It would be best to ask an upperclassmen in your major.

Each room comes with a phone with a specific RPI number. I’ve never seen anyone use it though.

Advice on all of American society could not fit within the scope of this single answer or even this whole website. What I can say is that in any institution of higher learning, there is a certain amount of respect expected from everyone generally. It’s small things like addressing a professor by “Professor (blank)” or not calling out in class, etc. It’s basic common sense. The upperclassmen are also a great resource on campus, so do not hesitate in asking for help or getting to know someone. You’ll just notice these things as you spend more time at RPI.

There will be “back-to-school” sales at places like Wal-Mart and probably the RPI Bookstore, but it won’t be just for students buying stuff for their rooms. It will be public sales/discounts, not a student discount.

Short answer: no. You can take simple things like pieces of fruit and food that you’ve already eaten part of. There are also meals to go which allow you to get food at the entrance to take to with you. Imagine how difficult it would be to make money if people were coming to stock up on food once a day and taking multiple meals with them.

Yes, but I don’t know where they are located. I do know that we have students on campus who smoke hookah. I am SURE that there are hookah bars in the Capital District – you won’t suffer.

Some girls can get self-centered due to the attention they receive, but it’s not a common issue and it’s easily avoidable. I don’t regularly interact with any girls (or guys) who feel like they are more privileged than others in terms of whose attention they have… and to be fair, I interact with a pretty large group of people on a regular basis.

To save myself time (and because it offers the most complete response), I will link you to a recent article by the Poly (RPI’s student newspaper).

My brief response would be: if the club (or something similar to it) doesn’t already exist, you can create it within a semester.

You can buy 1.5 ’ x 1.5 ’ x 1.5 ’ cubic boxes at the bookstore for ~ $3, but that’s probably larger than you want. Usually, students kind of do a box exchange. Any box that you receive something in can be left at the Commons Mail Room for other students to reuse. Stop by the mailing office (adjacent to the pick-up counter) to look through their box selection. The used ones are all free. You can also buy boxes/packaging here at the Commons Mailing Office and at the Postal Sub-station in the Games Room of the Union.

Students often receive packages that don’t fit in the mailbox. In this case, you will receive an email to your RPI email address with the subject “PACKAGE RECEIPT NOTICE: ONE EMAIL PER PACKAGE” and you can go pick up the package at the Commons Mail Office during business hours. Check out their website here. The staff is great!

Yes, you can get tea in any of the four dining halls! I’m not a tea drinker, but I know they have many different flavors available. You can also purchase tea in many of the campus cafes. The dining halls and cafes also serve coffee, hot chocolate, and many other drinks.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience with the Health Center, but it is on campus in Academy Hall. This website (http://studenthealth.rpi.edu/setup.do) should be helpful and if you cannot find answers here, call them during the workday at this number: (518) 276-6287. Hopefully they can answer your questions and setup some appointments for you!

Flex dollars can be used to purchase:

• food and drink items at Father’s Marketplace (not shampoo or laundry detergent)
• anything in the McNeil Room
• anything at the campus cafes (coffee, pastries, bagels, cookies)
• pay for meals at a dining hall if you run out

We have the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) which is a great resource for job and internship searches. There are two career fairs annually, one in each of the fall and spring semesters. At these events, there are typically over 100 companies seeking interns and full-time employees for the full range of majors.

The CCPD also offers help with your resume and can connect you with companies. They arrange for companies to come give info sessions which is a good opportunity for you to get an interview.

Neither RPI nor the CCPD will do the work for you, but they’ll certainly make the process a little easier.

As a Texan, I understand your concerns. I spent my teenage years learning to say “yes, m’am” and hold doors open for anyone. I know about the “southern hospitality” that you’re used to seeing every day.

But, having lived in 7 states across the country, I have a good feel for the dynamics of our nation. Don’t be scared! You’re not going from a small town where everyone knows everyone to NYC. You might be coming from a small town, but RPI is a great, welcoming community of students, faculty and staff. You might not hear the familiar “yes, m’am” “no, m’am” and “y’all.” Everyone probably won’t hold the door for you, but you’re not going to be snubbed for asking for directions. If it’s any more comfort, you won’t be the only one from the South, either. I know of at least 6 of my classmates (just in my year) that are from Texas; I’m sure you’ll have plenty, too!

Since you asked your question, I’ve talked with some of my girl friends to get their opinion on this topic. Of the five young ladies I spoke to, they all said they were very comfortable with the ratio. It was kind of funny: two of them said that the only time they notice the ratio is when they sit in class and count the number of guys. For the most part, we as students don’t really notice the ratio in our normal day-to-day activities. The girls said that they feel completely comfortable with the ratio because everyone is so friendly and it’s easy to make friends.

