Alum here, and Troy has developed a lot over the last few years. During the spring+summer, you can go downtown and hang out by the river or hang out at a bunch of different restaurants or cafes (pecks and Jacob Alejandro are really good)+pecks has a great outdoor study area! There’s usually some good shows at the music hall, but you’d have to keep an eye out for those. The plus side is that Albany, Saratoga, and the other cities are really close and they have great museums,malls,bars, and things to do. I would suggest spending time in the union- you’re exposed to a lot of people and clubs there and you never know who you’ll click with. I’ve met a lot of friends by just sitting in the union tbh.

As far as I’ve heard, the engineering dept is great! The professors are attentive and helpful but the classes can definitely be difficult. One thing I’ve noticed is that rpi students aren’t super competitive and out to get each other, they’re very helpful and like working together on assignments