@Polar2000 Has he checked out our electric vehicle teams? They are super cool! I believe they build a new electric car each year like our formula team does.
RPI is academically challenging for sure. I was accepted there, but knew after seeing my ex (now at Microsoft) and friends (Apple, Duracell, etc.) burn out that I wanted more to college than living in my apartment all day working. Academics definitely have to come first for me here, but I still have time to do things I enjoy. 
My son has been in RPI and heās ace-ing all his classes but doesnāt feel burnt out. Thereās still a few years to go but he finds it manageable. I donāt doubt that itās true, RPI can be academically rigorous but I just wanted to add to your very good write-up that it certainly does depend on the person. For some, the challenge is the motivator. For others the academics is only part of the motivation. My second son definitely has RIT on his upcoming list of potential schools this coming December.
@reformedman No doubt itās a great school! Watched 3 of my friends go through the CS program, 2 of whom graduated summa. They had a rough junior and senior year, got burned out just in time for graduation. They are happier now that theyāve gotten a couple years distance between them and classes.
For me, academics are the #1 priority, but I also wanted to be in an environment where I knew Iād be happier personally. Best of luck to your son at RPI! Maybe Iāll bump into him at hackathons.
@Frobot Which town in MA are you from? I also live near WPI but Iām not planning on applying there because I want a tech school that is a little less traditional, and I think RIT might be a good match for me. Can I ask you what housing during co-ops is like? I went and visited the school recently and it seems that housing during freshman year is guaranteed, but sophomore year and up it seems harder to live on campus. What have you experienced there? Iām seriously considering RIT (looking at Northeastern, UConn, CWRU) for ME.
@qwertyuipop Hi! Sorry for the slow response, I donāt check on here super often.
I am from Holden. There are a good amount of people here from MA.
The MechE program is one of the more competitive ones to get into, but my friends who are in that major love it.
Freshman housing is guaranteed. I donāt think it technically is after that, but I also personally have no friends that have had to move off campus for the reason of not receiving housing. I would say a lot of people move off campus at some point anyway. Now, āoff campusā could mean Park Point, The Province, or The Lodge, which are student housing locations that are not run by RIT but are right by campus (literally right next to dorm side, except The Lodge which is a mile away) and have RIT bus service. People have little issue finding housing, in my experience. My advice would be to find people you want to live with and split the rent for a house off campus. Doing so in this area isnāt expensive. I live in a 4 bedroom house with three other girls and we all pay ~$375 per month.
As for the question about co-op housingā¦it depends. It is your responsibility to take care of it. Some companies provide housing, some provide stipends to help with rent, some provide nothing of that nature. If the co-op is in Rochester, you can live on campus, but I honestly have no idea how that works because I donāt know anyone who has done that.
For me, I had a co-op in Colorado this summer. The company offered me a $1,600 housing bonus to help me with rent. (Ended up paying for most of it with the situation I found.)
You still there @Polar2000 ? How is your year going? Howās your co-op? Iām a parent of a prospective student assuming heās accepted RD to RIT (fingers crossed). How are you feeling about RIT?