Making the most of your time at RPI

We’re already four weeks in, and the semester is flying by! But don’t worry, it’s never too late to find your place and home at Rensselaer.

I’ve called RPI my home for the past five years. After eight semesters and two co-ops I can honestly say that there are never-ending possibilities to make the most out of your time here. RPI students are all undoubtedly united by the steady stream of homework and snowy Troy winters, but you can see that there’s so much more that we have in common if you look for it.

As the current president of the Union, of course, I’m going to start off by reminding everyone that there are nearly 200 clubs and organizations to get involved with on campus. Even if you happened to miss the Virtual Open House last week, it is never too late to reach out to any of the clubs in the Union club directory.

As a last-semester senior, I want to give a huge shoutout to our Class Councils. From freshmen to graduate students, Class Councils are the lifeblood of RPI, bringing students together. Your peers on these councils are dedicated to planning events and representing your thoughts and concerns in the Student Senate. Although the election season, where you can run to be a part of your Class Council or the Student Senate, is almost here, you can attend meetings to give your input at any time! Some traditional events like class hockey nights aren’t able to happen this year, but there are still plenty of memorable events you can attend to make the most of your RPI experience. Just a few weeks ago, the Class of 2021 Council held their annual 100 days event to celebrate 100 days until Commencement!

The Union Programming and Activities Committee (UPAC) is a group on campus that plans fantastic events such as the AJR and Blackbear concerts, Union After Dark, and weekly movie showings in the DCC. UPAC has several branches including Comedy, Cinema, Concerts, Grand Marshal Week, and Winter Carnival. Joining UPAC is a great way to get involved on campus and help create events that you and your friends want to go to. If you’re interested in getting involved, reach out to the UPAC Chair Eddie Weisser at weisse4@rpi.edu.

We all have days and weeks that drag on, but our college years really do fly by quickly. I encourage everyone to make the most of them! If you don’t see any activities or organizations that you are interested in joining, remember that you can create programs of your own!