<p>what do you like best about rpi?</p>
<p>what do you like the least?</p>
<p>how are the profs? are they dedicated?</p>
<p>how are the parties/campus life?</p>
<p>how's the competition? is it cutthroat or more collaborative?</p>
<p>how big are the classes typically?</p>
<p>and is it hard to deal with the really unbalanced boy/girl ratio?</p>
<p>I will try to answer on behalf of my son.</p>
<p>Like best-the friends he has made, living off campus, his Minds and Machines interdisciplinary major</p>
<p>Like least-the fact that his major requires him to take Bio 1, equipment problems in the Union. He is very laid back and is easily pleased.</p>
<p>Profs-most have been good and seem to be quite informal as he is on a first name basis with most, several have been merely okay. All have seemed to be very fair in their treatment of students. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated as 5 students in his OpSyst class found out, being given automatic F's in the course. </p>
<p>Campus life-he pledged a fraternity frosh year but did not join in the end for a variety of reasons. He is doing something almost every weekend and has taken roadtrips to Montreal, NYC, Providence, Boston and Philly too. He is also active in several clubs.</p>
<p>Academic culture-i would say definitely more collaborative than cutthroat. If you are in the Union or VCC while classes are in session, you will see many groups of students working together. Many classes have had group projects or presentations. However, students need to be careful about the limits of appropriate collaboration on individual projects. The students getting F's in that compsyst course were found to have collaborated on their project computer coding. A big no no. Study groups are common.</p>
<p>Class size-it varies. there are some intro classes with big lectures that then have small recitation sections led by TA's. Upper class section sizes will typically be 30 or less. Because one of our son's majors is in comp sci his classes are usually somewhat larger because it is one of the most popular majors.</p>
<p>m/f ratio-on campus it is an issue. That 3/1 ratio works for the coeds. However there are many colleges in the CapDistrict(Sage-UAlbany-St Rose-Sienna) and if you are proactive the situation improves. I think the RPI coeds are great but I am biased because I married one!</p>
<p>Well there are a lot of questions here. I'll start with what I like best and that is...</p>
<ol>
<li> Friends from living off campus and clubs</li>
<li> Getting to know my profs. very well.</li>
</ol>
<p>What I like least has to be the high tuition, and the administration. Let me be clear that the administration is not the professors and faculty, who have there own problems with the administration.</p>
<p>I really liked most of my professors, well all except for one. They are (broad generalization here) often very helpful and willing to work one on one wether it be homework or an independent project that you want to work on.</p>
<p>If you want to party go greek or room with one. This is the best way to get into the campus life. I am not in a frat, but there is no reason not to take advantage of all of their work in setting up parties. Recently the RPI administration has been putting the pressure on the Greeks (which relates to one of the things that I do not like at RPI). There has been a significant effort to punish the frats for drinking offences which has never been an issue in the past.</p>
<p>On competition its both cut-throat and collaborative. In courses graded on a curve there is an element of cut-throat, but I've never had problems forming study/homework groups. People know that they can't do it on their own and are in the same boat as you are. You tend to make good friends this way in tough classes since you spend untold hours together.</p>
<p>I've been in classes as small as 8 and as large as the hundreds. The large classes are for fresh. and soph. and they are your basic calc, chem I, ect. These are alwayse broken into sections of not more than 25 or so. The further alonge you get the smaller the classes (in general).</p>
<p>The ratio is a problem. I've had girls who are friends at RPI but no girlfriends since HS, this is partly just me. Most girls at RPI have a line of guys waiting and some get an inflated opinion of themselves. I never really met many sagies and the Troy locals are a real mix. There are a lot of really nice girls at rpi and you can get into relationships, you just have to try a little harder by going out to parties, clubs, friends at Albany, whatever.</p>
<p>acutally I am a girl lol...but i didnt really like this ratio because I would never let it "inflate my head" but I was wondering if all the other girls at rpi are like that.</p>
<p>what do you like best about rpi?
I like the student body's enthusiasm to be involved in activities, the ability to interact with professors and facilities, and the fact that everyone is interestedin similar subjects as me -- technology, engineering, computers, etc.</p>
<p>what do you like the least?
I'm not crazy about Troy, but what I hate least is some students "RPI Sucks" attitude, which a few students (especially Greeks) I know have. I really enjoy going to RPI and don't like to be around this sorta attitude.</p>
<p>how are the profs? are they dedicated?
Many are, especially in the 4000-level classes. Some profs get really excited over their own research and like to share it with us and use it in application to the class, which is great. Some of the frosh-level classes are larger and the profs seem bored to teach (IEA, etc). Most will definitely help you if you go to their office hours, which all profs are required to have. When they speak good English, its a bonus.</p>
<p>how are the parties/campus life?
Weekend frat/apartment parties are easy to find, and there are plenty of them. Weekdays, not so much, unless you include study parties. Clubs are good weekday activities, and there are a reasonable number of them but I wish there were a few more. New clubs can be started up all the time.</p>
<p>how's the competition? is it cutthroat or more collaborative?
In my experience, very collaborative. Everyone I know has a study group within their classes because you really do need to. Otherwise you are at a huge disadvantage in the class. Everyone is very anxious to study together at night, and most are dedicated to completing their work and getting good grades.</p>
<p>how big are the classes typically?
Freshmen year they can be big, a couple hundred. Sophmore year, they seem to be more reasonable -- around 60 or 70. I will be a junior next year, finally getting to my major-specific classes, which are supposed to be much smaller. Small classes isnt always the best option because there are less people to study with. In big classes, most of your friends are in the same classroom with you. With smaller classes, its much easier to talk with the professor, on the other hand.</p>
<p>and is it hard to deal with the really unbalanced boy/girl ratio?
Everyone else makes a much bigger deal of it than I do. I dont have a girlfriend, but I do notice that after you filter out the percentage of students who sit in their room and play WOW all day, the ratio improves a little for the more outgoing people. Also, there is a small all-girls school in downtown Troy. The quote we like to use is, "The odds are good, but the goods are odd" in reference to Russel Sage college girls.
Anyway, alot of people like to drive to SUNY Albany, Union, etc for more girls and parties.</p>