RPI - tell me the good bad and ugly

[Anonymous]

Looking for fiest hand information on RPI. Experiences there. What's Troy, NY like? Do they give merit? Students graduate with good jobs? Is housing guaranteed all 4 years? Anything you can share

[Anonymous]

Asked and answered a couple of months ago. Hope this helps.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1160226.page

[Anonymous]

My neighbor graduated maybe 5-6 years ago and works for NASA. She loved RPI. Her NASA job resulted from a year long internship she had at Caltech’s NASA lab that she got through the school.

[Anonymous]

Troy was very isolating and I found the area too depressing. There wasn’t anything around at all. I know people who stayed and liked it but they only cared about academics. I know others that also transferred that wanted more, the area and isolation was too much.

If your kid is just focused on academics or the life there at the college and staying on campus they could be okay. That’s not a bad thing, many are. Spend some time visiting to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asked and answered a couple of months ago. Hope this helps.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1160226.page

Thanks! Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Troy was very isolating and I found the area too depressing. There wasn’t anything around at all. I know people who stayed and liked it but they only cared about academics. I know others that also transferred that wanted more, the area and isolation was too much.

If your kid is just focused on academics or the life there at the college and staying on campus they could be okay. That’s not a bad thing, many are. Spend some time visiting to see.

Troy seems to be the big downside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor graduated maybe 5-6 years ago and works for NASA. She loved RPI. Her NASA job resulted from a year long internship she had at Caltech’s NASA lab that she got through the school.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

RPI is a depressing environment and a slog of a college experience, but students get an amazing engineering education and are sought after at most prestigious engineering employers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RPI is a depressing environment and a slog of a college experience, but students get an amazing engineering education and are sought after at most prestigious engineering employers.

It was nearly 40 years ago, but I had the same experience at WPI. Just didn't like the environment of an engineering school, and Worcester was no great place (though maybe arguably better then Troy.)

I lasted a year. Transferred to a state university. Dropped engineering but remained in STEM. Maybe should have stuck with engineering, because I did well in the prerequisite classes. And now I make a mediocre salary lower than what I probably would have made with an engineering degree in a job that is likeable but not loveable to me.

I wish I had had Virginia Tech as an option. A good engineering program within a larger, diverse college community. And a cool little college town.

[Anonymous]

There are some really lovely parts of Troy - part of The Gilded Age is filmed there. This Sunday is the annual Troy Victorian Stroll, which is adorable. Check out AroundTroy on instagram for a positive view of the City. The city definitely has its struggles as others have pointed out -- I am not saying it doesn't -- just wanted to point out some of the good/cool/interesting. 2 of my cousins went to RPI and received strong engineering educations.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure how much more I could say ... depressing town, great school for STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RPI is a depressing environment and a slog of a college experience, but students get an amazing engineering education and are sought after at most prestigious engineering employers.

It was nearly 40 years ago, but I had the same experience at WPI. Just didn't like the environment of an engineering school, and Worcester was no great place (though maybe arguably better then Troy.)

I lasted a year. Transferred to a state university. Dropped engineering but remained in STEM. Maybe should have stuck with engineering, because I did well in the prerequisite classes. And now I make a mediocre salary lower than what I probably would have made with an engineering degree in a job that is likeable but not loveable to me.

I wish I had had Virginia Tech as an option. A good engineering program within a larger, diverse college community. And a cool little college town.

Maybe WPI has changed. It seems to have all the trappings of a typical college: all the sports, including football and marching band that marches through campus, enough but not too crazy or dominating Greek life, a whole lot of music, theater and fine arts programming for an engineering school, walkable restaurants and bar and food options, multiple other local colleges and easy transportation to Boston, nearly everyone travels abroad which is pretty rare for an engineering program.

[Anonymous]

If the student likes outdoor activities there is a lot to offer in that geographic region once you get closer to the Berkshires, which isn’t far. And outside of Albany in general, which is very close to Troy. I think it depends on the person.

[Anonymous]

The good: Great education, solid job opportunities, strong reputation in STEM fields.

The bad: Ugly campus, depressing town, heavily skewed gender ratio (two guys for every girl)

The ugly: The coeds. This ain't Arizona State, to put it mildly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asked and answered a couple of months ago. Hope this helps.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1160226.page

Thanks! Yikes!

+1

Definately research the ARCH program and visit troy.
Also understand that RPI is in financial trouble, only time will tell if the new president can correct this. When we visited 2+ years ago, the buildings were in bad shape---outside everything was in desperate need of painting/repair. The ARCH program is likely a ploy to get more money---forcing kids to live on campus for summer after sophomore year and have a meal plan, then forcing them to only "be on campus for fall OR spring of junior year", which means many just live on campus because that is easier than finding off campus for only a semester.

For my kid, we drove into Troy and my kid said Nope, no way will I be coming here. We still did the tour but I agreed with them, it was depressing and not somewhere I would want to live. And it's not just the weather, my kid is 3 hours away in similar weather, but a much nicer city (not that exciting but still much better and the campus is much better )