Rensselaer, or RPI as it is known, is a great place to get a high quality scientific and technical education. Admittedly I was there a long time ago but I have kept up with what is happening and I think it still delivers what I experienced. The quality of teaching was not matched anywhere else. I have been to another private university, a large state university, and a small 2-year college and RPI was far superior to all the others in its educational opportunities. The professors took time to care about the individual students. Classes were not large and the lab facilities were excellent. The atmosphere on campus was very close also. As students we knew we were getting a great education and belonged to a great institution.

The cultural experiences were also very educational. I came from the West and a large number of the students were from the East Coast. I learned a lot just associating with the variety of students and being immersed in their East Coast culture. The campus is beautiful. Not being able to go home for vacations other than Christmas I did a lot of walking around, seeing the sights and taking pictures. The area is beautiful.

RPI is a hockey school although other sports are now more evident than when I was there. They take their hockey seriously although the other sports are gaining tradition also. The fraternity atmosphere was not so great. If you did not belong to a fraternity (you could only join following your Freshman year) you were part of the out crowd. Some students would thrive in fraternities but there were many of us on the outside who did better academically because of not being members of fraternities.

The cost is steep. I had a scholarship in those days which covered my tuition so I was fortunate. If you can afford a private university tuition or can get a good scholarship then RPI is a great place to go to college. RPI is known especially for its engineering programs and architecture. It is also great for the sciences and some graduate programs in engineering and management.



Recommended: Yes