Each year, Options Solutions team members visit many, many post-secondary institutions. These visits allow us to learn beyond what is readily available on the internet and in print materials. While on campus, we often meet with admission staff and Options alumni who attend the institution. We love learning about the nuance and vibe of each place and about all the hidden opportunities that exist there.
Our Options on Tour series highlights some of our recent adventures and shares them with you. We’ll feature what we saw, who we met, and what neat things/hidden nuggets we learned.
Rochester Institute of Technology – Rochester, New York
Melinda visited the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Read her highlights below.
The Basics
- RIT is composed of 11 colleges and degree-granting institutions, including the College of Art and Design, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
- Approximately 20,000 students attend RIT, with 14,000 of those students being undergraduates.
- There are over 300 student clubs and organizations at RIT, as well as 24 varsity sports teams
- RIT is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the first and largest technical institute for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Featured Academic Programs
- Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Animation
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering – Artificial Intelligence Option
- Bachelor of Science in ASL-English Interpretation
Interesting Facts
- RIT was created when the Rochester Athenaeum, founded in 1829, and a technical training school, the Mechanics Institute, founded in 1885, combined to become The Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute.
- The institute adopted the name Rochester Institute of Technology in 1944.
- RIT has partnerships on nearly every continent and overseas campuses located in Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo.
- RIT has been dubbed “Brick City,” with close to 16 million bricks being used on campus.
- RIT’s co-op program started in 1912. It is one of the oldest and largest in the country.
- In 1963, RIT students raised money to buy a rescued Bengal tiger cub. They named him SpiRIT, which stood for Student Pride in RIT. The original tiger’s fur is now kept in the RIT Archive Collections.
Check out our Admissions category for all our Options on Tour posts!
