@MSMead
My S chose Engineering Exploration from the start because he had no idea which field he was interested in, but it was absolutely clear that he could choose whichever field he preferred - that choice had to be made by the end of freshman year.
They take a one-credit, one-semester class (if i’m remembering right) course that provides info on the different fields, which maybe your son would feel unnecessary, but is not rigorous or anything. Many of the first-year classes are the same anyway (physics, calc, etc) but I think they can also choose to take a class specific to an area of interest where that fits in the schedule. My S ended up choosing EE. I think there my have been one EE-related class that he took a semester later than his cohorts, but it was no big deal. My son is also an athlete, so his schedule may have been a bit less forgiving, but he generally has had no trouble getting the classes he wanted to fit his schedule.
There are ~160 ME grads each year. I suspect those extra 30 spots may be left ‘open’ at admissions time to allow for Engineering Exploration students and some flexibility for other students who want to change/transfer.
Good luck to your son. If he otherwise likes RIT, I don’t think Engineering Exploration should discourage him!
Thank you for that information. I will talk to my S about it. I actually think its a good option if he can still choose ME. Several other schools he applied to don’t even let you pick your engineering major until sophomore year. My son has also has a strong interest in Material Science. Its hard to explain to an 18 year old that what he thinks he wants to major in may not be what he ultimately finds the most inspiring.
@momofboyz Did your son’s letter say how many people applied and were accepted to the Game Design program like MSMeads’s son’s did for Mechanical Engineering? I’m curious how competitive that admissions is.
@reformedman Thanks for the reply - I believe he did put Computer Science as his second choice but got his 3rd choice. Not terribly surprised. His grades and test scores are pretty average - about a 3.5 UW and 4.0 W with a 30 ACT so his choices are not spectacular. I think Compute Engineering might be far off from what he really wants to do but he says as he’s had AP Comp Sci this year he’s developed more of a hardware interest - I think we need to do quite a bit more research
@CARacing It was generic - just said they had admitted the maximum number of applicants to his preferred major. They put him on a waiting list but warned no to expect to be able to change majors later
RIT, like many institutions has definitely seen an uptick in interest/applications. It’s made the admissions process just that much more competitive. The recent press about it’s national ranking has impacted that too,
I can’t offer much information about the ability to switch majors, but will say that a lot of the engineering/CS type majors do have the co-op requirement. It’s an integral part of the program at RIT, and one of the reasons the school has become such a draw. The co-ops are paid, the school runs job fairs 2x a year, and there seems to be plenty of help/support to the kids in getting their co-ops.
Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t see anything about overnight visits (S was accepted last week), just the admitted student open house events. It is a long way from Georgia… Also, @TheatreMom74 did you ever post that redit link you mentioned? Maybe you can send me a PM.
My son was accepted last month to the business school with the Presidential Scholarship. Financial package was received recently and was generous. He is at a math/science high school which is how RIT got on his radar and we were impressed with our visit this past summer. He is currently waiting on 5 more selective schools to send admission decisions.
Financially RIT is a great choice however I am not sure about the business school. I realize that most students are either Engineering - game design- CS, It makes to wonder how he will fit in. I am hoping someone can give me feedback on the business school… @stencils@dbjs70
@kmlmc5 I have a similar question. My son was accepted to the computer gaming program, but is having second thoughts about that and is considering getting a more general degree, like economics. But we still love everything we’ve heard about RIT. Questions: what is the quality of the economics department at RIT and how well does it “sell” as far as getting a job? Also, what are the implications of not only changing a major, but changing schools within RIT??
@kmlmc5 There’s a sizeable business school at RIT – big enough to support MBA and executive MBA programs as well. There’s also a large fine arts school and other many non-STEM majors such as psychology and criminal justice. These majors are smaller in total population but by no means insignificant. I had several business majors and a couple of graphic design majors on my dorm floor there 20+ years ago.
Edited to add: I believe the business majors can co-op just like the engineering / science majors. Personally, I think this is a great benefit, and because RIT has so many students that co-op the entire university is set up to support it well, from class scheduling to the placement office.
One more add to the above comment. Just checked the RIT website and co-op is required in the college of business, just like for engineering or computer science.
My daughter got her acceptance a week ago Monday in the mail. Her financial aid portal was updated today. The rest of her portal has never changed. Still looks the same as it always has. She has not received merit aid in the mail but her financial aid RIT grant was pretty generous. Has anybody had their FA portal show up and then receive merit aid later? I was going to call but they are closed today. Wondering if this is it or merit aid has not shown up yet. Its been a week now.
@Tinijocaro would you be willing to share your EFC? 37500 in financial package means you only pay 15234. That is huge. We have had our financial package reviewed once and they only upped it 2000. This is one of 2 top choices for my son but we can’t afford it with this financial package. We really want him to go here but can’t without the financial support from rit. Thanks.
@robmarync Our EFC is around $9,000. For us, it’s still a lot so if he doesn’t come up with some other scholarships, it’s a no for our son. He is most likely going to UB.
Congratulations to everyone who has been accepted and for the financial and merit awards that have been received so far! My daughter has decided not to attend RIT, and will be going to Kent State U as an ASL Interpreting major instead. Although she loved RIT after our visit, she also loves Kent State. We mailed in the “decision form” back to RIT yesterday. Her reasons for her choice were mainly the inability to change her major to education (her alternative career idea) because RIT doesn’t have that; distance from home (RIT 11 hours, Kent State 5 hours); and feeling comfortable and connected at Kent State on our second visit there. Ability to have a possible minor in art at Kent State also appeals to her. Cost of RIT is higher: Although students in the NTID get a big discount on tuition, she received full tuition plus $1000 at Kent State, and we are pleased with that. However, we were willing to pay for RIT if she preferred it. So, best of luck to everyone! Even though I started this thread, I will be checking out of the RIT conversation.