I was admitted into RPI; I have not committed yet because I have a few questions.
I visited about 2 weeks ago, and I’m concerned that RPI has little to no outside campus life? I know that it is located in Troy, but it seemed empty to me.
I like the city life, so this could very well affect my decision to go there.
Can anyone clarify on the life outside of campus that students experience? Things like parks, stores/shops, and eateries would be extremely helpful.
If you could, I’d like to know about campus life as well. Are people social? Do they like their down time? Are there any campus events? Etc.
I had this same question and I found out that RPI has more casual intramural sports and activities than you will ever be able to experience. The list of sport activities that you can take part of without the stress of high level team competitiveness is very large.
I don’t have enough experience to answer the other questions you have sorry.
My D is an engineering student at RPI. I haven’t been there so this is based on what she’s told me.
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Can anyone clarify on the life outside of campus that students experience? Things like parks, stores/shops, and eateries would be extremely helpful.
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Quite a number of nice places to eat in/around downtown Troy from what I’ve heard. It’s not a big city, but okay for a small town. Of course you will not get the big city experience, so if that’s important to you, best to go elsewhere.
If you could, I’d like to know about campus life as well. Are people social? Do they like their down time? Are there any campus events? Etc.
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Most students are social. There are those who just stay in their room and play video games in down time, but many others who don’t. Lots of different clubs of all kinds, intramural sports, outdoor stuff (ski, hike, etc. - you have Adirondacks not far). My D joined a martial art club her freshman year and really enjoyed it. The problem is not a lack of available activities, but finding the time, at least as an engineering student. She had to drop her club this year (sophomore). Lots of campus events too - again, time is a bigger issue. But that depends on how demanding your particular major is and what classes you’re taking.
Thank you so much!
I had one more question… I read on a lot of forums that RPI seems to be “depressing” and the campus is “dull” and can get to students… Is this true?
@collegehelp42 I’ve read/heard plenty of comments on both sides - people saying they visited and it was “gorgeous” and others saying it was “terrible”. But if you read the comments about many colleges you’ll get similar views… Any campus can be “dull” and “get to you” after a while if you’re not happy at the college for some reason. In other words, I think your perception of the campus is more likely to be affected by whether you’re generally happy or not. I actually haven’t set foot in the campus, but my D says it’s nice and it looks nice in the pictures too. Granted, NY winters are long and cold and that can be depressing for some, and I’m sure impacts their view of the campus and Troy. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s “depressing”.
Hey! I’m a current freshman Computer Science and Information Technology & Web Science student at Rensselaer. I began as a Computer & Systems Engineering major (switched since I liked CS a lot more than electronics). You have no idea how many people ask this lol. I’m going to try and give my thoughts on the matter point by point.
In terms of Troy, people visiting always seem to have a lot of trouble judging the town. Personally, I'm in downtown very often and a very large chunk of the student body lives in downtown. For younger students that are underage, there's bowling, escape room, and dozens of nice restaurants, ice cream shops, record stores (yes, these still exist in Troy), and cafes that students tend to frequent. You can walk down the Approach on the southern end of campus or talk a shuttle from the Union and it takes you right into downtown. Many students also go to church in downtown (like myself) and there are also several ethnic food places (Turkish, Italian, Greek, etc.) I'd say that Troy is a very vibrant college town, and coming from New York City I've been very happy with what it's offered me so far. The town is also safe (at least compared to where I'm from), regardless of what people say, and there's a new movie theater opening up. The Farmer's Market is also a popular spot on the weekends, which is usually crowded with RPI students. Once you turn 21, there are a lot of bars in downtown that are very popular (Troy has one of the largest bar/square mile ratios in the country).
Oh, the campus. Personally, I love RPI's campus. As others have mentioned, most people will either find it drop dead gorgeous or find it depressing. It honestly has to do with the time of year. During the summer up until like November, it's gorgeous. The leaves fall off the trees by December and then you have winter until like March. In March and May, it starts getting nicer again. Overall, though, the buildings are really pretty and I'd say that if you're considering other colleges in the Northeast, it's going to be comparable or worse at other schools. In Troy, it's usually between 5 and 10 degrees colder than NYC and the snowfall is comparable, yet I never see anyone complaining about NYC. But, anyway, summed up the weather in Troy isn't going to be much worse than NYC.
In terms of the student experience, I'd say that one of the greatest things that distinguishes RPI from other schools is its student-run Union. Every year, students elect officials to student government which manage a $10 million budget for clubs and intramural sports teams. There are over 250+ clubs at RPI, and they're all extremely active in our campus community. We have everything from exotic cheese tasting club to an on-campus television and news outlet to LGBTQ+ support groups. Basically, we have everything you could possibly be looking for and more. During GM week, students have one or two days off from class for voting and student government gives out free mugs and ice cream. There are also free barbecues and picnics all over campus. Intramural sports have the benefit of having Anderson directly next to the main campus and ECAV's great facilities at their disposal. I'd say that easily over half the student body does some kind of sport, whether it be inter-Greek, intramural, club, or varsity athletics. I personally haven't participated in sports, but there are also many other things. To begin, there's a very vibrant Greek system with over 30 fraternities and roughly 8 sororities by the end of this year. In addition to all the activities, RPI offers undergraduates the opportunity to take part in undergraduate research. I am currently doing research, and many of my friends are as well. It's insanely easy to get involved and get funding at RPI and you can use work study funds, apply for a grant, or just tag along with a professor and co-publish a paper or help out in the lab. I work 8 hours a week in the nanotechnology center and have had a great time interacting with professors and applying my knowledge of computer science to other fields. This is something greatly encouraged at RPI, if you're interested.
Best of luck in your decision! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or ask here!
I forgot to mention, there are also a lot of concerts at EMPAC and in downtown or Albany. During NRB, you also spend an entire day in downtown Troy, which was arguably one of the best times I had last semester. It really helps you meet and interact with new people before you go and do other activities before school starts! There are also a lot of talks from important people that come to campus each year.
If you want some reference from students on the kinds of things happening on-campus, check out the school newspaper:
@newjerseydad888 Actually, I take that back the escape room is in the mall - not in downtown. There’s a weekly bus on the weekends on the mall though, it’s like 10-15 minutes away.
@joedoe Thanks! I’m also wondering about Albany? Any fun things to do? I’m a city-dweller considering RPI for the education. And everything in Albany seems like a 20 minute car ride away. But I’m just wondering, if going to Albany is even worth it?
@collegehelp42 Albany isn’t usually worth it for underclassmen, but many older kids (grad students, seniors) go there for the bars. The mall is Albany is extremely nice though, and if you join a Greek organization or club you’ll likely go to Albany for formal events since places in downtown Troy typically don’t have the seating accommodations for large groups. The capital building is also nice and there is ice skating in the winter. It’s worth it to go to Albany once or twice a year/semester, but it’s definitely not worth it to go often. There are typically more fun things/more of a night life and social scene in Troy than in Albany anyway.
@collegehelp42 My D hasn’t been to Albany once in her nearly 2 years at RPI. She said it didn’t really offer anything (that she wanted) that Troy didn’t have. (Maybe if she had a car she’d go?)