The Rochester Institute of Technology

I was a freshman at RIT in the ad. photo program this year, and just took a leave of absence, most likely for good. There were a lot of different reasons as to why i didnt finish out the school year, but basically i was miserable and was planning on leaving after this quarter ended.

rit isnt a party campus. for me that was alright at first, but after the first few weeks you'll find yourself asking "now what?". 90% of the students there are some type of computer or engineering major, so they all like to sit in their rooms and play dungeons and dragons or world of warcraft... like, to the point where ive walked in on strategy meetings in some of the lounges and was kicked out incase i was a spy... yeahhh.... so for the other 10% there really isnt a whole lot to do, which is why they go and get high out in the woods or apartment buildings. don't get me wrong, i have friends that like to smoke and theyre a lot of fun to hang out with, but thats not my scene every night of the week.

this school is also known for the amount of stress the students face, mostly because of the quarter system and how the course work is so condensed. this is prolly one of the biggest reasons as to why there is a good amount of drugs at the school, but also a fair suicidal rate. the night i came home i got a phone call at 1 in the morning about a possibly armed suicidal student who was tasered in front of my old dorm building. not cool. the school isnt going to go out and tell you about these kinds of things, but its in the fine print when they tell you the students are usually under a lot of pressure.

another thing that they try to make seem all wonderful and perfect is NTID (school for the deaf and hearing impared). i think it's great that these resources are offered to people who have trouble hearing, but to say that the campus isnt segregated is completely not true. my first dorm room in the first quarter was on a hearing/deaf floor. there was nothing going on and so it was hard to meet people, or i would hear loud noises and crashes at 3 in the morning from the deaf neighbors who didnt know they were being really loud. also, for the most part the deaf students dont really try to socialize with the hearing students after awhile because they get impatient with the communication barrier.

i moved to photo house after my first quarter because of the lack of social life, trying to give rit another chance in that matter, and it was a great choice. photo house has its issues with some drama, but hey, we're artists what do you expect? i loved how most of us had the same classes and could learn from each other and help with projects. what i realized though was that after my freshman year was over, there would be new incoming freshman and this social situation wasn't going to last for the next 4 years.

and im the kind of person who loves to go out and just find something to do with ppl, whether that be seeing a movie, partying, going to the hookah lounge, seeing a concert, whatever. but rit pretty much didnt let me get to experience any of those things, the things that youre supposed to in college. this was because of the lack of ways to get from there to some other place. unless you had a car, or a friend who would drive you anytime you wanted, it was impossible to go anywhere besides barnes and noble or the local strip mall. the bus transportation sucks, and so youre stranded on campus, especially in the winter. for photo majors you're required to take shots off of the campus, which obviously is nearly impossible.

the photo department has a high reputation for helpful staff, which it does, and its equipment, which is amazing. as long as you have a camera and tripod youre good to go pretty much. it definatly helps to have an apple laptlop and harddrive as well. what i didnt like was 1) how your first year doesnt focus on core classes like 2d design, drawing, etc like most other schools do, so its hard to transfer credits now, and 2) how technical the teaching style is; it's important to learn the basics of your craft, but i never felt like they were trying to help me develope as an artist and further explore my style as an individual, but instead told me what to shoot and how to shoot it if i wanted an A.

lastly, im a girl. there aren't many there, so all the boys take the chance to hit on a girl whenever they get the chance and think they're hot shit. that's false. theyre mostly socially awkward dudes, which if youre into that then great, youll find your man here. i however, have a high school sweetheart, and he wasnt exactly crazy about the idea of tons of odd guys hitting on me at "parties". my first dorm (with the deaf kids) i was one of 3 hearing girls, the other 2 ive never seen. all of my friends that i hung out with from there were 9 guys, who im still really close friends with and i love them to death, but im lucky that they all ended up being like my older brothers and not a bunch of guys looking for a little somethinsomethin. my advice as a girl would be to make some really close guy friends, because i know that if i ever was in trouble mine would have my back, and i know my bf was glad that i had them too.so basically if youre a person who keeps to themselves, loves to work hard, and is ok with not much to do other than computer games and smoke/drink with a few people, then this is youre place to go. :)

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

Useful Schoolwork: A, University Resource Use/ spending: F

RIT Advice
Avoid RIT if
You are not sure what to major in
You party to any degree
You are looking for lots of single women
You hate computers
You don’t like icy 40mph wind in your face
They don’t give you any money
You want an aesthetically pleasing campus
You don’t want a job in a well paying technical field and can get in somewhere else
Come to RIT if
You love deaf people (we got lots!)
You are known as “that guy” in your high school
You don’t go outside
You couldn’t care less about campus activities
You love bricks
You suffer from gynophobia
You don’t mind occasional bouts of Gracie’s revenge
You want a job in a well paying technical field and can’t get in anywhere else

2nd Year Female -- Class 2011

Perceived Campus Safety: A, Campus Aesthetics: F

I have read a lot of complaints about tech schools from people majoring in business/management, humanities, social sciences, arts, and even sciences and engineering.

Here's my advice to ANYONE considering a tech school:

1. Do not expect a big party scene. Tech schools are NOT THE PLACE FOR PARTIES. You're here to study most of the time because science and engineering degrees are some of the most challenging degrees to obtain. You want parties, GO TO A STATE COLLEGE OR BIG UNIVERSITY.

2. Most students at tech schools are nerds. Get over it. And stop complaining about the girls at tech schools. I'm a girl at a tech school, and I am not ugly or androgynous in any way. I am very offended by these comments about girls at tech schools. You want more girls at tech schools, why don't you show some more respect b******s! They are here for the same reason as you males. They are here for a quality education. If you want bimbo girls, GO TO A STATE COLLEGE OR BIG UNIVERSITY.

3. It's called a TECH school for a reason. The strongest programs are going to be engineering, computers, and electronic arts. Sciences are usually decent, but everything else is not going be as top notch as it would be at a liberal arts college. If you're looking for a quality education in humanities, social sciences, etc, GO TO LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE.

4. Tech schools are not very flexible for indecisive students. If you don't know what you want to do, DON'T GO TO A TECH SCHOOL.

5. Academics are challenging. Welcome to technical/science degrees. Get over it. If you can't handle it, you're in the wrong school.

6. Social life is what you make of it. Get up and talk to people. Try new things. Actively seek activities. If you sit in your dorm all day, that explains your misery.I realize I'm being very audacious in my advice, but it's the truth. Visit schools, read as much as you can, and talk to students before consenting to attend any school. All this misery can be prevented if you do your research.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

Innovation: A+, Social Life: C+