Rochester Institute of Technology Bucket List

You’ll most likely meet your best friend, significant other, and/or mentor while at Rochester Institute of Technology. You’ll make some great memories and you’ll discover yourself. In that time, you should also do these five things:

• Hang out on the balcony on building 7: There is a two-story balcony on the third floor of the art building. Students go there to shoot photos, videos, or to just hang out. It’s absolutely beautiful when the sun sets. You get a great view of the entire campus from up there and the breeze that slips through there in the spring is inviting and calming. It’s a beautiful view and one that can singlehandedly change the way you see campus.
• Mud tug: Every year, Phi Kappa Psi and Zeta Tau Alpha hold a series of giant mud-filled tug-of-war matches with the student body. You grab your best friends, sign up, pay a small fee (all of which goes to charity), and get messy for a cause. Every year, all the elevators and bathrooms in the dorm buildings are muddy and gross. If you’re going to have to put up with that anyway, you should at least partake in all of the fun had beforehand.
• Sit by the GV Fire: RIT’s west end of campus is called Global Village. It has its own global restaurants serving ethnic and cultural foods, a hair salon, a post office, and a bank. In the middle of the quad is a giant fire pit, comfortable chairs and couches, and often live music! Take a warm Friday evening, as the sun is setting, and hang out by the fire. It’s a great place to talk with friends, do homework, or read a book. It seriously feels like you’ve been transported elsewhere.
• Attend Imagine RIT: Every year in May, the university takes a day to show off the projects and ventures of students and staff at a festival called Imagine RIT. It’s completely free to enter, and many of the events are free as well. You can try new video games designed that year, play in interactive art exhibits, and participate in speech contests. It’s a ton of fun, and many professors don’t assign work over that weekend to encourage a larger crowd. You get to enjoy the weather and have a lot of fun with friends at the same time!
• Get lost in the tunnels: There are two sets of tunnels. One is located on the dorm sides and connects all of the housing buildings. The other is on the academic side and connects a lot of the older academic buildings. Many students go their whole college career never using them. Don’t be like them. Most have great signage but I can guarantee if you get lost in them, you’ll never do so again. Get lost in the tunnels and best them once and for all.

RIT has some great spots and events you should be sure to check out while you’re on campus. None of them cost a single cent, and all can be enjoyed by everyone. It’s these small things that make RIT special. If you’re going to sink yourself into debt to attend this school, don’t just come for the classes. You should also enjoy the campus itself.

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.