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Comparable Schools'
Diversity Grades:
College Prowler Take
Most students consider campus to be quite diverse. With students from all over the country, not to mention the world, there’s a little bit of everything. Virtually every ethnic group on campus has multiple organizations that its members can get involved in and spread awareness of different cultures. There is also a great range of social and economic backgrounds among the students at RPI. Because it is primarily an engineering school, however, most of the students at RPI have similar interests and hobbies. This can make it seem like the campus isn’t as diverse—although there may be a broad range of people, the number of cliques is somewhat narrower. You see a lot of people hanging out with groups of similar backgrounds, and while the groups don’t clash, there isn’t a tremendous amount of intermingling between them. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
It’s mostly male, lots of Asians,...
It’s mostly male, lots of Asians, Indians, few blacks— mostly well-off kids. |
Anonymous says: |
It is pretty diverse. The three...
It is pretty diverse. The three most prevalent races are whites, Chinese, and Indians. They make up about 80 percent of the population. Blacks, Hispanics, and others make up the rest. |
Anonymous says: |
It’s very diverse, with lots of...
It’s very diverse, with lots of different nationalities. Lots of cliquing between certain nationalities too, though, but everybody gets along. |
Anonymous says: |
The campus is very diverse. I...
The campus is very diverse. I don’t know the numbers, but you’ll find people from every state and from all over the world. As an example, a friend of mine freshman year was from Seattle and had a roommate from Korea. |
Anonymous says: |
This is the most diversity I have...
This is the most diversity I have ever seen in my life, but I come from a very homogenous town outside of the Northeast. Many of the ethnic groups socialize mainly among each other, but this is not always the case. Being an ethnic minority (and gender minority for RPI), I can honestly say my social circle is very diverse in terms of ethnicity and cultural background, but definitely not in terms of region. The vast majority (around 50 percent) of RPI’s student body is from NYS and at least another 30 percent is from the Northeast or the tri-state area. |
FactsEconomic Status
There are students from all different economic backgrounds, although there are quite a few that come from very well-off families. Some people would argue that there is too much “old money” at RPI, and that the school should be more selective amongst the legacies, instead of allowing in anyone who has had a grandfather graduate that donates large sums of money. However, once here, family money doesn’t matter as much, and there is little reflection in day-to-day life of a person’s economic well being.
Gay Pride
There is a relatively small population of homosexual students on campus, but the community is accepting of them. The Rensselaer Pride Alliance (RPA) is one of the clubs on campus.
Minority Clubs
Virtually every minority present at RPI has a club associated with it. From the Chinese Student Association to the Iranian Student Association, from the Muslim Women’s Association to the National Society of Black Engineers, there is something for everyone, regardless of ethnicity and heritage. See the Clubs and Organizations section for more.
Most Common Religions
The major religions on campus are Christianity (primarily Catholic and Protestant), Judaism, and Islam. The school has a Chaplain’s Office to serve the needs of the campus religious community. It supports such groups as BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ), Koinonia (a Protestant community service organization), Korean Christian Fellowship, Muslim Student Association, Newman Fellowship, Rensselaer Christian Association, and the RPI-Sage Hillel.
Political Activity
There is some political activity but much of the student body is apathetic of things outside of RPI and Troy. For those interested, there are political groups on campus: The Progressive Students Alliance (formerly the College Democrats), the College Republicans, and the College Libertarians.
Did You Know?RPI has more than 180 clubs, and there is a group for almost every background on campus.
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