<p>If you live less then 150 miles from the school the school will not set up an over night. What is the social life like at RPI during the week nights and weekends?</p>
<p>From an on-campus resident viewpoint, most weekday evenings are decently quiet -- alot of studying, club meetings, etc. Tuesday nights for engineer majors are more relaxed because most people have less classes on wednesdays.
Weekend nights people usually go to parties at frats or off-campus apartments, stay up late and sleep late.
Other people and other majors probably have different perspectives...</p>
<p>seg: On weekends, is there anything to do besides go to the frats or off campus parties (and probably drink heavily) or play video games? How about the kids involved in theater - do you know, are they busy with that? Thanks.</p>
<p>Additionally, what is the camaraderie like between the students? Are the students happy socially? Is snowboarding big on the weekends?</p>
<p>It all depends on what you and your friends like to do and what you are involved in. There is so much to do that most of the time you find yourself making decisions and having to say no to some options. In the winter skiing and snowboarding are really popular so you will see a lot of people off doing that. Sometimes my friends and I will catch the movies that are playing on campus or we will go to shows in the union (a capella groups, comedians, etc). Other weekends if I have club activities going on I will be off doing that. Other times we will go to parties. It really all depends on what you want to and what you make of your experience.</p>
<p>I am a current RPI sophomore and I am part of a social frat. Therefore my view on RPI's social life may differ slightly from the other posters. During the week most people have too much work to really do much, so I won't talk about weeknights. </p>
<p>The weekend is a different story. There are some campus held events on the weekends that students can go to, but not many people actually do. Most people in all honesty drink on the weekends. Most of the drinking actually happens at off campus apartments now. Not many fraternities are still throwing open or larger parties. The few that are will be suspended for sure at some point in the next two years. The school is heavily enforcing their alcohol and party policies now. The school is moving towards a dry campus as well. Probably by 2010 RPI will be a dry campus. This includes all Greek houses and dorms regardless of their distance from the main campus.</p>
<p>Besides drinking, a lot of students try to get off campus during the weekends. Quite a few students do ski or snowboard during the winter. Some other students just drive home every weekend. Only a small number of students are involved with clubs that do events on the weekends. Quite a few people just play video games in their room all weekend as well. </p>
<p>There are plenty of options besides drinking, however the majority of students do not take advantage of these options. That makes the RPI social scene pretty much centered around drinking. People take most of the their Friday planning where and when they are going to drink that night. Same with Saturday. Drink late, sleep late. It is pretty much like every other college in that regard.</p>
<p>I would say in general that students are pretty happy socially at RPI. I think that people could be happier but it isn't to bad. It is still college, it is still fun. Maybe not as fun as going to U Albany but it keeps most of the students at least feeling okay about their college experience.</p>
<p>Sounds like a blast. Not. :(</p>
<p>I have to say I agree with most of the above, except I don't think the social scene is necessarily "centered around drinking". In fact, the statistics I heard at the beginning of the year was something like 50-50 at best for the number of students who drink, and around 30% in frats. </p>
<p>For what its worth, let me give you my experience.. I don't drink or go to parties, and neither do any of my friends or (myself an many of my friends are physics majors, and this is pretty typical of this major it seems.. I have yet to meet a physics major who parties or drinks). Also, I don't play video games very much. So what do I do?.. It varies, but a typical weekend for me is something like this: it will start on Friday evening helping out with public observing at the observatory as part of the Astrophysical Society. Then I might watch a movie or something with my suite mates and sleep in Saturday. Saturdays are generally pretty low key.. mostly just doing stuff on the computer, sometimes there are activities with clubs I am involved in, I also try to practice piano on weekends. Same goes for Sunday, and in addition I usually have a little studying or homework for Monday. </p>
<p>This might sound dull compared to partying and getting wasted, but I am quite happy here, as are most of my friends. Basically, you can do whatever you want, clubs, frats, sports, or just study or play video games. </p>
<p>Main thing you hear people complaining about is the ratio, but personally it hasn't been much of an issue for me.</p>
<p>The responses given so far are pretty accurate.</p>
<p>weenie--
OK let me give a little more detail. Of course drinknig isn't the only thing to do on weekends. But, it IS accurate that weekend mornings are very quiet on campus.
I am very involved with on-campus activities, and during the week it takes up a great majority of my time. Most of my weeks may become very tiring and homework/studying can be stressful at times As a result, I usually use weekends to relax and "hang out".<br>
In the fall, I spend weekend days going hiking/rafting/caving with the Outing club. In winter I go skiing in Vermont usually 3-4 times/month during the weekend, and go to hockey games.
