<p>Trip report: 4/5/2006</p>
<p>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is on a 260 acre campus high on a hill above the city of Troy, NY and above the Hudson River, just north of Albany and just west of the western border of MA. It's roughly equally distant from Boston, NYC, and Montreal, with transit available to all. The Berkshire, Catskill, and Adirondack Mountains are near enough to allow outdoor activity. There are ~5000 undergrads with about a 75%/25% male/female ratio, with closer to 50/50 in some majors. </p>
<p>There are 6 schools: Engineering, Science, Management and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Architecture. Apparently a very large number of students (70%?) double-major, and pretty much everyone minors. Classes are taught by professors, with TAs wandering around the class to assist. RPI has gone to an innovative "studio" style of interactive teaching for many classes. In such classes, students work in teams of 2 to 4, at learning stations, networked to the professor's teaching station. Concepts will be presented in brief lecture style, followed by hands-on team investigation and demonstration of concept learning by the teams. Some intro classes will have 100+ students, but most studio classes have around 40 (broken into ~10 teams). Upper level classes will typically have ~10 students. RPI is on a semester system; classes usually meet twice weekly for 90-min.+ periods; classes are not scheduled on Wed. which is lab day. Students will typically take 4 classes per semester. Many classes have moved to final projects rather than final exams; the students we talked with were very enthusiastic about the projects they've worked on.</p>
<p>The campus is large for the number of students attending. Almost all the buildings are in red brick with similar architecture, with some newer buildings built to blend in (although inside they're totally new). There's a road through the center of campus, with mostly residential buildings, student center, athletic and fitness centers, and food services on one side, and with academic buildings, theatre, library, and auditorium on the other side. All the dorms have been renovated within the last few years. Freshmen are guaranteed housing on campus, mostly standard doubles but also a new suite-style building is available. Housing choices are respected based on order of receipt of deposit. The freshman dorms are in one quad area; other housing is in several other areas of the campus. Roughly 40% move off-campus after that first year; about 30% of the school is part of the Greek system. No one seems to have any problem finding desired housing. There is a shuttle system that runs around the entire campus and residential areas every 15 minutes; students say they often use it to avoid walking to class in the wind or snow. A huge church which used to be the library is now used as the campus computer center; all students are required to purchase a laptop, and the computer center pops harddrives into loaners if something goes wrong and returns the student's laptop, repaired, no-questions-asked, usually within 48 hours. The food is varied, healthy, and plentiful; the cafeteria in the freshman quad is open 7am - 8pm and is all-you-can-eat-any-time. </p>
<p>RPI is Div III except for their mens/womens hockey program which is Div I: hockey is a big deal there, with a special stadium for games which draw the community. An extensive intramural sports program offer a chance for everyone from students who haven't ever even been on skates but want to try hockey, to those who could be varsity lacrosse but don't want to commit the time to practices. The school football field is right in the middle of one of the quads, oddly enough. The oldest building on campus (the arts building) is being renovated now, a brand new multi-million-dollar Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies has recently been completed, and a new multi-million-dollar Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center should be completed by 2008. (As one of our tour guides was an EMAC junior (Electronic Media, Arts, & Communication) and that's what my S is interested in, there was much excitement between them on the tour regarding the status of this building.) Students were off classes today but those we saw in the student center were engaged, energetic, focused, happy.</p>
<p>Applicants can use the common app or the RPI app. SAT I or ACT is required; SAT II math and science tests are required for "accellerated program" applicants (Physician-Scientist, Management-Law, Science Techology and Society-Law). They expect 4 years of English, 4 of math through pre-calc, 3 of science, and 2 of social studies/history. Applicants to Electronic Arts or Architecture programs are required to submit a portfolio. RPI has a binding ED (11/15 deadline) before their RD 1/1 deadline. They "pay particular attention" to students who show some special talent they would contribute to the community, and it was made clear to us that demonstrating interest (particularly by visiting, if you are from far away, as we are) is considered very positively. High scores on AP exams will earn a student the ability to pass out of an intro course in some areas.</p>
<p>I have some work colleagues who are RPI grads and somehow I imagined it much different from what we saw today. After the tour and the discussion with our tour guide, despite it being far away from the standard "large city", RPI appears to be at the top of my S's list. He will definitely apply.</p>