The College Experience and RIT

The college experience is typically portrayed in the media as copious amounts of parties, socializing, and playing yard games. While RIT definitely contains all of the aforementioned elements, they are nowhere near the focal point of the university’s experience. Students here generally take their studies seriously, secure co-ops during their programs and successfully complete them, and graduate from the university with a stable job.

Commencing my college life at Rochester Institute of Technology was one of the best decisions I ever made. Personally, the university has a perfect balance of academics, social life, and employment opportunities available for me. The campus is pretty quiet overall, but there’s no shortage of things to do. There are over 300 clubs present, from bookbinding to skydiving. 

I was never the definition of extraverted, nor did I ever want to join a fraternity. I have always preferred to have a smaller number of friends with deeper connections instead of too many friends to keep track of. I was easily able to find people with similar perspectives on friendship through shared interests like gaming, working out, and writing. No one at RIT has ever judged me for my lack of outgoingness. If you are on the quieter side like me, you will absolutely find social success.

Your college experience does not have to look like a movie for it to be engaging, fulfilling, and inspirational. The fear of missing out, or FOMO, can be immensely strong when pondering the choices between various schools. It’s completely acceptable to feel uninterested or oppose parties or any highly stimulating activity. RIT as a campus is a welcoming, hospitable place for people of all identities and comfort levels. You don’t have to participate in anything you don’t want to, and it doesn’t make you “uncool” or a boring person for having less taboo interests. 

Fun exists in whatever form you’re searching for on RIT’s campus. The College Activities Board, our unique department that collaborates with clubs and student organizations to engage students outside of the classroom, hosts seasonally-themed festivals called FallFest and WinterFest with numerous events to attend. There are an abundance of academic, athletic, and crafty clubs to delve into. Personally, I joined the newly-formed bookbinding club to explore a new craft that I had recently discovered thanks to YouTube recommendations. My friends are spread out across a diverse cross-section of clubs; table tennis, Thought at Work, eSports, the Society of Software Engineers, Steel Bridge, and many more. As a campus, we don’t pride ourselves on having the loudest parties or greatest number of noise complaints; we concentrate on cultivating quality events for our growing community.

Beyond the campus, the city of Rochester has multiple enticing attractions that you need to visit. The Strong Museum of Play has hours worth of exhibits to lose yourself in, joined by a stunning butterfly conservatory that you can walk through. If you’re calm, collected, and fortunate enough, you may have the opportunity to witness a butterfly land on your outstretched hands. I was never enough of those three adjectives, with my mouth constantly agape absorbing the elegant movement of butterflies in a humid greenhouse. Surrounding the city are numerous apple orchards and state parks if you’re itching for a hike through the wilderness; my favorite state park that I’ve visited so far is Chimney Bluffs. The hike is 3 miles round trip, with a prime picture opportunity of the bluffs at the midpoint of the hike. It wasn’t too strenuous, with plenty of shade and little elevation change, but the terrain in some spots was unforgiving if you weren’t paying attention to your feet. If you’re seeking a gaming challenge, there are multiple businesses offering axe throwing, escape rooms, and dart minigames. 

Although RIT has over 20,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs, it can be a very small word depending on your major. As a fourth-year civil engineering major, I am familiar with nearly all the students and professors within the undergraduate program. One professor can teach multiple core classes that I have to take, which allows me to develop a closer connection with them. I also find myself repeatedly having the same classmates due to their only being a handful of sections available. RIT fosters an environment where I can network with students of similarly high potential and experienced professors. My classmates are people who will eventually become directors, vice presidents, board members, and successful business owners. Having connections with these individuals will increase my own professional success, and RIT is the catalyst for making these connections possible to form.

My college experience has looked very different from its portrayal in movies and social media. I was never a crazy kid who needed to seek the next big thrill. RIT has been an auspicious environment for me to grow socially and academically, and I will only continue to build upon my network as I complete my program. I used to wallow in the depths of FOMO until I approached the realization that I have everything I could ever want and need. I have a reliable support system and a budding career in civil engineering, and I cannot think of a better place for that to have happened than RIT.