Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Reviews

"Overall, this place is terrible. I came in as a freshman during covid which is probably where the animosity stems from due to the prison-like conditions that they forced us to be in during that year and also the prison food they delivered in bags to our doors, because we would quite literally be kicked off campus if we left our rooms. The year following, they promised hybrid learning, but then quarantined us for around 80% of the semester and canceled classes for the other 20%. The area is terrible, I have had three friends have their cars stolen and/or broken into. There is nothing surrounding the campus except one bar and one pizza shop. The amenities are TERRIBLE. For the price of tuition you would think there would be gold plated toilet seats, but no. Expect to wear a winter jacket and gloves to class in the winter and your birthday suit in the summer. There is no stable AC or heat in most of the buildings, the seats and lecture building are from the 1800's (have not been renovated since), and there are springs sticking out of almost every chair you sit in. Oh, and if you are over 21 expect to be treated like a high schooler since it is a DRY campus and you will be kicked out for having anything legal on you (even in greek houses), unless you live in your own apartment."

"The chemistry program at RPI is thorough and challenging. I fully believe that I received an excellent education here. The chemistry professors are engaging and passionate about their work. The push for undergraduate research has helped me in my graduate studies. However, the chemistry program often comes a distant second to the engineering programs offered by the university. RPI is also incredibly expensive to attend, my expected family contribution nearly doubled from my first to the second year with little change to my family's income."

"I had a great time at RPI primarily because of the community that I had. I had joined a sorority, which was a huge aspect of my college career. There were vast research and leadership opportunities. There were also awesome resources for me with difficult courses. Especially with Organic Chemistry! I received great assistance. Although RPI has a bad reputation for the administration, the community and the faculty are amazing and do a wonderful job with the students. It is so easy to get one-on-one attention from professors and they are so willing to help each student if you ask for it. The city that RPI is in, Troy, is also a blossoming community! There are a ton of new shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. There is a Farmer's Market every Saturday, with amazing farms and venders. It's so much fun to go to on a beautiful day!"

"RPI is an excellent engineering school. Students are easy to find a job after graduation."

"As a minority female engineer, I truly enjoyed my four-year experience at RPI. This was a school that made me feel included, with clubs like Society of Women Engineers and mentors to provide me with guidance. It also provided me with internship and co-op experiences that I could not have gotten on my own without the help of Career Services at RPI."

"I enjoyed my time at RPI, and I miss it a lot sometimes. The campus is very nice, and the region has a lot of natural beauty. The city of Troy, while not great, is not nearly so bad as people say (I think it's come a long way over the years). But keep in mind that it's a small university in a small city. Albany is a short drive away but also isn't all that exciting. RPI itself is on a hill above Troy and has great views out over the city and the Hudson. You can see to Albany easily. I had a lot of good professors, a handful of excellent ones, a few mediocre ones, and no bad ones (though I've heard they exist). The academics are quite rigorous, I think even more so for engineering students, and you do have to study a lot, but everyone else is in the same boat. A lot of people complain about the workload. But even that seems nostalgic to me now, I felt like I learned a lot, and getting an A on an exam felt like a great achievement when the average was in the 70s. Also, employers, especially in the Northeast, know well that RPI is a tough school. I had no problem landing job interviews with great companies as I was approaching graduation. I was able to land a good internship during the summer after my freshman year, too. I felt that RPI was an easy place to meet people and make friends, especially with all the clubs and student organizations. Some people disagree, but in my experience they weren't trying very hard. By the way, if you're considering going to RPI out of high school, ask to live in BARH. Not many people request it, but pretty much everyone who lives there loves it. It's a little outdated, but has the biggest freshman dorms, a dining hall in the building (very nice in winter), and the student population is very close knit because it's a bit of a walk to get to the other freshman dorms (about 5 mins). It's also a farther walk to get to campus, but there's a shuttle if you don't want to walk."

"RPI was an excellent school. Very challenging curriculum. My experience at RPI was exceptional. The professors and school staff were extremely knowledgeable in the curriculum areas. The campus is beautiful and there was plenty of off campus housing available."

"A challenging university for future scientists and engineers with an amazing community. It a rewarding experience from the start with academically challenging classes, and I was so glad to be able to attend RPI."

"I really enjoyed Rensselaer, I thought it was a great campus and the curriculum attracted very bright students who were there specifically to study engineering, for the most part. I loved the seasons and location and I feel like the school reminded me of a small, close-knit community. Just be aware that RPI is a SMALL school with somewhat limited degree offerings - if you are undecided on your major or don't know that science/engineering is what you want to study, you probably want to consider a larger school with more degree pathways."

"Difficult school, but has excellent opportunities for undergraduate research."

"Pros: The school is fairly close to Latham and Albany, and there is a lot to do outside the city of Troy. Courses are challenging and there is sufficient support from faculty. Cons: Sometimes I feel the program may be a little disorganized at times. I'm also not entirely sure if there is enough diversity in the student population as a whole."

"Pros: This program is a one year program, can be expanded to 1 year and a half. It has three tracks: general, quantitative, and risk management. In this way, students can choose 30 credits from many different courses. Cons: The resources is kind of limited. Only one Bloomberg terminal."

"The master of architecture program at RPI is rigorous and taught in a challenging way. Students are pushed to take risks, experiment and gain confidence in operating outside of one's comfort zone. There is a great breadth of technical skill being taught ranging from conceptual/generative techniques to those used professionally within the industry. Students of various ethnicities and backgrounds make the student community and the discourses within the architecture school lively and robust. The size of the graduate program is small - students receive a lot of attention from teachers and enjoy the benefits of being in a close community. However this can also be detrimental in terms of a lack of variety and competition."

"Funding is very hard to secure. I came in thinking I was guaranteed funding for at least 4 years, but it turns out only 2 years are guaranteed, the rest must come from either fellowships or grants. Work is not impossible but not easy either."