Ask questions about RPI here!

thrainbow
Mon, 20 Jun 2016 00:19:50 +0000

@blevine If you mean day 1 as in the first day of classes, I strongly suggest that even before that to get to know where your classes are so you’re not scrambling to try to find classrooms while the halls are even more crowded. You can always ask an upperclassmen to help you navigate, I’m sure anyone would be happy to help, just don’t be afraid to ask. Check online on your SIS (sis.rpi.edu) like the day before classes to make sure which classroom the class is in because they sometimes change from when you first register. I also recommend that you DO NOT buy any textbooks beforehand, or if you do, do not bring them with you to class. Unlike high school, you usually don’t use the textbook in class unless the professor says that you do need it, which is probably unlikely as far as I know. Wait until your first class when the teacher goes over the syllabus to decide if you need to get the textbook because sometimes you really don’t need to spend that much money if you’re only going to use it once or twice. And for buying textbooks, I suggest you go to the Facebook textbooks for sale group where you can buy a lot of cheap textbooks from upperclassmen.

And for your second question, the most important thing to do at orientation is to meet as many people as you can. Don’t worry about being nervous, everyone is in the same position as you. Just strike up conversations with anyone you see, they’ll be happy to have someone to talk to as well. I still keep in contact with a bunch of people that I met at orientation that I probably would not have met during the academic year. Most people do end up forming friend groups through orientation, but don’t worry, there’ll be a lot of other chances for you to meet a lot of other people as well. Also make sure to pay attention to the campus tours so you kind of get an idea as to which buildings are which, it won’t be that hard since they’re all pretty distinct and you’ll most likely be traveling between two/three buildings freshman year for the basic freshman classes. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask the Student Orientation advisors any questions you have, they’ll be happy to answer them for you (that’s why they’re there). You won’t regret not asking, I promise you. Hmmm, that’s all that I can think of right now, but I’ll post back if I think of anything else.