Rochester Institute of Technology | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Courtney

Class: Junior
Major: Communications
Gender: F

High School: Bayport Blue Point High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

The best thing about RIT is its facilities, between the gym and from personal experience as a former photography major - RIT has it all! One thing I would change about RIT is the parking. I feel that there should be less reserved parking, and that parking passes should not cost as much as it does. I feel that the school is neither too big nor too small, it's just right like "baby bear." I feel that there are plenty of people and types of personalities where you can never get bored and you have the ability to make a new friend every day. When I tell people that I go to RIT their immediate reaction is either, "Good school," or "You must be pretty smart," which helps boost the confidence. I spend most of my time on campus pretty evenly between the library, the liberal arts building, the Student Alumni Union, and the RITZone (an eatery under the SAU). We are in the process of building a college town. I'm torn on the issue of RIT's administration - the issue of money is always brought up with any and every RIT student. I can't remember the biggest and most recent controversy, but last year we had a student that ended up in the news because he had a weapon in his room at the RIT Inn, and it was directly after the Virginia Tech shooting. School pride is evident on campus when there are sporting events or competitions, such as the Ranger Challenges that the Army ROTC cadets participate in every year. I don't feel that there is anything especially unusual about RIT, but I believe its diversity is something that other schools don't have when I compare colleges with my friends and family members. My number one, favorite experience I will ALWAYS remember is meeting my fiance. He and I were both considering other colleges, and RIT won us both over for other reasons, but we were both the cherries on top of our decisions! The most frequent complaints are tuition prices, the lack of non-reserved parking spaces, and the two-week break at Thanksgiving, instead of adding that second week onto Christmas break.

Academic Life

Certain professors know my name, but if the class has over 150 students I don't personally expect the teacher to know everyone by name, although some may memorize quite a few. I've had quite a few classes that I thoroughly enjoyed, surprisingly one of them being Public Speaking. My favorite class this quarter was the Philosophy of Poker, Monty Python, and Superheroes. My first favorite class that I had my freshman year was History and Aesthetics of Photography. My least favorite class was Materials and Processes of Photography because it was extremely difficult and I felt completely out of my element. Students study more or less depending on the subjects, and their own personal difficulty levels. I will study for days for a class that is much harder than a class that doesn't require memorizing eight chapters of Human Biology. Again, depending on the class and the teacher, participation is taken very seriously, or isn't considered at all. Lectures are a great example. All of my teachers have encouraged questions or input from students, but there are days when students just listen and have nothing to add or ask. Other classes that consist of 20-30 students, are expected to have participation count as part of your overall grade for the course. I find myself having rather intellectual conversations outside of class ranging anywhere between history, to science, to the arts, etc., etc. Students can be competitive, but I don't find it often except in the business department. If there are group assignments or projects, your group wants to have the best product and/or presentation. My most unique class is one of my favorites, the Philosophy of Monty Python, Poker, and Superheroes. My teacher was a 36 year old woman, who loved typical "male" things [according to society], yet she connected with every student on one level, at least! She opened my eyes to other topics I never would've given thought to, and has helped me become a better person. I belong to the Communications department and I am enrolled in the Advertising and Public Relations major. I have been with this department for a full year now, I began RIT as a Fine Art Photography major but realized it was my favorite hobby and not what I was going to turn into an occupation. The APR (Adver./PR) major is more than I expected. I will finish with a professional core in Marketing, which helps my background even further. The professors I have are phenomenal and I find it to be a very active department. I do spend time with one professor outside of class. We grab lunch now and again and talk about life and school. It's as if she's a guidance counselor or a close aunt. It's amazing that RIT has such wonderful scholars. I feel that RIT sets high expectations for its students purposely. They expect great results from great students. College wouldn't be college without the challenges and hardships that we have to face. The standards RIT sets are everything I hope for each and every college student; a path leading them to the "real world." The education at RIT is learning for the sake of getting a job in your own field of passion. The resources we have at RIT are not geared at leaving with a degree for the sake of having the degree. The reason RIT exists is so that students can accomplish whatever they set their minds to, and can end up enjoying for the rest of their lives or until retirement if they so desire. The wide range of majors and minors that are available at RIT was something that made it stand out in my eyes when I applied to universities.

