Questions for Current Students

[BilllyK]

<p>While searching the Internet for RPI I can across a document entitled "Not the RPI Handbook" ( <a href="http://www.deltos.com/reference/not-handbook/NtRH.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.deltos.com/reference/not-handbook/NtRH.html&lt;/a> ). I see this document was written over 20 years ago but the material in it is pretty disturbing. Could any current students comment on how this document reflects RPI today? I included some of the worst parts below...</p>

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@health services

The Gallagher Memorial Infirmary is one of the most terrifying places to spend a few days known to man. Not that the medical services are poor, or the staff excessively unfriendly, it is just that the place can give you the creeps.

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@Financial aid

There are several tricks that the Aid Office uses to encourage incoming enrollment. Most of these are gifts and grants, which the entering student believes will be available throughout his stay. Little does the prospective student know that these are only for incoming freshmen ... each year's incoming freshmen. In reality, aid does decrease yearly, and as one approaches graduation, it becomes harder to get and keep, even if one's academic standing is excellent.

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@Class Attendance and Exams

Actually, why should a student attend class? Well, for a start, a large part of a student's tuition goes toward paying the professor to show up and mutter into a microphone about the motion of an object through N dimensions, usually in words directly out of the text. Besides, if you absolutely cannot read anything in print, then a lecture might actually get the gist of the class subject across ... assuming that the instructor in fact speaks intelligible American English.

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@C Vortex

The Curve, or as we like to think of it, the ``C'' Vortex, is the root fault. In large classes, for example, the instructors will be attempting, whenever they make a test up, to insure that the grades achieved will fit nicely into a curve like this: 5% with F's, 10% with D's, 70% with C's, 10% with B's and 5% with A's. If this doesn't work out, then our friend the arbitrary constant will be added to the grades to bring them in line with these goals. In Math classes, there may also be multiplication by a different arbitrary constant, just to prove that the Math department can do arithmetic better than anybody else.

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@Flunking In

One of the phrases that is common with RPI students is flunking in. What this means is that your grades are too low to transfer to another school of similar caliber to RPI. Admittedly, you will always be able to use your grades to get into the smaller community colleges, but this may not meet with approval from P & M. This happens to lots of people, perhaps as many as seventy percent of Tute students. It is just one of the realities of attending Rensselaer. Your grades are posted on a sliding scale which rewards only a select few at the top.

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@The Organic Waste Products Services

The RPI Food Services are the butt of almost half the jokes you might hear while walking around campus at any time. Of course, almost any college food service is going to be some kind of cross between Burger Master and Wyatt's Cafeteria, and DAKA is no different.

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<p>Thanks</p>

[seg9585]

<p>I have never heard of the Gallagher Memorial Infirmary. The health center is nice, although I've been there only once. It is located in Academy Hall.</p>

<p>Merit financial aid is guaranteed if its awarded to you, most of the financial aid is applied for 4 years, but as with all schools you should make sure what aid you get before you rely on it -- we use FAFSA which decides how much aid students are supposed to get, and this is a national standard.</p>

<p>Some professors are focused on their research, and so they are not very good at teaching. As a result, they will base everything they say out of the book, and I've known of a few classes where people just wouldnt attend class. However, attendance is required by some professors, and most of the profs I have had are good at teaching and attending class is essential if not just highly beneficial. Besides, like high school, you never know if the prof decides to assign something or have a pop quiz. As for speaking English -- most are fine, a few aren't. You should do some research and ask upperclassmen who theyd recommend to have as a professor for any particular course.</p>

<p>Yes the curve is used here, as with most colleges...typically, grades are raised at the end of the semester to fit this curve, not lowered (I experienced one exception to this where scores were lowered). In general, profs aim for exam class averages of about 65, and the A cutoff is usually around 87 or so depending on the number of A's (B cutoff is about 76-77. So, you should pay attention to the class to see where you stand.</p>

<p>I am not familiar with grade transfers and failing, I havent experienced this yet...</p>

<p>Yeah, most people tend to talk about how much Commons sucked the other day, it makes for nice conversation. And I'll admit, the food does worsen throughout the year as it gets more repetitive. My biggest complaint is that some days there will be 5 good things, and the next day nothing. Luckily there are some options -- going to Sage or Barh for dinner on weekdays, as long as they dont happen to be serving the same crap. To be honest tho, I've been to other schools and RPI's food service is better than most of them, so I guess its a lesser of 2 evils</p>

[originaloog]

<p>billyk, if you were not able to figure out that this was satire perhaps RPI is not the place for you!</p>

<p>Actually, RPI is one of the few colleges which does not require maintenance of a minimum gpa for its merit finaid.</p>

<p>Academics are rigorous at The Tute but with the average gpa hovering at the 3.0 level, the C-Vortex is a humorous myth.</p>

[everyprincess]

<p>first of all this is "older" the people who put this up put it up in 1985...things CHANGE!!! I am going to be a sophmore next year, so...it may not be that great, but just to say i do know upperclassmen, and well, i have experienced it during the school year and summer.
I've been to the Infirmary (which actually moved to Academy Hall, not mentioned on the list since it is a newer building) and it's alright. I had a little issue with them, and i know others who have, I do have to say it is ONE OF THE FEW problems with RPI.
Financial Aid - someitmes financial aid goes down, but that's only because it's the value of it does not the actual amount. That's only cause tuition goes up. I don't know if it's true for financial aid, but it's true for merit aid.
The class part is a bunch of bull....It's not true. A lot of students go to class, a few do skip some classes every now and then, but overall class is important. The textbook prices at the bookstore are high, so online the bookstore puts up the books required for class, and i would recommend just going through other students who took the class already or amazon (and such) to get the books cheaper.
The "C-Vortex" is different. It is like that, but some profs don't care about curving. It just depends on the prof.
I've never heard of flunking in...never....i know people who fluncked out...but it's a rare; either kids who stopped caring, had issues with the weather all of a sudden (more of caring and weather, from s. cali and never seen snow) or just don't try.
the food is pretty much college food....it's typical, but you do get good food every now and then....</p>