@RPIparent77 Does your daughter regret going to RPI? As I have said, I know my DS and his roommates are happy and made choices based on information they were told during accepted students day, orientation and advising. They have what they expected and what they need.
Arch you Should Fear Avoid Rensselaer seems like a good slogan for t-shirts, banners, buttons and posters. Maybe students should protest. Imagine teaching a class where all students are wearing such t-shirts, imagine seeing banners raised as prospective students tour campus. What would happen? I suggest RPIParent77 write a letter to the Poly with their psuedonym. Feel free to quote me with my psuedonym.
RPI77 - With a 3.9 RPI CUM you previously posted, Iām betting if you go to WPI or Stevens they will admit, provide similar merit, and accept every credit allowing your daughter to finish on schedule. Iām sure there are many other schools who will do the same.
I generally think the characterization of āmillennialsā is bogus and they are no different than past generations, or future ā¦ however all the ābulldozer parentingā here sort of tells me what the root cause is.
T-shirts and protests, you would think we were talking about the Vietnam War. Some of my best academic experiences were in required classes or with unreasonable professors. However, if you had asked we in real time, I would have said something very different.
@TQfromtheU thank you for stepping up and expressing a different and more positive perspective.
@StudentsR1st I prefer a positive mindset: āArch you should Revere, Apply to Rensselaerā
Hello, this is to let all know that RPI is losing ground fast. I have a child that is first year mandatory Arch student. It has been nothing short of disgusting! Today I received photos of the shared bathroom that has mold dripping off the ceiling. We are paying inflated costs for on campus housing, true Freshman dormitories that are the lowest quality. Unsafe, and unsanitary! They have not had any paper products since last Wednesday - more than a week! Nothing cleaned or maintained. Dinning halls were closed last weekend for the 3 day holiday (4 days after classes began). Please note it is MANDATORY they live where told on campus and purchase a meal plan as a Junior!! The cost of this ARCH and the morale of the students combined makes me want to throw up. We have decided that there will be no Masters or additional schooling at RPI. Please understand, at this point they can not transfer because of too many credits. Shirley Jackson knows exactly what she just created. So, we are 2.5 semester free from what I would call an awful college experience for my child, and a very expensive one!
@Spark2018: I think the most positive outcome would be to see both, let the students take the initiative. The worst would be to see only one side presented. What if the students themselves took action to improve their education and that of those who follow them? Demonstrations of this sort would be part of growing as a citizen and RPI should support students who exercise their opportunity to petition and peacefully demonstrate regarding a policy such as Arch. Such actions would not be akin to the Vietnam War. These students (either side) would be showing a commitment to their institute. One day their could be a parade of students who support Arch and on another day a demonstration by those who oppose it. (NYS Law prohibits both from occurring on the same day - Henderson Act).
@StudentsR1st Iāll assume some hyperbole, just like some of my posts. This is not a historical or significantly important social issue. Arch will either work or fail in the next couple of years. As it is not that much different from other co-op concepts, I expect with some natural PDCA it will succeed. The most positive outcome is for students and parents to have some faith in the administration, be positive, and be a problem solver, not a complainer. As the best and brightest in STEM, I would think that all did their research before choosing RPI, and equally are ready for a life of constant challenges, change and uncertainty. Beyond that, I post here on this topic for those who stumble on these strongly worded anti-Arch posts. Those readers may not be reading all of a particular posterās comments, or all of ours. I believe if all read in context, much of the negatives are driven by some, imho, petty issues. The drivers for some is the unimaginable horrors of a communal bathroom (please), and/or (speculation) the families annual summer trip is disrupted, and/or (speculation) the summer job with Jimās company from the golf club now canāt happen. Arch is not a failure or bad because one had to wait in line for an hour for a key, or the Commons food service is closed, and you have to go to another location on campus to eat. RPI is not the Four Season. From all the campuses Iāve been on or attended, I actually think it is better than most. Legitimate issues like class offerings during Arch seem to now be address, at least for engineering. The other legitimate issue like a robust network of companies offering co-ops, that RPI best be getting on, along with other options. Not that my/your student canāt find an equally great opportunity on Indeed, etc. They are there. As far as costs, they are in line with what we all signed up for. Granted, some opportunities to lower them Arch disrupts. As far as RPI doing a money grab by having a summer semester, using the vacant dorms, and in effect increasing housing supply by 12.5%, smart. I like it better than Northeasternās solution of outsourcing freshman to other countries (NU-IN), or renting from BC. Not meant to be a dig on NU, that was their business solution.
p.s. kudos to the editor of the forum for editing out some of the worst posted here.
