Why do students choose to attend Rose-Hulman?

RHITAdmissions
Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:30:15 +0000

Here it is…a month from May 1st and the enrollment deadline. You’re looking to make your college decision and you’re probably considering the following:


Rose-Hulman is not the option that is closest to home. You probably would have to pass other great schools on your way to Rose.
Rose-Hulman is not where a ton of your classmates are also planning to attend. You might show up for orientation and not know another soul (other than your tour guide).
Rose-Hulman is not the easiest option. You will have to work harder there than just about every other college given Rose’s quarter system and the inherent accelerated pace.
Rose-Hulman is not the cheapest option. You are looking at a higher debt load at graduation.


If any of those four factors are in play for a student in her/his decision, why in the world would anyone choose to attend Rose-Hulman? A student comes to Rose because of two factors that are proven and well established.


The living environment. I say “living” because that is what students come to do…they come to live at Rose-Hulman. They have surrounded themselves with some of the best students in the world, and they are in an academic environment where collaboration, not competition, rules the day. Too many engineering schools devote resources and energy to determining which students need to be weeded out. Rose-Hulman students find an environment of total support that hopes to ensure their success. They have also surrounded themselves with good people. They live in a place where doors can be left unlocked and wide open all day…where backpacks can be left in the middle of the student union during lunch and will be untouched…where honesty and respect are still the dominant cultural values. They are active on a campus that has been nationally recognized for its on-campus activities and student involvement. They have balance in academics and worthwhile co-curricular activities.
Post-grad opportunities. Honestly, a student who is admissible to Rose-Hulman is on a trajectory that will lead to eventual success no matter the undergraduate college chosen. However, the placement track record at Rose-Hulman for the past thirty years has shown a higher quantity and quality of opportunities that shorten that path to success. Really, all a Rose-Hulman quality student needs is opportunity, and s/he knows that s/he will have an expanded list of post-grad opportunities for industry or graduate school than what will be found elsewhere.


To attend Rose-Hulman, there is an investment of travel, time, energy, money, and stepping into the unknown. But what you find is a place that will always be your second home. I hope to see you on August 27th.

Jared Goulding
Assistant Director of Admissions
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology