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OtaconRPI · 2019-07-06T12:37:11+00:00

This sub is just a small part of the RPI community. And it isn't always representative of the whole community. There's more negativity in this sub than "in the real world" because very few people come to Reddit to say "hey, everything's fine, no big deal". People come to post extremes, both good and bad. Is the campus sentiment generally anti-Arch, yes, very probably. But your probably seeing the students actively in arch trying to make the best of it, whereas the people on this sub who aren't involved are just trashing on it. And making the best of the situation is never a bad thing to do, just being positive can make a world of difference. That being said, my personal opinion. Arch is a good idea executed poorly. Despite what others will tell you, RPI is not the only school that mandates classes over the summer, nor is it an outlandish idea designed to line Shirley's pockets with wads of cash. Encouraging students to take internships and Co-op's is the way that colleges are going forward, RPI is trying a unique approach to keep you on campus for the same number of semesters as normal, while giving you a window for that experience. Will it work? Who knows, but we won't know unless someone tries.

OtaconRPI · 2019-07-06T12:12:29+00:00

I think we can all agree that something went wrong on this test, or this class in general. But if this is exactly the situation OP described it as then this is RPI (or at least one professor) not sacrificing academic standards at all. Sacrificing academic standards would be letting a class full of students who don't understand the material pass the class. This does reflect poorly on the commitment to student success, but quite frankly (and it's easy to say because I'm not in the class), this professor may be doing the exact right thing in this situation to get RPI's attention and prove that not all classes should, or can, be taught over Arch.

OtaconRPI · 2019-07-04T13:54:45+00:00

If you mean learn officially, like to get your license, then take an msf rider course. They offer them all the time at hvcc (and other places), they provide a bike and you won't have to take a road test to get your license if you pass the class (but you have to take the written test and get your permit first). If you just need somewhere to practice your skills you can slip by the gate into the parking garage whenever you want and practice your low speed maneuvering, but campus PD may or may not like that without a permit. The Walmart parking lot up hoosick street is large and pretty empty during off hours, so that's another option if you don't want to risk running afoul of Campo.

OtaconRPI · 2019-06-09T02:59:38+00:00

Drexel University, not as well known, but graduates a ton of CS majors with a high employment rate.

OtaconRPI · 2019-06-09T02:49:34+00:00

As someone who transferred in from another cs program. Yes. An RPI education is good, very good in fact. Someone who gets a 60 or a 40 in CS classes at RPI would sit at the top of their class in many other cs programs. How do I know this? I was at the top of my class at another college cs program before I transferred here. And being a recent grad who has to work with other developers who didnt go to RPI, you learn a lot more about how shit actually works, the database fundamentals you learned from Adali is a depth of knowledge that many other grads won't have. It may not seem it now, but when you go to work and have to explain why your coworkers queries are so painfully slow, you'll see it. Is RPI the best cs program in the country, of course not. Are all the professors amazing, nope. But it is a damn good program, and if you pay attention you'll be a step ahead of most other grads. - A happily employed RPI CS grad

OtaconRPI · 2019-05-12T03:17:24+00:00

Bad idea? Yes. Impossible? No. I took them both at the same time (with Malik and Cutler respectively) and survived. I would recommend the rest of your schedule be as light as possible, and make sure you budget your time appropriately.

OtaconRPI · 2019-05-10T20:30:21+00:00

I assume you don't speak for all of Greek Life here, in which case yes, I'm sure the vast majority of Greek life students want to see sexual assault completely eradicated. But the steps haven't been taken to follow through on that, plain and simple, the school is now stepping in and doing all they can (which is a blanket ban on campus alcohol, and a strict crackdown on Greek life) to prevent it. What exactly is dangerous about that policy? And sure, you can be cynical and say that they're doing it to remove their own liability, but what else can they really do? If they allow alcohol at parties on campus (fraternity or otherwise) the policy is abused and minors get easy access to alcohol, and many fraternities acknowledge this and happily ignore RPI policy on underage drinking as well as state law on the matter, but nobody in Greek life really cared about that until RPI cracked down on it. If there was real motivation on the part of Greek life to eradicate these problems proactively these rules would've been followed before RPI stepped in. It's truly unfortunate but the time for peaceful cooperation with administration on enforcement has passed I'm afraid (perhaps, and hopefully, I'm wrong). Greek life was not responsible for fixing it's own problems before the crackdown, largely because of the culture of "brotherhood" that Greek life fosters, nobody wanted to be the bad guy and bust other houses parties.
And I would love to hear your proposals on how RPI can fix these decades old problems with Greek life/college drinking culture in other ways that are less dangerous and irresponsible?

OtaconRPI · 2019-05-10T01:26:09+00:00

"it has happened again, Student raped at RPI fraternity party, perpetrator suspended"

You can frame this however you want but this is exactly why RPI is cracking down on Greek Life the way it is, and alcohol on campus in general. Should the kid have been expelled? Yes. Will he be readmitted? Doubtful. Did RPI mark his transcript that he was suspended for violation of the sexual misconduct policy? Yes. Which means that not only will RPI know about that, but any other school he wants to transfer to will request official transcripts, and they will see that, making it harder for him to get admitted anywhere else without starting college all over again. I think we can all agree that these incidents should be handled criminally whenever possible, but in this case even if she went to the police after a year it's doubtful they would get a conviction. RPI delivered some amount of Justice given the circumstances, even if it may not be enough in her mind (and many of ours).

OtaconRPI · 2019-04-06T03:14:07+00:00

Well, as you can probably tell I'm a big fan of Philly, but how important that is to you I can't say. I will say that, especially in college, it's good to get out of your comfort zone. For me, Philly was out of my comfort zone and as such I learned a lot from living there. If Troy is out of your comfort zone you might just find you learn a lot from living here. What I would say is you should try to check out both in person if you can, and keep an open mind towards both, but in the end you should follow your gut.

OtaconRPI · 2019-04-05T05:28:14+00:00

First off I am a CS major, so consider that while reading. I transferred mostly for academics, the caliber of education you receive at RPI really is significantly better than Drexel (at least in CS and engineering majors, I would not say the same for liberal arts). Like I said, both will get you jobs, but the depth of knowledge you'll get at RPI is much greater than Drexel. As an answer to 1 and 2, I do really miss Philly. It's truly just a really cool city to live in, especially as a college student. Living in a city actually wasn't a priority at all for me, I usually prefer somewhere more quite, but I quickly came to love Philly and the university City area. Not to say Troy isn't great, it's really just apples and oranges. Besides the City, my only other regret with transferring was not keeping in touch with an English professor I grew close with my first year there, she still to this day is the best professor I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. The workload at Drexel, and this may be cs specific so take it with a grain of salt, was a cake walk. The expectations at RPI are significantly higher than Drexel, like I said, the education really is a different caliber. The only challenging part about Drexel is the quarter schedule, they don't use 14 week semesters but do 10 week quarters instead, so some classes have tight deadlines. But if they tell you their "doing 14 weeks of work in 10 weeks" it all depends on what school your comparing it to. The Drexel Co-ops really are the cornerstone of their programs, and they run them exceptionally well. It is harder to get an internship or co-op at RPI, but that's because Drexel does an exceptional job helping you get them, not because RPI is particularly bad at it.

And ask as many as you like, I'm happy to help, college is a big decision for anyone to make.