Student Body

I came from a rather sheltered section of Long Island, New York. Coming to RIT opened my eyes to a lot of different cultures considering we have students from all over the world! I'm not a religious person, but there are groups you can be a part of, and there's a chapel that accepts all religious sectors that you can attend. I find that the school is very accepting of all students no matter their gender, sex, race, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, or religion. There are kids that can be grouped between the popular masses depending on their majors: the engineers, the business students, the science and mathematics students, and the arts and photographic arts students. I was in the Naval ROTC program, even though it's held over at the University of Rochester, and I was a Fine Art Photography major at the same time during my freshman year. I felt that I couldn't fit in with either of the two groups of people because I was being judged because of my "artsy" major for someone who wanted to be in the military, and I was typically stereotyped as being a "hardcore conservative" among the photo students, and neither of the allegations were true. You can feel out of place, but then again that happens everywhere. You do see students befriending people who are of the same cultural background, but I find that is also a comfort zone for students who aren't from the United States, and it might help them transition to being in a new environment alongside someone who is experiencing the exact same thing. I know from personal experience that different types of students interact. I just helped a friend dye her hair blue a few weeks ago, yet I am one of the most conservatively dressed people I know. I live in a house with two people who are in the military but I also hang out with self-proclaimed socialists and hippies. Although I am not of religious beliefs, my best friend attends church every Sunday and we don't judge one another. RIT has really been a place where I can fit in, with everyone, by being myself. It has been that simple. The four tables of students in the dining hall I see include a table full of girls and boys from the hockey teams. They are all wearing some sort of RIT hockey pride, where it's a sweatshirt, or pair of pants with the tiger paws down the side. They are eating rather healthy food and sharing lots of laughs. I also see a table full of boys with somewhere unkempt hair and rather interesting facial hair. There are beards, and moustaches I have never seen the likes of, although they are not my personal typical crowd I find myself in, they are very enthusiastic about the latest advance in a new nintendo game that was just released. I see another table full of deaf students. They sign at what feels like 100 mph to me, but I can't turn away because they have the most natural and best reactions to one anothers' stories that I have ever seen. The last table I see is full of photography students. They are sharing their latest projects with one another and nodding at each others' criticisms, accepting the friendly banter along with the constructive advice. Most RIT students I meet are from New York. That happens with most states, the biggest population is usually born or living in that current state. I have seen all different financial backgrounds. I have seen students not pay a dime whether they are on scholarship for an ROTC reason, or because they have a great passion and not enough money to attend the school. A friend of mine worked three jobs as best as he could, with a full course load of 18 credits, while his mother worked two jobs back home across the country, so that he could graduate with the finest degree from the school he loved. There are political groups on campus. Whether you support them or not is your choice, but I feel that everyone should remain respectful. There is a socialist group, but there are also the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine cadets on campus that feel offended by their banners and messages at times. Being called "killers" is not something that is taken lightly. There can be harsh words spoken and I'm sure from both sides. I do not mean in any way to offend any socialist whatsoever. I know from experience the beliefs that can be judged from either side, but at least RIT accepts and stands by the freedom of speech. I find that the school is hard to judge politically. It is easy to pick out those who share their opinions openly and freely, but I have learned to stop judging books by their covers. Although I participated in ROTC, I was and still am an independent. And being a photography major doesn't make you a democrat. You have to march to the beat of your own drum, whether you're on the left, right, or middle, that is your decision. You don't have to share your beliefs with everyone you meet. I have found my place in the middle, and that's where I choose to stay. Students share what they plan to earn, or hope to earn, one day. I like to listen to students with plans, who are taking their futures seriously and want to discuss the possibilities of success (financially) that they can and will achieve someday.