Questions for Rose-Hulman Student

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

<p>"Hey, I'm a freshman here at Rose and just wanted to offer my services to answer any questions you potential students might have about anything here at Rose, from class schedule to social life to the food, anything, don't be afraid. I know I was in contact with several students before I came here and it helped me a lot. Rose does a lot to help freshmen when you arrive on campus, but I know I had a lot of questions I wanted answered about this whole college thing before I came.</p>

<p>You can ask me questions here, or if it's more private, via email at <a href="mailto:nicholas.kirkland@rose-hulman.edu">nicholas.kirkland@rose-hulman.edu</a>."</p>

<p>This is what I said about a year ago. Well a lot has happened, but I'm still here at Rose. I'm now a sophomore adviser living in a freshman residence hall and I work in the office of admissions a couple of hours a week, so the school is putting me to work helping potential and new Rose students. I still love the school and am happy to answer any questions parents or students might have about Rose and my experience in general at an engineering college.</p>

<p>Ask away if you dare.</p>

2

<p>Hello, I've already been accepted, and am waiting for scholarship information. I know there is a Intro to Photography class at Rose, but do you know if there is any kind of photography club or group? I'm into DSLR photography, and I'd really like to expand my photography skills.
Thanks,
Bperboy</p>

3

<p>What is the social life like at Rose? Is there a party scene at all? I realise that rose is a serious school and you have to work alot, but is there still time to have fun?</p>

4

<p>bperboy, there's no photography club that I know of.</p>

<p>esmitty, yes there's a party scene here. It's not that different from other colleges, except for the fact that we do more work than at a lot of other schools. We have eight fraternities. On the weekends there's always stuff going on. Contrary to popular belief, there are very, very few people who you will find doing homework on a Friday or Saturday night here.</p>

5

<p>cool... so when i visit, what are some must see things?</p>

6

<p>Depends on what you're interested in. I assume you're talking about when you come visit and do the whole office of admissions tour?</p>

7

<p>Yea, i'm just thinking like where I should eat, go check out, etc.</p>

8

<p>Wonderful! Thanks for the offer! Do the professors seem to really care about (1) the students as people, and notice if they've missed classes or eat with them in the dining halls, (2) the academics, and stay after classes or have long office hours for rehashing interesting topics? </p>

<p>I notice that a relatively small percentage of RH students go to grad school - do you know why that is?</p>

<p>What is the typical class size and/or is there a publicly available registration-type site where I could see what classes are offered and how many students are actually signed up for them?</p>

<p>Is Comp Sci a real part of the school, or is it just a tacked-on degree because "the students are geeks and geeks like computers so let's have a computer degree"? How many students are taking CS as opposed to the traditional engineering-type degrees? </p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

9

<p>How do people afford this school? It costs as much as MIT, and although they are both extremely prestigious schools, most would argue that MIT>Rose any day. I would love to go and it is definitely my dream school, but what makes people choose Rose-Hulman over a much cheaper state school like Missouri S&T, in-state Purdue, Michigan, Georgia Tech, etc.? From what I have read on these boards, Rose does not give great financial aid and most people end up being disappointed. Do people really go into 130,000+ dollars of debt to just go to Rose, banking on the fact that they will graduate and make lots of money, or do the majority of people get significant scholarships? Is the school full of rich kids who can afford it? Do you know people at your school who have had to drop out/take a year off due to financial reasons? With the economy the way it is and having a family income supported (for now) by Detroit's Big 3, this is probably my biggest worry and it seems to me a lot of other applicants share the same concerns.</p>

10

<p>I'm a prospective member of the class of 2014...</p>

<p>How many people usually major in physics at Rose? From what I've heard, pure science majors are hard to find amidst the masses of MEs, CPEs, and CivEs... but I'm most interested in physics (not engineering physics) at this point and was wondering how hopelessly outnumbered I'd be at Rose. </p>

<p>Also, what can you tell me about the strength of the program? I know everyone has to take at least a year of physics (yes?), but how strong is the major? </p>

<p>Furthermore, how about the Rose Chorus? Do you know how active they are in terms on-campus performances, or even beyond the campus? I've heard a rumor, as well, about some kind of Quiz Bowl team but I can't find anything about them--could you fill me in? </p>

