Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

I liked the community of architecture students, whom I spent endless days and nights working with to explore unheard of design concepts, and I enjoyed being surrounded by a community of mostly engineers who would question or propose the possible reality behind these unheard of concepts.

I would have wanted to see a few more opportunities for the architecture curriculum to be integrated with the engineering curriculums, where engineering students engage more with the architecture students.

I love the variety of classes you can find - like an Arts class called Biopunk where you use biology labs to do artwork

I felt like I was not properly prepared for the difficulty of finding an internship for my Arch semester and that I did not get enough assistance with that, even when I reached out for help.

I have grown an amazing family-like support system during my first year at RPI. I would definitely encourage students to talk to their professors. The chemistry department at RPI are so welcoming and kind! There are many hidden gems at RPI and more I haven't discovered yet. The education is very rigorous, but I'd say it is worth it. There's wonderful events and great resources at the Student Union. I also recommend Argo Tea and the Beanery they are my favorite spots on campus!

There can be many cons at RPI, but it comes down to what you make of them. The food is terrible and I usually ended up having to order food at night since all they had after 6 pm were burgers. The mental health resources at RPI are also not the best. Some have had good experiences, but I personally didn't so it's something students need to figure out on their own. If you're a party person RPI isn't for you. The nightlife at RPI is non-existent or just isn't enjoyable at all. The dorms are alright I'd say personally I was able to make my dorm room look really cute, but I know a lot of people complained. It really depends on the people around you. Beware of the weather it is extremely windy at RPI and gets super cold in the winters.

Despite having a rough first year, I can definitely recommend RPI. While it is tough academically, the professors are great for the most part and you’ll have a lot of opportunities to learn more about any given topic and participate in student research. The students are very friendly and I can say that I’ve met some of the most inspiring and helpful people there.

The food at RPI is definitely lacking as you are required to have a dining plan the first two years and the food isn’t the greatest at the cafeterias. While they are open late into the night, some of the meals are good, others decent, while some are barely edible. Fortunately there’s quite a bit of variety so you’re likely to find something you like.

I think for my major (Games and Simulations Arts and Sciences) and the excellent med-program are the reasons to go to RPI. It's very much a college for those who are willing to put in a lot of work, which I appreciate.

The administration can be frustratingly slow with processing things and their mental health resources are very poor to nearly missing.

RPI is a great school if you want to major in engineering but still go to a small school. They have amazing professors who truly care about the work they are doing.

While many people despair about the dying social life at RPI, there are tons of clubs to join, all of which are extremely active. I highly encourage prospective students to pre-choose clubs they want to join and connect with them early on so they don't have to worry about a (definitely possible) dead social life.