@Spark2018 I do think students should take the initiative in forcing a discussion on Arch. Protests are one way to take the initiative. Regarding the smart business decision - I see this as a problem for a non-profit charitable institution. Every single off-campus housing option including Greek organizations is a threat to RPIs bottom line. A threat at this time they can ill afford. However unless students get some tangible benefit, not allowed by off-campus housing it is unfair and unethical for RPI to impose the increased cost on students. The same is true for CLASS. I think your comments about what RPI must do class offerings and co-op opportunities are things that must be in place for Arch to be implemented. By saying the off-campus semester is key to the undergraduate experience RPI must put real resources in place to ensure all students have the maximum number of opportunities and this includes hiring headplacers specifically for Arch. My estimate is one for each 50 students. RPI should absorb this cost without raising tuition. Further, they must deploy the resources to ensure all students can have classes to graduate on-time. This too will cost $ that should not be passed on to the students. I think the minor issues you raise are really major. Housing/Dining why make students miserable if there is no tangible benefit for living like freshmen again. The summer job issue is also a key challenge; many companies design summer internship programs for a reason. Finally, I think the summer vacation comment is partially wrong. We do not want to teach students to become workaholics and forgo contact with their families. I actually like the idea of requiring an off-campus focused-learning experience that lasts for a semester or its equivalent. But Arch falls way short in providing this or any other tangible benefit to students compared with the former academic plan. Finally you are right on target that āthis is what we signed up forā, Before applying or matriculating one really needs to do their HW. RPI should make this easy by putting Arch right out in front. If they are proud of it - prove it - through marketing.
Very happy with our decision not to go to RPI. I know that everything is an experience, and itās best to put a positive mindset forth. However, itās a lot of money to play with for a potentially dissatisfying outcome. As far as forced housing and meals are concerned, they wonāt benefit if students are choosing other schools because of what they are seeing and hearing about. I think I feel most sorry for the students who had the arch forced on them after they were already enrolled. They werenāt given the chance to decide if they want to be educated that way. Good luck to all. I hope that the arch program becomes everything the school is hoping for. But my son will be happy at WPI with his Computer Science/IMGD double major and digital art minor.
I agree I am glad my class of 2021 student did not attend RPI. Only first heard of the program on admitted students day. It was never discussed on the campus tour a couple of months earlier. The limited information was buried in the website.
We have a rising 10th grader, very STEM oriented. RPI was on list of favored schools because of its culture and excellence in STEM fields. Weāre in California, and are planning college visits during his Spring Break in 10th grade. RPI was right up there.
After reading about ARCH here and on Reddit, weāre going to hold off on visiting RPI for now. What had been a planned upstate New York tour of RPI, Cornell and RIT is now looking more like Cornell, RIT and Waterloo. Still interested in RPI, but Iāll want to see how ARCH unfolds the next couple years.
@sfSTEM From my prior posts you will see my student is at RPI with ARCH next summer. So far everything we expected. If you are here looking, I suggest going east and adding RPI, WPI and Northeastern to your visit. If you are closer to NYC, I would also recommend looking at Stevens. Best wishes.
Thanks @Spark2018. Visiting Boston area is also on our list for visits, so we may opt for that next Spring. Weāll await more info on how RPIās ARCH is doing before we do the upstate New York visits. You may have good insights a year from now to share. WPI and Northeastern are both very much on the list of schools to visit on Boston trip.
Itās a shame to see RPI become such a dumpster fire, with so many problems. In my 1980ās graduating class (from a NY high school), we had 4 students attend RPI, including our valedictorian. All of them had a great experience and are thriving in STEM fields to this day. Now, Iām not sure Iād want my kid to go there. Sad.
@Muad_dib āSadā is to randomly hate on RPI. I rolled back on your prior posts and that seems to be your MO. Part of the ādumpster fireā are posts about greek life. I saw your post that they āare a blight on the college landscapeā. London Calling, I guess you support SJ at least on this.
@sfSTEM FWIW, if you are going to be in the area visiting Rochester and Cornell, itās silly to skip RPI, especially if you are coming from CA. I have a feeling the ARCH glitches will all be worked out by the time your student will be applying. RPI has some amazing programs, facilities, and profs. I wouldnāt let ARCH keep you from visiting.
@Spark2018 : Thanks for checking my back catalog; I stand by everything I write, especially about Greek life, which has not ceased to be a blight on the college landscape, last I checked. Regarding RPI specifically, the current president has done the best she can to kill the schoolās reputation and alumni are in revolt.