<p>Thank you for being willing to take so many questions! :)</p>

11

<p>I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but I'll try. A friend of mine lives across the hall from me and is a physics major. You're right that there aren't very many (I'd guess about 20 in each class), but that's actually true of many majors. Other than the MEs, there's only an average of 20 people per year with each major. Two of my roommates are CPEs and are in a similar situation, but you get to know the other people with your major pretty quickly.</p>

12

<p>As a physics major you will be in the minority. We had 18 students in our electromagnetism class this year, which is less than you will find in required courses of chemistry or biology majors (well, I'm pretty sure...). Not all of those students are even physics majors, but a mix of physics and EP majors. I don't know why it would matter though. All the physics people know each other (well, by name at least), but it's not as if they are all best buds because we have the same major. You'll just end up mingling with other majors.</p>

<p>That said, as early as you want to you could probably get engaged in directed research classes with a professor, since they are very happy to talk to/work with students (what with the introverted engineering/science student being the majority)... There are plenty of opportunities to get to know your professors well (since we have a good number of professors for only a handful of physics/optics/ep majors) which helps lead to good/helpful recommendations for jobs/grad school. The name recognition isn't as great for physics as it is for engineering, and at the career fair it's a bit of a ghost town if you only look for places wanting physics majors. That can be depressing.</p>

<p>With that in mind, I think if you'd like Rose for its other qualities, I'd say it would be just as good a fit for physics as anything else. I don't know what you'd plan on doing with a physics degree without going to graduate school, and Rose will obviously lack some of the prestige associated with cornell or princeton, but you can still make it work.</p>

<p>--EP major planning on grad school</p>

13

<p>Can someone answer the questions in Geekmom's post (#8)?</p>

14

<p>Thanks for all the info about the physics program. I probably would end up going to grad school if I majored in it (I'm still considering a lot of other majors), because you're right--people who only have a bachelor's in physics probably aren't the most marketable. I know a lot of Rose students don't go to grad school because they have job offers right away, but I'm glad to know that I could still make it work. And yes, I do like Rose for its other qualities. </p>

<p>Thanks again for everyone who's answering questions around here! It's been extremely helpful to me, and hopefully to others, too. :)</p>

15

<p>DBT124 has asked questions and they are interesting. Can somebody please answer these questions please. I am curious to know the answers too.</p>

<p>Thanks. You guys are wonderful.</p>

16

<p>Hi I would like to know how to book dorms. Are there any suggestions for better dorms ? How do we look for a roommate?</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
How do people afford this school? It costs as much as MIT, and although they are both extremely prestigious schools, most would argue that MIT>Rose any day. I would love to go and it is definitely my dream school, but what makes people choose Rose-Hulman over a much cheaper state school like Missouri S&T, in-state Purdue, Michigan, Georgia Tech, etc.? From what I have read on these boards, Rose does not give great financial aid and most people end up being disappointed. Do people really go into 130,000+ dollars of debt to just go to Rose, banking on the fact that they will graduate and make lots of money, or do the majority of people get significant scholarships? Is the school full of rich kids who can afford it? Do you know people at your school who have had to drop out/take a year off due to financial reasons? With the economy the way it is and having a family income supported (for now) by Detroit's Big 3, this is probably my biggest worry and it seems to me a lot of other applicants share the same concerns.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You raise a valid point. Rose is expensive. To answer your question, yes, a lot of people accrue a lot of debt to come to Rose. There are some exceptions, people whose parents are loaded, but that is not the norm. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who's dropped out for financial reasons. People, myself included, think the quality of education, the personal attention that you get, and the Rose-Hulman community are worth the price tag. That's something each applicant has to decide for himself/herself when making their college decision.</p>

<p>chi62, you fill out a housing request after you've made your enrollment deposit in the spring. It consists solely of a form where you put your top 3 choices for dorms. I feel obligated to tell you that Speed Hall is by far the best freshman dorm. In truth though, if you ask any Rose student what the best freshman dorm is, 99.99% of them will answer with the dorm they lived in their freshman year. Unless you specifically know someone coming to Rose and request it on that housing request, your roommate will be random. That's the way it's been done for a long time at Rose and it works. There are very few problems each year with roommates being so incompatible that they change rooms.</p>

