Concerns about going to Rose

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
1

<p>I visited Rose about two weeks ago and I really liked the school. I did an overnight visit, a campus tour, and sat in on a class. I have a few questions/concerns about Rose that I was hoping some of you could answer.</p>

<p>1) Boy to Girl Ratio</p>

<p>Is it really as bad as it seems on paper? This is one of my main concerns about going to this school. I was wondering if this is something I should consider when choosing where to go to school or if I shouldn't be afraid of it?</p>

<p>2) What do the students do on weekends besides video games?</p>

<p>When I visited I got the impressions that alot of the students were really into video games. I am not really into video games. I will occasionally play Wii, but its not my favorite thing to do. Will I be completely bored at this school if im not into video games? What do most students do on weekends?</p>

<p>3) Cost</p>

<p>How do people afford this school? I got a 7K scholarship from them and a 3K grant. In order to afford this school I would have to take out alot of loans. Do most people take out this much in loans to go to this school?</p>

<p>4) Music Involvement</p>

<p>I currently play the violin and viola, and am very active with them. At Rose will there still be opportunities (such as orchestra's, musicals, etc.) to continue playing these instruments.</p>

<p>Overall I was impressed with this school. I know that this would be the best place for me to go to get a good engineering education. If anyone could answer my questions above that would be great!</p>

2

<p>richard8745, you asked a bunch of good questions and I’ll do my best to answer them all. The guy to girl ratio at Rose is about the same as at other engineering schools and the engineering programs at larger schools. While there aren’t may not be many girls at Rose, we are near ISU and St. Mary of the Woods College and there are many joint events with these schools and plenty of opportunities to meet other people. </p>

<p>As far as video games, they certainly are popular at Rose, but not universally popular. I’m not a big gamer myself and still find stuff to do. Rose does a good job of providing activities, such as comedians and other performances, which are all free for students. On the weekends there all always pickup games of soccer, basketball, etc. Your floor will also organize activities like laser tag, rock climbing, and pretty much whatever you want to do.</p>

<p>The average debt for a Rose grad is around 35k. With a degree from Rose, you’re almost guaranteed to get a good job and have no problem paying off your loans. Cost is certainly a big factor to consider, but it is doable. </p>

<p>Rose does have opportunities for music including the pit orchestra for the musical. I don’t know all the details about the music program, but I do know that music is something a lot of Rose students participated in in high school and want to continue in college.</p>

3

<p>1) Guy/Girl Ratio. This and Rose’s general lack of diversity have been my primary sources of dissatisfaction with the school. Please take my rant with a grain of salt: my experience may be different from yours. I’ll be honest: the ratio sucks, especially at a small school. The number of girls is very low to start out with. And since many come in already dating someone they met in high school or during Fast Track Calculus, the numbers are knocked down even more.</p>

<p>Nick is right: ISU and Saint Mary of the Woods are close by. However, I just don’t know that many people who take advantage of this fact. And let’s be honest: it’s a real pain to meet people from another school. Nick’s point that other engineering schools have similar ratios is valid. But he fails to take into account location. Many small engineering schools like Cooper Union and Harvey Mudd are near large cities (NYC and LA) with tons of people to meet. And yes, engineering programs at schools like UMich and UCB do have similarly bad ratios. But they’re part of huge student populations with an overall ratio that’s much better than the engineering department. Rose-Hulman is a small, PURELY math/science/engineering school located in a small city in the Midwest: don’t get your hopes up.</p>

<p>However, I wouldn’t let it rule your decision. I chose Rose based on its academic reputation, and I’m quite satisfied with what I received. Being single isn’t a bad price to pay for getting a good education.</p>

<p>**2) What to do on weekends? **There is a great deal to do on campus. I doubt that we’re as active as some larger state schools, but there are plenty of outlets for other types of activities. I’d say they fall into three primary categories:</p>

<p>a) Fraternity life. A large number of people join fraternities and socialize that way. It seems like an excellent way to meet people and form lasting friendships. Besides the social fraternities, Rose has honor fraternities and service fraternities that are quite active in the community. I would highly recommend rushing.
b) Sports. Intramurals and Division III sports are popular on campus. Even if you don’t want to play on the official team, you can join an IM team and play against other residence halls. IMs are a great way to meet other people.
c) Clubs. We’ve got a wide variety of very active clubs on campus. There are clubs in the arts (drama club, band, chorus), service organizations (Habitat for Humanity, Circle K), professional engineering groups (IEEE, ACM, SWE, SHPE, NSBE), religious groups (Jewish Culture Club, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) and practical engineering teams (Aerial Robotics, Efficient Vehicles, EcoCar). You can get very involved in some sort of club and be extremely busy.</p>

