Hi,
My daughter was accepted into RIT, Bing for spring, New Paltz. Chemistry major. strong interest in English/creative writing. interest in stage crew/one acts/literary magazines, marching and/or concert band-flute. her first choice was Union, declined. how to pick from the others? RIT and Bing are huge campuses it seems. are the classes small? NP very cool vibe. but less prestigious? what to consider? and how does Spring admittance affect dorm/roommate. and esp graduation. any input/advice welcomed.
I would not recommend spring entry for anyone. It’s a big deal though they want you to believe its not. Very difficult
to settle in, and very quickly the year is over.
thank you!! interesting. the letter was phrased as a a congratulations you’re in thing, and they want commitment and money 5/1, they offer a list of suggestions of what to do in fall-intern, travel, take classes. they suggest specific classes that would transfer in major and in general requirements. it seems Bing is the most prestigious and diff to get in of the three, even though it would be my daughter’s third choice. since it seems like such a big deal, i was thinking spring not so bad. she does want a 4 year start in fall at the same campus where she would stay. regarding new Paltz vs RIT, which would be better to graduate from? i talked my daughter out of majoring in creative writing/english because frankly, i learned the hard way about getting a less than marketable degree. however, she chose chemistry instead of engineering. i do want her to pursue english as a double major or minor since it’s her passion. she seems to be excited about RIT, and we are going to acceptance day this weekend. but it is so far and so huge (we are on Long Island). the geek factor excites her. any info on the reputation of RIT? it seems not hard to get in. the financial aid package makes it comparable to SUNY so that issue is not a factor. i don’t know how to advise her. thanks for any input.
My D is a 3rd year at RIT. She loves it. I know she has some chemistry friends who have gotten some good research opportunities. She doesn’t find it a huge campus at all - big enough to not feel like living in a fishbowl, small enough to have nice classes. I don’t think any of her classes have had more than 50 students (most have less than 20) and no teaching assistants. PM me if you have specific questions.
If money isn’t a huge issue I would go RIT. I believe they tend to have smaller class sizes and a decent amount a research opportunities. I know several people that went to RIT and they all say the education and academics are solid. It’s known for being sort of a “nerd” heavy school but there are many types of different people there and I’m sure she will find her niche. New Paltz is an OK school. It’s much smaller but to be honest, it really isn’t known for it’s chemistry department. It’s more of a liberal arts school. Binghamton is the one that offered spring admission right? To be honest, I wouldn’t take it.
Binghamton is OK academically except some of the lower level classes are very large. There are research opportunities on campus. But the tough thing about binghamton is the social life is kind of weird. I can be quite cliquey and if your daughter comes in as a spring admit, it might be harder to make friends because everyone has their little groups from the fall formed. Also a lot of clubs and activities start in the fall and she might miss the opportunity to get involved there. But unless she really loves the campus and all of her friends from HS are going there already, RIT is the better option.
I would think RIT is the best option, especially if it won’t cost much more. Her classes won’t typically have 200+ students like some other schools. And, it has a broader range of students compared to other schools which, as another poster alluded to, can be hotbeds of cliques and social exclusion that is surprising to find at the college level. An added plus is that Rochester has much to offer and much more than some other upstate NY cities. New Paltz is another reasonable option because, like RIT, the classes are generally smaller and the focus is on undergraduates. If she is into arts, then NP would probably fit the bill.
i believe enrollment is about 18k, 15k of those are undergrads. that is a lot, but as pointed out, the classes are small and even intro freshman levels taught by professors and in chem case, a top professor. just got back from the accepted students day and paid our deposit last night so she can get in her dorm of choice HOGS. and def the campus itself is big. to take a bus to bookstore isn’t ideal. however, she won’t mind a bit. and if she gets her choice dorm, it’s near her building. it’s a beautiful campus. i love the bricks. I’ve read that it seemed boring to have all the same type of buildings, but esp that they are beautiful brick and not glass and steel (can be pretty too), i find that more planned and traditional instead of hodge podge looking. very happy about the research at freshman level opportunities, the labs, the co-ops. and creative writing minor should keep her happy. and she’s a proud geek!