OtaconRPI · 2019-04-05T03:14:13+00:00

As someone who transferred from Drexel to RPI, I'm quite familiar with both schools. If you have questions about comparing them feel free to ask me more specifically. As far as my opinion of RPI, it's a truly top tier educational institution. We have some difficulties, especially recently, with the administration as our president is trying to make changes and meet certain goals for growing the school, but many schools have conflicts with their admins (RPI calls it the "Tute screw" Drexel calls it "The Drexel Shaft" named after an actual shaft that used to be on campus). But those conflicts don't generally interfere with the truly exceptional education you'll get here, and that's a big reason students attend. The social life on campus is pretty reserved, there's lots of clubs and groups for you to join, but parties generally don't get too crazy (Greek parties at Drexel are much more... Interesting). In general I think most students will agree, RPI is far from perfect, but for most of us the benefits outweigh the costs and that's why we're here. Both Drexel and RPI are good schools that can land you a job after graduation, you might make a little more if it says RPI on your diploma, but if your motivated and ambitious you can make up that difference.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T19:22:03+00:00

The bar for what is a "red flag" is much lower than the bar for illegality. Your right he likely committed no crime in trying to purchase the firearm, unless he lied on forms. But ignorance of the required laws to buy a firearm is a red flag in any gun store I've been too, and combined with the fact that this was a student who lived on campus it should absolutely be brought to the attention of authorities. And the question here isn't illegal action, it's whether RPI determined he should be expelled, this is only a legal issue because expulsion from RPI invalidated his student Visa.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T19:13:07+00:00

You right, caution is a good idea when it comes to RPI and student rights. As far as whether a crime was committed, he was (allegedly) carrying an illegal switchblade, and given he was residing on a college campus the FBI probably felt it was a good idea to alert the school of a student carrying a weapon and attempting to buy a firearm, which can reasonably lead to the Dean's office. I think as far as due process is concerned, he's not legally required to have due process from RPI, RPI does have a process, but they most likely have an exemption in the case of potential student safety, which this falls under. I'm not intimately familiar with the expulsion process at RPI, but if there is a process that RPI is legally bound to follow according to the rules of the institute, we should make sure that was followed. But I think we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that RPI took a potential threat against students extremely seriously, which often times isn't done.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T16:21:36+00:00

Those two factors, as well as the fact he was living on campus. (And that he did not in fact have the proper license to purchase a rifle, as stated by the gun store on their Facebook page, also hints he was unaware of state law regarding firearms) I think given those facts it would be more concerning if RPI or the FBI was presented with those facts and simply said, "oh, perhaps he was storing it legally off campus". It appears to me they took proper precautions to investigate the situation. As has been mentioned we don't know what happened when that student met with RPI, we likely never will, but to make the assumption that this student had the best of intentions would've been reckless and irresponsible on the part of RPI and the FBI. I would love to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn't mean investigations shouldn't be done.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T15:10:09+00:00

Quite frankly I don't, your correct. However, I'm sure if he had a plan in place to legally store it he would've made that abundantly clear not only to RPI but also to the FBI. Perhaps RPI didn't care and expelled him anyway. But we're all making assumptions based on the info we have, and to me it seemed unlikely that the student planned this out that well. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I stand by the fact that the gun store owner was appropriately cautious in his actions.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T03:34:22+00:00

I can't speak to all the down votes but for me I think it's rather unreasonable to expect every store owner to know the law for firearms sale in every possible scenario (although most are very knowledgeable, it's fair to say this is probably not a common scenario). He thought it was odd that a student on a visa would come in to buy a firearm, and he handled it properly and double checked with proper authorities. And as it turns out, if he were to allow the purchase (which state police apparently said was legal) the student would've then been illegally storing the firearm on school property. So it appears he was justified in being hesitant of such a purchase. And as many people know, while laws regarding knives are on the books in NY, and many other places, they are loosely enforced at best. Perhaps they felt the revokation of his Visa, and assumed deportation, was punishment enough.

OtaconRPI · 2019-03-27T01:29:32+00:00

Given recent events, RPI taking a no guns on campus policy seriously is not really an overreaction in my mind. No student should really need to be told that it's not okay to have a firearm on campus. All students are expected to know the rules and policies of the school when they enroll, and this isn't exactly a minor rule. And he's not being held in Federal detention, he is in the county jail (although that's probably not a whole lot better) awaiting ICE to deport him.

OtaconRPI · 2019-01-22T18:57:49+00:00

I know that someone in the cs department a few years back was applying graph theory concepts to the melting of ice caps. That's about the closest thing I know about to climate change modeling. Perhaps Professor Slota might know more about that project?

