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As a whole, I would say the teachers are what I expected. Overall, freshmen end up with a lot of classes which are rather large lectures (50–100 people, usually more like 50), so teachers can help but seem kind of distant. Two out of the eight teachers I’ve had so far have been of lower quality, three have been great, and the rest are average. There are classes which allow closer student/professor interaction, though—particularly humanities. It also depends on your major. I don’t mean to stereotype, but math professors are, on the whole, less interesting than philosophy ones.
- anonymous on
Academics at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Overall Experience
RPI -
Troy, NY
Photo by fogcat5.
Used under Creative Commons.
RPI provides many advantages to its students—the most important of those are the prospects post-graduation. This is perhaps the most compelling reason to come to RPI—although the economy has been slow in the past few years, most graduates find their way into the workforce with decent entry-level jobs. The school itself is very challenging and provides an education and a name that few other universities can match (especially in the science and engineering fields). The social life isn’t what you can find at other schools, but there are still fun things to do if you’re willing to look for them; students who get into the social scene tend to remain friends with the people they meet, even after graduation. Before deciding if RPI is where you want to spend your college years, be sure to take into account a few important points. The first is that this is not a party school—work comes first. Partying is fine, but not at the expense of schoolwork. If you can’t manage your time well, you won’t be staying in Troy for long. The second thing to remember is the male-to-female ratio is three to one. The third is the weather. This isn’t a pleasant place for most of the school year. If you’re from the Northeast, you should be fine, but if you haven’t seen snow before, you might be in for a shock. If you can handle these things and are serious about one of the courses of study that RPI offers, then RPI is your ticket to a good education and a promising post-college life.
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"It’s a good school, and it gives me a good education. People are nice, and you just have to be outgoing and you will meet a lot of people and have fun." |
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"I absolutely love RPI. It’s a tough school academically, but I’ve had a really good experience here so far. I was accepted at UPenn, Cornell, and WPI, but am very glad I chose RPI." |
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"Although the social scene isn’t the greatest and there are a lot of cliques, I’ve found my niche among friends, and the education I’m getting is going to give me the opportunity to be a pioneer in my field." |
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"So far, I love being at RPI. I’m very glad I didn’t choose another school closer to home. (I live about two and a half hours away from Troy.) The people I have met have been really great, and it’s definitely been an awesome experience. With four classes a semester, the workload doesn’t turn everyone into mindless robot students, but there’s definitely enough schoolwork to keep most people occupied. I certainly don’t wish I was somewhere else. Although the school is definitely a tech school (humanities are rather lacking in some areas), that fits well with me, and I love being here." |
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"I’m learning a lot at RPI, having RPI on my resume has helped me and others out a lot with finding jobs and scholarships. RPI engineer grads make money after they graduate; that’s why I’m sticking it out. The social scene isn’t great, but usually, I’m too busy with tons of work in all my classes to notice. The thing that kills most is the ratio of guys to girls; if it were 55, things would be much better." |
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By The Numbers
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Full-Time Undergraduates:
4,894
Part-Time Undergraduates:
35
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Total Male Undergraduates:
3,699
Total Female Undergraduates:
1,230
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Overall Acceptance Rate:
75%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate:
57%
Early Action Acceptance Rate:
Not offered
Regular Acceptance Rate:
74%
Total Applicants:
5,406
Total Acceptances:
4,032
Freshman Enrollment:
1,079
Yield (% of admitted students who actually enroll):
37%
Early Decision Deadline:
November 1
Early Decision Notification:
January 1
Regular Decision Deadline:
January 1
Regular Decision Notification:
March 31
Must-Reply-By Date:
May 1
Applicants Placed on Waiting List:
266
Students Enrolled from Waiting List:
69
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Transfer Applications Received:
293
Transfer Applications Accepted:
191
Transfer Students Enrolled:
125
Transfer Application Acceptance Rate:
65%
SAT I or ACT Required?:
Either
SAT I Range (25th–75th Percentile):
1220–1420
SAT I Verbal Range (25th–75th Percentile):
580–690
SAT I Math Range (25th–75th Percentile):
640–730
Freshman Retention Rate:
92%
Top 10% of High School Class:
63%
Application Fee:
$70
Common Application Accepted?:
Yes
Supplemental Forms?:
Yes
Admissions Phone:
(518) 276-6216
Admissions E-Mail:
Admissions Web Site:
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