<p>3) Cost. I don’t really know much about the amount of loans taken out by students. I’d try talking with Rose’s Financial Aid Office if you have true concerns. [Rose-Hulman</a> Institute of Technology](<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman) . They’d be happy to talk with you.</p>

<p>**4) Music Involvement. **Like Nick said, Rose does have a pit orchestra for musicals. I know one or two people who were REALLY involved in their particular instrument who played in ISU’s orchestra, which I get the feeling is more intense than Rose’s. That option is certainly a viable one.</p>

<p>Bottom line: you can remain very active and social with campus organizations, and you’ll get a great education in the meantime. You may have trouble finding a date, but that’s a small price to pay for the otherwise great experience.</p>

4

<p>The key to any school is getting involved. Some students at any school will stay in the same group of friends and never go outside that box. I think that if you were outgoing enough you would meet more girls than you think. </p>

<p>Also, if you join a Fraternity you will meet more people from the other schools. My D has attended some of these events and they do attend. She has a couple guy friends that are dating some ISU girls. </p>

<p>Like any school you cannot sit in your room and wait for someone to knock at your door. There are so many opportunities at Rose to join and meet people. That where the girls are believe me. </p>

<p>As mentioned above, Rose does a lot of things right. They have lots of Clubs and IM so the opportunity is there…you just have to take it.</p>

<p>I have known some many students that wanted to become engineers, in the high school. All of them going to great schools. After the first year, their dream vanished. WHY, maybe they choose the wrong major, but when I talked to them they said it was too hard (these are smart kids). I really thing those great schools lacked something that Rose has and that is Rose does not let you fail. If you want to become an engineer, then you will. </p>

<p>Engineering is not for everyone. You will study and study hard, but nothing worth having is easy. So my friends, go to a college that will support you and help you find your dreams. That is why Rose is ranked where its at. There are many examples, but here is a couple I want to mention. That Soph dorm that has tutors on each floor, the students that help each other (yes they do not have to compete with each other but support one another) and of course the profs availability.</p>

<p>There is lots of opportunity to have fun too. Thats why Rose has so many clubs and sports. You will have the opportunity to be more involved at Rose than a larger University. </p>

<p>Bottom line: Rose has the Social Network you just need to take advantage of it and the rewards will come.</p>

5

<p>My D called me yesterday from Rose and as she was talking…I was thinking about our concerns when she went to Rose. One of those was “Will there be enough to do”. My D was not the social director in high school, she did go out once in while but she was more into her studies, swimming and water polo.</p>

<p>She was telling us about her weekend plans, which seem to be different each week-end. I thought I would share some of those. She has been able to be involved in a lot of actiivties vs only a few. </p>

<p>IM sports of all kind. 85% of all students are involved in some type of IM and there are a lot to choose from, Baseball, water polo, and so many others besides the varsity sports that students can participate in. Tennis, football, baseball, cheerleading ect. The list goes on.</p>

<p>The play production next week we are going is suppose to be really good. This is put on students, an suppose to be outstanding. I know last years was very good.</p>

<p>Frats and Sorieties, you don’t have to belong… but there are available my D is in one and they do a lot, but again not her whole life.</p>

<p>Band, yes there is a very active group in music</p>

<p>Scuba Diving yes there is a club and they do go diving</p>

<p>Inter Varsity </p>

<p>Challenge X Car this is big and she helped on it her Freshman year</p>

<p>Movie nights</p>

<p>Hanging out with friends</p>

<p>Floor get togethers, they do have events on each floor, dinner to out to the chain resturants in Terre Haute</p>

<p>Ballroom dancing, I guess this is a lot of fun. My D has gone a couple times, to have some fun and to learn some different dances. I threw this in there because it was different.</p>

<p>Having the opportunity to hear speakers and comedians come in once a month. </p>

<p>Over 100 clubs to belong to::::::::</p>

<p>The point is she is never bored, and I picked out a few I know she has done. Just because well to give you a taste. This is only a small group of things that you can do. The key is she would never has done those things at another school. </p>

<p>If she would have gone to a bigger school, I think those opportunities would have been limited. At Rose it seems you can have your cake and eat it too. You can experience so many different clubs and groups. </p>

<p>One point, is she has been a president of a club and a secretary of another at the same time. She rarely is bored and does not fill the need to find things to do off campus, all the activties are on campus. </p>

<p>The other thing is you are not confined to one group of friends, you will have many.</p>

<p>So yes there are so many things to do at Rose there are just too numerous to mention. But everyone will be involved in something there are just too many things to do.</p>