Rochester Institute of Technology has a great campus. It’s expansive, boasts different wildlife, and great scenery. Here are five things to avoid to make your college career at RIT even better!
1.) Humans vs. Zombies is played twice a year at RIT.
We have some of the largest games across the nation because so much of our student population participates. Students who are zombies chase others, and those who aren’t shoot the zombies with Nerf guns. Every morning after,there is literally a graveyard of old Nerf bullets that squish and crunch under your shoes as you walk to class. Inevitably, on your walk, a player will bump into you, run in front of you or just generally make your walk unpleasant. I can’t count how many times I was accidentally hit with a foam bullet. Just don’t leave your house if you don’t plan to play.
2.) There’s about 3-4 bus cycles every hour.
If your class starts at 11, don’t take the bus at 10:45. Not only do you run the risk of running late if the bus isn’t on time, but you will be packed like sardines with other students who have made the same decision. The amount of body odor that students can give off so early in the morning may be surprising, but it’s still pungent. And who wants to start their day shoved into the smelly armpits of another student?
3.) The food on-campus is very expensive.
If you can’t avoid eating prepared foods on-campus, you’d better avoid grocery shopping on-campus. The same foods at your local Walmart can run you at least 50% more here. Don’t grocery shop on-campus unless you like spending more money for less food.
4.) If you’re not a winter person, you can avoid outside for most of the school year.
Rochester gets slammed with cold weather and tons of snow. This past February, about 33% of our days were in the single digit temperatures! Many of our buildings are connected with tunnels and bridges. Leave the outside to those crazies who wear shorts in the middle of winter and actually find freezing temperatures to be fun.
5.) About midway through every semester, students can plan for their next semester.
You go on Student Information System, select your classes and put them in a cart. A couple weeks later, you enroll with that cart of classes and you’re all set for the following semester. Don’t wait on choosing your classes! Sometimes you’ll need permission from your advisor or a special code. If you wait until the date of enrollment to begin selecting classes, you’re not guaranteed to get them and you could even delay your graduation if you do this enough times by not meeting the course requirements of your program.
Most of the things you’ll want to avoid at RIT, you’ll realize after attending for about a year. But if you know these going in, it can make your freshman year easier. You won’t have any unnecessary “tardies” from the bus or the hardcore players of human vs. zombies and you’ll arrive warm and fed at the right price. Finally, you’ll arrive to the correct class because you enrolled correctly!
Tianna Mañón is a recent grad of Rochester Institute of Technology, where she majored in Journalism and Political Science. She enjoys practicing yoga, traveling, running and cooking. When she isn’t doing these things, you can find her nose deep in a new book or making coasters for her business, East Coasters.