On the topic of making friends and making girl friends, you will have great opportunities when you come to school in the fall to find social groups. You can start now by finding some classmates on Facebook. If you’re coming to Accepted Students Day (April 9) that’s another good opportunity. Unless you attend SO (Student Orientation) #5, you’ll room with some girls that you can get to know at SO. These will probably be different than your roommates for the year.

As things pick up, you’ll see how many opportunities there are to get involved on campus and make friends. You can look into joining a sorority or playing on a sports team. Both of these are great opportunities to have a group of exclusively girls to get to know and appreciate. If neither of these interest you, we have many, many service groups on campus. You’ll probably find that the service groups tend to have a more even (or even reversed!) ratio. I serve on the Relay For Life Committee; we have a 35:65 ratio. Thats male:female!

While I understand your concern, I think you’ll discover that it’s not as bad as you expect. You’ll find that a lot of the guys are gentlemen and I think you’ll find it easy to find and make friends with girls. Plus, guys are a nice break from all of the drama and girl stuff!

I would say the student body, on average, is pretty friendly. There is a large spread in the friendliness – we have some unfriendly people and quite a few very friendly people. As I’m an RPI student, I just decided it would be most fitting to show you this in graphical form. Please laugh, very hard, haha! I would say people tend to keep their room open, or encourage you to knock and say hello (perhaps they’re trying to focus on a Sunday afternoon, you know).

Short answer: yes.

We have the Student Health Center located on the 3rd floor of Academy Hall. It’s not a hospital, but you can make appointments to be evaluated if you’re sick, etc. Their site says they offer (in addition to appointments): medical, gynecology, and allergy clinics, counseling services, and health education and wellness programs.

Also, Samaritan Hospital is a short walk away from campus (just across from the ice house) and we have our own ambulance service in case of emergencies.

As I’ve only been to a private school, I don’t really have a solid comparison. However, I would say that RPI doesn’t really carry an image of students flaunting wealth. Some 90% of students receive aid – many of us also take out loans and search for scholarships. Don’t be under the impression that you’re going to meet a bunch of people who are spending $50,000 + a year out of pocket to be educated here.

I would say that most of my friends and classmates are the standard “poor college student.” We work in the summers and on breaks (and during the school year, for some of us) and spend our own earnings on food, books, clothes, and leisure.

You’re not going to be overwhelmed with wealth.

Honestly, I feel that diversity is lacking at RPI. I would say that we have student from many different places, but there are not MANY students from many different places. I recently read that the Class of 2014 has students from 42 of the 50 states, all four territories (I believe) and from 14 countries. However, only 27% of the students are from outside of the northeast. I tried to find specific numbers for the student body, but couldn’t.

However, the students that we do have from diverse backgrounds are pretty active. We have a ton of multicultural student organizations which you can see here:  http://home.union.rpi.edu/landings/view/1# . I would say many, but not all, of them are active.

Here’s what I’ll say: I went to high school in Texas and there’s something about girls from the south that I find attractive. That being said, we have our hots and we have our not so hots.

In the end, our female population is smaller than the male population, but it probably has the same physical characteristics of most other schools. Our bonus: our girls are smarter!

One word answer: no.

I don’t want to put a number on it, but most guys at RPI are involved in much more than only video games. We certainly have a share of guys (and girls!) who spend much of their time video gaming, but there are many more who are involved in academics, sports, and extracurriculars.

We have plenty of social guys!

Try reslife.rpi.edu . I know they have square footage, and the dimensions vary from room to room. If you do some work, you should be able to get a very close guess on the dimensions. I could do it if I had your room number.

Most people don’t make much of additional effort to secure valuables beyond locking their door. If you want, you could consider buying a small strong box/safe, but the dorms are rather secure. If you’re worried, get a safe, but you should be just fine if you lock your door and don’t walk around telling everyone that your camera is sitting under your bed, or whatever.

I personally have a Canon dSLR that I am comfortable having in my room only locking the door.

RPI students are just like students at any other college; they’re very diverse. Some students, male and female, dress up while others dress down. College students are college students; they dress down more often than up. It’s just not fair to make an explicit statement one way or the other.

As far as girls go, you’re aware of “the ratio.” You can look at it from a variety of perspectives. Is it visible in the classrooms, clubs, dining halls, etc? Yes. Does it make guys lonely and not have any female friends? No. If you’re currently at a school with a typical (1:1) ratio then you’ll see differences. You might have to work harder to earn someone’s attention, but it’s not annoying.

As far as the view of RPI from a professional-external perspective: we’re regarded highly. People with RPI degrees are considered to have an advantage compared to job applicants from many other schools. Especially in engineering, RPI will be recognized around the world by companies/employers. Having Rensselaer on your diploma will pay off.