18

<p>GeekMom63:
1) the professors care about students, and some will notice when a student doesn’t come to class, and I’ve heard others like to get an e-mail when a student will miss class—not to know why but just to know. Other times a student can go the quarter without having his name known probably, but that is the fault of the student and teacher, since many students are really quiet. They do not eat with students in the dining hall (or at least not that I have seen, though I haven’t been there in awhile since I tired of the food).
2) They have decent office hours and will generally talk outside of office hours if they are there and not busy with another student. It’s easiest if you set up a time if you know that you will need help, and they are more than accommodating for that.</p>

<p>Grad school) I believe most don’t go to grad school because they are engineering majors. This means most went in with the idea of coming out employable from the get-go and not really expecting to pursue a PhD (the “free” grad school) or a masters (which would require more money/time). I wouldn’t say it’s a matter that they can’t get into programs, but they don’t feel the need. On the other hand, they may just be sick of school at that point and feel the need to get out and make money as opposed to spend it/break even.</p>

<p>Classes) Class lists/times are given in a course catalog before registration every quarter. I believe the humanities department has a 2 year schedule for classes on their website, though how many of each class or their times will not be listed I don’t think. The average size would be 15-25 I would say for a normal class. Higher level classes can have less.</p>

<p>CompScience) I have a friend who is a graduated CS who got a very nice offer in California. It is not a tacked on degree, and some CS folks seem to be much more interested in their classes than I have seen any student be for the “traditional” engineering curriculum courses be. The students who go CS don’t seem to fall into the major like one might in ME or Civil, they like it from the beginning whereas the ME or Civil chooses it because they like the end (or something along those lines).</p>

<p>dbt124: People afford the school just like they do any other school: loans. For some people, the in state option is not one they consider an adequate substitute. Sure GT, Mich State, and Purdue are good schools, but they don’t have equivalents in every state. And the costs are higher at Rose, but they give a larger average need based package ($23,000 vs $12,000). Purdue seems to give more non-need based aid though. </p>

<p>I guess for me, I still don’t understand why someone would choose Rose over a good in state school (assuming they got some scholarships/aid for their in state option). Perhaps it is the size (small and cozy over being one in a crowd), or the potential prospects (though I doubt one would really be paid less when coming from Purdue if they did well… it just might be harder to do well?). The one reason I can really believe is graduation rate. I believe Rose-Hulman has a higher graduation rate (in 4 years—40% for purdue vs 73% for Rose—from their respective websites) than a place like Purdue or Michigan. This is probably because of the smaller school being more accommodating and the professors being available. If you are an ace student, you’d probably make it fine in 4-5 years from Purdue too, but if you don’t then the extra year can be costly. </p>

<p>This was all for Rose vs in state. Rose vs MIT doesn’t make sense to me really… the students at Rose are strong/smart students, but I have my doubts that many of them could have gotten into MIT. I know I would not have gotten into MIT. </p>

<p>Oh, and the school is not full of rich kids. But I haven’t known anyone to drop out for financial reasons (though I have known quite a few to drop from lack of interest in engineering/low grades).</p>

<p>And I think the economy is weighing on everyone, and it’s going to be rough, but if no one can get a job anyways, you might as well spend your time getting a degree that people will pay for later.</p>

19

<ol>
<li>Do RHIT students usually have job offers before even graduating? If they do, are they mostly for jobs in the Midwest?</li>
</ol>

20

<p>Yes, Rose-Hulman is extremely expensive compared to instate tuition of IU, Purdue, etc. I'm a freshman this year and I'm going to be a little of 70k in debt when I graduate. This really isn't that bad when you consider you know you'll have a job before you graduate. If I did go to Purdue, I would have had 0 debt, however, I would not have had a 100% to get a job before I graduate. I think that because the economy is so bad right now, it actually benefits me to go to Rose-Hulman, because even though I am in debt, I'm am probably going to get a job before a Purdue graduate. So if there is a decline in job opportunities, Rose graduates will have an advantage.</p>