good for a few years, but not anymore.
21. Advisors usually aren't much help. They spend more time out of the office than they do in the office.

22. extremely ugly campus... it looks good from space though...
23. The buildings are designed and placed in a way that they become gigantic wind tunnels. This is not ideal for a place that is already above average windy

24. All the dorms are disgusting
25. Parties are horrendous. Most of the time they are held in Park point or Province apartments that are basically one room apartments so It's always just a bunch of weirdos standing around being weirdos

26. They host tours during the 4 weeks of nice weather in September and May to trick people into coming here. Little do they know there is a 6 month long intense winter

27. All the frats suck. They either consist of douche bags or weirdos
28. Most RIT events will be a complete let down due to either weather or just a bad event overall
29. When there are special events parking becomes closed off for special guests making your 200$ parking passes illegitimate for the time being.

30. Insufficient parking leads to you being late for class because you have to wait 10-15 minutes on average for a spot in your designated lot.

31. There is no community within the campus. it is pretty much a place for students to go to learn and do school work. there is no life within the buildings just static students there for one thing, education.

32. Every food place is way overpriced because they know they can get the money out of you. I mean where else are you going to eat?

33. "This University treats you as a person, not just as a number in the factory." The survey question asked this and I put F. If you get only one thing out of this survey please let it be this one. RIT does not give a fuck about you. Honestly the list goes on and on. I think of something new everyday mostly because these things genuinely do happen on a daily basis. The school is one of the biggest scams in the country and I hope this persuades you to look at other options. I would say the only thing that should make you attend RIT is that you are 5000% sure the major you want is exactly what you need and what you want to do for the rest of your life.

4th Year Male -- Class 2015

Perceived Campus Safety: A, Education Quality: F

1. The switch from quarters to semesters was extremely badly executed. Students were promised that they would not be impacted by the change, however 75% of students are having to stay an extra semester, or take over 20 credits in order to keep on track. Academic advising in the art department is virtually useless, they are inaccessible and unhelpful. Professors have no idea how to teach a semester long course, so it is just as fast paced as the quarters, but lasts 5 weeks longer.

2. On campus housing ranges from $450 -$1500 per month. Do not live in the on campus apartments, especially Park Point. They rob you on average $750 per month, and then add other surprise fees just for giggles.

3. RIT IS NOT IN ROCHESTER. YOU CANNOT WALK DOWNTOWN. The campus is in Henrietta, 20 min outside the city. so to go out, you need a friend who has a car and enjoys DDing. Really, you need a car to do anything, as there is no public transport in Henrietta.

4. RIT uses your money to build useless new buildings. They ignore the renovating and updates that need to be done, and instead build a new hockey stadium. The art building is the most ignored in terms of renovating. Avoid the bathrooms.

5. As an art student, professors will expect you to spend A LOT of money on supplies and studio fees. There is no mercy. Expect to spend an extra 1,000 per year on these types of expenses, on top of tuition.

6. It used to be free to park in the farthest lot, about half a mile from campus. It is a very unpleasant walk in the winter. As of this year you now have to pay $100 for this luxury.

7. Student Financial Services, if I may, is the most incompetent office you will ever step foot in during your life time. They hate their jobs, and they hate you for asking them to do their jobs.

8.Each semester you have to pay an extra fee of $246, but no matter who you ask, no one will tell you what this fee is for.

9. In summary, RIT will rob you and your family of a great deal of money, and you will not have that great of an experience. At the end of it you will be writing something just like this. Go somewhere else, just do.

4th Year Female -- Class 2014

Perceived Campus Safety: A, University Resource Use/ spending: F