The Rochester Institute of Technology

Besides the reputation, I can't think of any reason to recommend RIT. They have a great co-op program, but it's 100% you. Many students don't get co-ops when they need them, and the inflexible class schedules really throw off your plan of study. Of course there's SOME great teachers, but this is true of anywhere.

5th Year Male -- Class 2015

Scholastic Success: A, University Resource Use/ spending: F

Game Design and Development Major
I'm in their Game Design and Development program and I am incredibly disappointed. I am surprised they managed to make it on the top ten list honestly. The classes you learn code don't go into the depth you need to know for your career and you're told to "learn that on your own time", when these are the topics that are brought up in interviews. On top of that, you aren't properly taught 3D programming in the major unless you take extra classes because they felt it "wasn't important to learn." You aren't really taught much on the design side of games either, like level design or game play. Most classes, even the coding ones, are taught with textbooks that aren't very helpful and when you take these coding tests, you are tested on your knowledge from the book, not what was taught in class. The classes weren't very challenging either, with the exception of those unrealistic tests. For me, it was easier than high school. You're taught so little in class and,as a result, you are forced to teach yourself in order to fill in the gaps because what the professors did manage to teach was poorly done. The professors in this major aren't even people that have worked in the field, for the most part. A lot of them are just fans of the video game community that hopped on board when RIT started the program or graduated from RIT and jumped right back in to teach. In short, you're taught a small amount of actual game design and development by people who don't have the proper experience to teach and if you want to know more you have to teach yourself.

Another kicker, the major is a popularity contest and no matter how skilled you are, if you aren't in the 'in crowd' you won't get the crucial opportunities you will need to land a job or at the very least a co-op. Most everyone is super fake to your face and back stabs you in order to get ahead. This is the major's version of 'networking.' It's not about what you know, it's about who you know.

The rest of the campus as a whole is depressing. The weather is always terrible. There's never any sun and there's not much to do. People aren't very friendly and if you ever need help(housing, tutors, professors, RA's, campus police, etc.) they somehow always manage to blame the problem on you and tell you to go home. Also, the campus police is a joke. Many people report others having drugs, weapons, committing other illegal acts, and they do nothing. They offer little to no safety. One weird trend is that a handful of people wind up sick and have to go to either specialists or doctors to get checked out. RIT manages to tear each and every person down one way or another.

What's even more depressing is watching each and every one of my friends here at RIT turn miserable, depressed, angry, and suicidal. I've already had one friend attempt to kill herself and wound up in the hospital, and I know of others who have taken their lives. The counseling here blames the students for the problems RIT causes and offers no help for people like them or anyone else. Everyone turns ugly from the horrible ways RIT treats its' students.If you're thinking of going to RIT don't. Going here compares to buying a McDonald's burger and expecting to receive what you see on tv. What you see is delicious and joyous, but what you actually get is a poor imitation topped with misery and defeat.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2015

Campus Maintenance: A, Individual Value: D-

What do you do when the school Disability Officer says to you that if "I gave your daughter accommodations for ADHD then I would have to do this for 5,000 other students.

What do you do when you ask the DO for a 504 plan for your college student and she says colleges don't have 504 plans?

What do you do when the DO instead of offering real solutions for your student sends a list of links for tutoring and other such unrelated to ADHD accommodations?

What do you do when the DO will not talk to you because the student is over 18 but the student has given permission to the school to talk to you?

What do you do when you think the school is taking care of your students accommodations and then you find out at the end of the quarter that she has failed a couple of courses, gotten kicked out her major and she has lost all her scholarships??

What do you do when you find out that her professors did not even know she had ADHD much less accomodations being in place?

What do you when you find out that that your student failed one of those classes because the professor acknoledged receiving her final submissions but two days later in the same email string tells your student "no I don't have them but now it's too late to turn in so your fail the course"? If accomodations were there this would not have happened.

What do you do when the school a very popular school in Rochester, NY ignores all your pleas for help, all the way from the President on down?

What do you do when a school that teaches future teachers in the disability field has emotionally crippled your student, has taken away all that she has accomplished thus far and makes her feel worthless and unaccomplished?????

What do you when your college student cries while she is apologizing to you for being such a failure of a daughter and won't come home because she is too ashamed????

Why won't anyone listen and help, I have knocked on so many emails and everyone is sorry but nobody can help????

1st Year Female -- Class 2016

Social Life: B, Education Quality: F