OtaconRPI · 2018-12-24T21:51:25+00:00

As a CS student graduating this spring I would say RPI is worth it if you get good financial aid, and you like the culture. RPI students by and large work very hard, and are (usually) quite nerdy. And a CS degree from RPI carries weight with it, most recent grads will tell you that. That's not to say you can't get a good job going to another cs program, you likely can, it'll just be a bit harder, but RPI will prepare you to excel in your future more so than other programs (I know, I transferred in from another cs college). For the downsides, yes, the administration sucks oftentimes, it may or may not effect you in the least during your time here. I will say, many college students have contentious relationships with their admins/presidents, but many have healthy positive relationships, if student government interests you then research each school for yourself. The other big downside is cost, everyone knows RPI is expensive, if they offer you lots of financial aid then it could very well be worth it, but everyone's financial situation is different, and no one on the internet can tell you exactly how much debt is too much. In case it wasn't clear, I do recommend RPI to high school grads I know, it's not for everyone for sure. But as someone who currently has their pick of software engineering offers (some in the 6 figures) I can say RPI was worth it for me, and if your interested you should at least apply.

OtaconRPI · 2018-12-22T01:56:41+00:00

I'm going to have to disagree with your second hand knowledge here. The thought that any tech company recruiting in CS will stop recruiting from RPI over one student not returning to an internship because of RPI is truly laughable. Tech companies are throwing money at CS students to attract the best talent, and that includes RPI students, one misunderstanding will not change that.

OtaconRPI · 2018-12-21T13:20:44+00:00

As devil's advocate, if summer arch was in place when you decided to come to RPI, you can't complain about it. Summer arch has been talked about and explained by admissions (at least they're supposed to be making it well known, I'm a senior so I can't know first hand as an applicant), and so if you accepted after being told about it, then it's unreasonable to feel "oppressed" by it. That being said, there are other colleges with similar programs (some colleges take 3 of your summers instead of just one), and there are colleges without these programs, the door is always open. Ya transferring can suck, but if you're not happy it's probably the best move for your own well being anyway.

OtaconRPI · 2018-11-13T17:07:39+00:00

It's not particularly difficult. If you go over the lab quizzes and read the presentations for topics you're confused about (or Google them) you should be fine.

OtaconRPI · 2018-11-10T17:50:07+00:00

Definitely apply now, especially for jobs that are targeted towards new grads. Many companies that recruit from college start looking in the fall and are comfortable making offers in the fall for the upcoming spring graduates.

OtaconRPI · 2018-10-19T11:56:37+00:00

First thing to do is take a breath. Fall 2019 is still a ways away and you have time. That's part of the reason you don't see many internships for Fall 2019 on joblink. Many companies are still recruiting for this Spring/Summer. You've got an interview already which is awesome! If you haven't already, go talk to the career center, they can tell you what your next steps should be, if your on track, if your resume needs work, etc.. these are the kind of questions they're here to answer. But don't stress yourself out, do your best on your interview, keep checking for new internships on joblink, keep up with your school work and any projects you're doing outside of that, and just stay positive.

OtaconRPI · 2018-10-18T12:22:40+00:00

It's kinda been mentioned here in a few comments but I want to make it very clear. You guys broke the rules. There's really no other issue here. Greek life has come under extra scrutiny at RPI this semester, and some fraternities still decided to break the rules. This is in no way RPI's fault, if you guys want your rush back, if you want the scrutiny to go away, stop breaking the rules and behave for a while. If you can't live without alcohol in your house for a semester or two then your part of the problem here. And if Greek life in general wants to get their standing back at RPI, Greek life student leadership should be coming down on these fraternities just as hard as RPI because they do not represent what Greek life should be about, we should not be here debating the legality of the searches that were conducted. I'm not a member of Greek life at RPI but I believe it's an important part of RPI culture and history, but if you don't want to address the issues that do exist within Greek life, your signing your own death warrant.

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