"So far, my greatest experience has been attending the Connectology Leadership Conference this past year. COLA sponsored my attendance, and I was able to go to some very insightful workshops that taught me a lot about leadership and communication. A big part of my Advertising & Public Relations degree deals with networking and collaborating with many diverse groups of people. Not only did I get the in-class experience in this aspect, but attending the conference gave me a much wider perspective on these skills. I feel more confident in my communication abilities, and I love that COLA gave me this experience beyond just simple course work.  The added benefit was that many of the workshop presenters were professors from the Department of Communications.  The level of commitment to the students and what they are teaching is really inspiring. I found that after Connectology, I felt much more driven than before. It was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone and everyone!"

Campus Involvement:  Tech Crew, PUB, Secretary for Circle K, and MCAS

"I find my time at RIT to be rewarding, providing me with the necessary skill sets and experiences I need to continue on in graduate school. Getting involved with research as an undergraduate has given me the opportunity to work in my field and experience what a career in cognitive psychology may be like. I’ve been involved in all aspects of experimental design, stimuli creation, and data collection and analysis. My co-ops have given me the opportunity to become a co-author on conference presentations as well as journal articles. I’m in a fantastic position to go on to a Ph.D. program in psychology, and so much of it is due to the fantastic faculty and resources I’ve had the opportunity to work with."

Campus Involvement: Senior Research Assistant for the Comparative Cognition & Perception Lab, YearOne Peer Advisor, and Orientation Assistant

"When I first came to RIT, I was in the Industrial Design program. If it was not for a random placement in an Intro to Sociology class my first term, I might still be in that major. That course really made me think about, write about, read about, talk about, and care about issues affecting society today in at a level I had not done so before. By the end of my first year, I thought that maybe I could and should do something to try to resolve at least some of these issues.  That is why I switched to the College of Liberal Arts and to the Public Policy department. In the future, I hope to help enact and adjust policies in a way that helps to resolve some of the issues I learned about in my sociology, philosophy, political science, environmental studies, and departmental courses. This major really allows me to explore all the areas I care about and to take classes in a variety of departments while still specializing in my field. And it even allowed me to fit in a year of art school along the way."

Campus Involvement: Writer and Features editor, Reporter Magazine; Women's Senator for Student Government; Public Policy Representative for the COLA Student Advisory Board; member of the Feminist Coalition; and note taker for Access Services

"As a transfer student, I have a unique perspective on RIT and my department. I have dealt with struggles at my old school, but have had the opportunity to grow and become an active member of CoLA at RIT. I love the Criminal Justice department because we have a tight- knit program, with exceptional faculty. Everyone is very welcoming, and there is always someone around to chat with and learn from. One of my favorite experiences was the Criminal Justice Student Association field trip to Attica Correctional Facility. It was a unique opportunity to have a tour of a maximum- security prison, and learn more about prisons. We were able to see what the cells at Attica looked like, what kinds of jobs were available at the prison, and what kinds of activities the prisoners had. We had a great learning experience, but still had a good time and met other students in the department. It was interesting to compare our trip to Attica with what we had been learning in my Corrections class. There is always something special about seeing things you have learned in class applied to the real world."

Campus Involvement: Vice President, Criminal Justice Student Association; Captain, Equestrian Team; Office Assistant, Brick City Catering @ RIT; Intramural Volleyball

"The greatest class that I have taken at RIT has been Ancient Philosophy.  Studying ancient Greek thinkers opened my mind to a way of thinking that overcame the vast faith in rationality that pervades modern thinking. The Greeks are different from conventional thinkers because they recognized that the search for truth was based on passion and desire, and constructed their methodologies in relation to this understanding. The class served as a gateway into a past world that enriched my experience of this world, and opened my mind to the potential fallibility of conventional means of thinking. It was not their writings, nor their philosophies themselves that defined who they were, but instead the way in which they lived their lives. Seeing wisdom in this new light changed the way I approached school, and life in general. "

"As someone who did not start college in the Journalism program I found changing my major to be hassle free. It turns out that I was not at a disadvantage like I thought I would be, but actually had an advantage because of my other skills. RIT is great about making sure you don’t miss out because you decide to change majors."

"One of the best things about RIT is that you are required that to take classes outside your major. This allows you to follow your other passions and explore topics you had not thought about. For a journalist this is crucial because it makes you a specialist in a wider range of topics, and helps you grow as a creative thinker and a writer. "

"The Journalism program is made up of professors who have worked in the field, which adds to the quality of education the program provides. The professors pushed me to do better and were always willing to sit down with me and go over my work. By the end of the first semester I was shocked to see how much I improved."

Campus Involvement: Reporter Magazine; Tangent