Friday nights have alot to do on campus -- comedy shows, Sheer Idiocy improv, Players have plays and musicals about 4 times per year. I have a bunch of friends who do this and its very time consuming for them on weekends but they enjoy it.
If you want to do non-drinking stuff I'm sure you can find it. And you can definitely go to parties without drinking!!!</p>
<p>Thank you seg9585. </p>
<p>I loved the Outing Club at the open house. They certainly had a lot of spirit! I wanted to join!!! :) Unfortunately, my 6'5" kid is a wimp...</p>
<p>Hey -- and I forgot to thank all the students on here for their honesty. It's important. </p>
<p>Mom advice: *Be good. Don't get drunk. It's dangerous.</p>
<p>McBain's view is certainly interesting to hear. I almost never hear a response like that. Course it could be since only 30% of students are Greek that only a small percentage of students feel that way. Of course I guess that of that 30% even fewer have that mentality so that could be why; it's such a small amount of students. From my perspective I would disagree with that response and side more so with the other posters. JMO tho.</p>
<p>rpiyankees--
Glad you brought that up, because you just highlighted the exact problem that has faced the student body since i got here -- the disconnect between the greeks and on-campus residents.
I have belonged, at various points, to both and I clearly saw both sides and which side I preferred to stay on.
ALOT of the greeks have that mentality -- "there's nothing to do on campus, people who live there are lame, RPI is all about classes and that's it, don't interefere with me because I left campus to drink and now that I can't do that anymore so rpi sucks"
On average, morale is lower among greeks than on-campus residents, because their concerns are different -- taking care of the house, "fighting rpi's attempt to squash social life aka drinking", weekend "work parties" to fix every part of the house damaged by the party from the night before. And it spreads to almost all the houses. They feel they should not get involved with campus because campus never does anything for them.
And on-campus people are more involved with on-campus clubs, commonly try to steer clear of the frats. Usually a little more low-key, true, but also more focused on their broad range of activities. More accepting of change in campus rules and politics. Most of what they do is for themself and the good of campus clubs/services and not just "for the frat".</p>
<p>You see it all the time: at hockey games on-campus "Go Be Red" members come to cheer the team, frats only come to compete with them and other frats for whoever has the most letters, usually just a reason to pregame before the real parties begin.</p>
<p>I was in a professional development class with greeks last semester: when asked "How would you change RPI?" and the first response is usually "Stop telling us what we can and can't do in our off-campus house." On-campus residents usually tend to FIRST think of things they could do to improve their education, activities, and meals plans.</p>
<p>As my last bit of proof that a good amount of greeks only care about greek life and nothing else at RPI, check out the photo on the homepage of <a href="http://www.saverpigreeks.com%5B/url%5D">http://www.saverpigreeks.com</a>
So it looks like once you join a frat, that's the only reason you stay. These people obviously choose to ignore the rest of campus because they think there's nothing to do. But they can only blame themselves for that....</p>
<p>This is coming from the viewpoint of someone who was in a frat and left on a bad note, so my opinion may seem skewed but feel free to critique greeks...sorry for ranting and hopefully this doesn't discourage anyone -- I love RPI and think its a great school with lots to do. The student body is a little dysfunctional at times, that's all.</p>
<p>"seg: On weekends, is there anything to do besides go to the frats or off campus parties (and probably drink heavily) or play video games? How about the kids involved in theater - do you know, are they busy with that? Thanks." ~Weenie</p>
<p>Friday nights there are usually "work parties" where a lot of the players get together and help set up for an upcoming play/musical (depending on when it its). Also throughout the week there are a lot of club meetings. Saturday nights people either go to parties, hang out at the games room in the union, watch movies (UPAC plays one on Friday nights and another one Saturday nights). Also on Saturday nights some people just get together and go somewhere, or play video or board games. The players do about 4 shows every year and so Friday nights are usually booked for them. </p>
<p>Also I don't think that once you join a frat, that the people "obviosly choose to ignore the rest of the campus because the think there's nothing to do" That is def. not true! I am part of a frat (coed, and not APO) and I am also a part of Dance Club, Volleyball Club, Tennis Club, Russian Club, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters volunteer program (which meets every other Saturday, and I know a couple other girls who are a part of sororities that take part in the volunteer program), I am a part of the Players (and know a lot of other players that are a part of other social frats). So this is what I would conclude, some frats just revolve around themselves, and yet some are very together and yet the same time they go and help out the community, and go and be a part of RPI. Also I do have a couple of friends who are part of RPA (Rensselaer Pride Alliance) and are part of fraternities (most are in mine). And I know that there is a variety of fraternities who have their brothers a part of sports teams.</p>