The Rochester Institute of Technology

My experience with RIT so far has been very mixed. This is certainly a good school for education as all departments have a wide number of professors who genuinely care for your education and want you to learn and succeed. Most professors I've encountered are very helpful and understand the stress that comes with being a full-time student. I've been in classes that are quite engaging and were unique in that they allow me to do "hands-on" work outside of just reading the textbook (although some professors choose to work like this as well). The food is also pretty good if you have the money to spend on it. Campus safety will certainly keep you safe.

However as I enter my 4th year, I can't help but feel as if I've missed out on something. I've learned that college is more than education. The experience of being on your own and meeting a wide range of people from different states and cultures plays a big role too. This is where RIT simply falls flat on its face. I've encountered a lot of friendly people who I consider as friends, but for every friendly person, there's a handful of snobs and arrogant jerks. It's almost like people are inherently angry for no reason. The parties are actually very prevalent, but only if you like "frat-boy" attitude. Sure, RIT has a bunch of social clubs but those mainly consist of a group of people who are reluctant to let new members in. There is no sense of community or school spirit at RIT and while there is a plethora of guy-to-girl ratio jokes, you'll eventually figure out that they tend to cast a constant depressive mood across campus.

One major point that anyone reading this should know is that RIT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ITS STUDENT BODY. They want your money plain and simple. Its unacceptable to accept more students than you can house and cram three/four freshman into a dorm that was only meant for two. The outdated drinking policy and campus safety's unwillingness to listen to legitimate student concerns will make sure your life is a living hell. RIT is a fantastic place to get an education and nothing more. If your want your undergraduate college experience to be filled with social interactions that extend outside the classroom, I would HIGHLY recommend a different college.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2017

Campus Maintenance: A, Individual Value: F

My RIT experience has been a mixed one. I have been through all the negative aspects of this school, as well as having a really good time. I started out as an MET student. It was awful, the people were boring rednecks, and the coursework was difficult. Albeit I am not the smartest or hardest working.

I switched to packaging, which is great. It is interesting, easy and we make a lot of money. I like the combination of traditional lectures and hands on experience that we get. The professors all have industry experience, and know what they are talking about. Because the economy is currently in shambles, it is not quite as easy to find a job, but compared to other majors it is easy to find work. The head of packaging, is very nice and even knows who I am. The only downside is that packaging majors are often looked down upon by other students. In situations where I am given a hard time for my major I like to remind the provoker how much more money I will make then them.

RIT represents a good value for a university of its caliber. All college education is expensive, RIT provides a lot and good name for the amount they charge.

Academics as a whole are very strong at RIT. All of the facilities are first rate, and an RIT degree is never scoffed at. Although I have had a few sub par professors, the vast majority have been either adequate or great. The classes are not terribly hard, but you need to work to get B's, and A's are really hard to come by. I wasn't terribly fond of the MET department, but packaging is a close knit and supportive family, that I am happy to be a part of.

The campus as a whole is very clean and well maintained. Most of the buildings are relatively new, and the grounds are always perfectly manicured. The buildings themselves may lack charm, but I do not mind the brick. The buildings are always well heated, and cooled, so I never find myself uncomfortable. Free parking is a benefit of going to a school with a lot of flat land. RIT is one of the few universities with free parking, and is a great feature. Bring a car to RIT, you will need it!!! Although the buildings maybe a nice temperature, the winters in Rochester are tough, and the wind enhancing nature of the campus makes the cold worse. With a warm jacket, I only experience a few months where it is really unpleasant. Also there is not a whole lot of sunny days, but I prefer over cast anyways.

Living on campus has been OK. Although I now live off campus, and enjoy it immensely, the dorm situation was decent. The dorms, for the most part are air conditioned and reasonable in size. The food compared to other universities is actually OK. Its not great, but it could be so much worse. The worst part of the dorms is being constantly surrounded by a bunch of immature Neanderthals. It is not funny to run around screaming obscenities in the middle of the night, and drinking in the dorms doesn't make you cool. Of all the people in my hall, I actually like about 8 of them. I know I am going to hell for saying this but, deaf people are really annoying, especially when you have to go up 11 floors in an elevator with them to your room on a regular basis.

This is where I segway onto the social scene. It was only until the last year that I have been happy with my social life. I know all sorts of cool and interesting people that I routinely have great times with. However, it took me nearly two years to find these people. The vast majority of people I have met at RIT frankly kind of suck. There are a lot of quite nerds that don't know how to have a good time, as well as some of the most boring shallow people, who are perfectly content on watching house and getting wasted. After sifting through a lot of muck, I have found a great group of friends I am happy with.

Anybody that says there are no parties at RIT is lying. What they are really saying is that they haven't been invited to any parties. Unlike most colleges, there is no such thing as open parties at RIT. There are no crazy Frat parties that any student can attend. At first this was a major disappointment to me, but as time has gone on I have less and less desire to go to some stupid, loud, drunken event where you do not know anybody, or cannot hear anything. I would much rather attend a party where I know most people, and find it easy to branch out. I go to these types of parties on a near weekly basis, and enjoy them to a great degree.

The dry campus policy doesn't really change things either. For my freshmen year getting alcohol was hard due to my lack of over 21 connections. Since the fall of my second year alcohol has been readily available. The novelty of intoxication has long sense worn off, although I do indulge from time to time. Since there is an art school here, decent weed is easily available at very good prices. There are also some nice woods to smoke it in if you are into that kind of thing.

The surrounding city of Rochester is a common source of whining by the students here. It is true that Rochester is not glitzy or nearly as exciting as other cities such as NYC. However, there are all sorts of restaurants and clubs within driving distance to the school. There is also Wegmans, and just about every sort chain retailer you could ever think of. Rochester also has very affordable real estate, which allows me to rent a sizable town house for less then it costs to live on campus. The roads in Rochester are great. I have never been in a traffic jam, and it only takes ten minutes to get to the airport. Although I grew up literally ten minutes from NYC, I genuinely like Rochester and enjoy how easy it is to live around here. Rochester is also in relatively close proximity to other colleges such as Cornell, which makes for fun weekend trips.

I am currently 60% through my career at RIT. It is a good school that has a lot to offer. If you manage to make it through, you will have good degree, and will be competitive in the job market. I have found that it is harder to find fun and interesting people to associate with, but they are out there, and if you haven't found them yet you are not looking hard enough. Lastly, the local city is great, it has its own unique charm that has to be found by a person on their own. RIT is a school that will not deliver immediate satisfaction, you need to stick around, and develop your life here before it becomes great.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011

Innovation: A, University Resource Use/ spending: C-

You will receive a great education at RIT. The school is very challenging, and very fair. This is by no means a party school, but you will learn a lot and grow as a professional. The coop program is also very good.

That being said, I would recommend anyone who does not get a very large amount of financial aid (Not federal loans) or doesn't have very rich parents (who will pay for your education) not to go here. I made the mistake of trying pay for RIT on my own (as my parents could not help me and were were considered too wealth for financial aid), and even though I have a good job (which I got right out of college), I am swamped in debt which I will be paying off for at least 20 years. The education is great, but you aren't going to be making MIT money for going here. It is NOT worth the costs.

5th Year Male -- Class 2013

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Surrounding City: F