The Right Fit

Having my major and providing accommodations, so I could be successful, were my top factors when considering which college to attend. My cousin, who is hearing, first told me about RIT, so I decided to check it out. After I visited and took a tour, I applied right away because I felt like it was the right fit as soon as I stepped foot on campus. At RIT, I no longer would be one of a few deaf people like in high school. Now that I’m enrolled, I’m surrounded by many other people just like me, and get to pursue criminal justice that I’m passionate about. I love that here there is such a diverse group of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Some only sign, others only voice and some sign and voice. Many use hearing aids, some use cochlear implants like me, and others don’t use any devices. The diversity of the deaf and hard-of-hearing people on campus helped me find my identity. This university is so much more than a campus. It’s a community that I truly feel a part of.

I decided to attend RIT because the college offers a top-ranked engineering program and a diverse community. It’s been easy to fit in and make a lot of friends. I went to a mainstream high school, and I was the only hard-of-hearing person there. When I visited RIT, I got to interact with people like me for the first time. I fit in right away. Being a part of the varsity track team has been a wonderful experience for me. At first, I thought I might feel excluded from team activities, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, there are several other deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes on the team, and we get along wonderfully with everyone. Being more than seven hours from home doesn’t concern me because I’m so happy here. I feel welcomed and comfortable at RIT, and I don’t think any other college could offer me the same inclusive community that I get to be a part of here every day.

RIT really worked to make me feel like I belonged here and was part of the RIT family. I had several people from RIT get in touch with me while I was deciding between colleges during my senior year of high school, and they made me aware of the variety of opportunities that existed at RIT. When I visited RIT’s Accepted Students Day, I could tell that everyone was passionate about what they did and was proud to be an RIT Tiger. My college experience so far has far exceeded what I expected. I have been lucky to work with incredibly intelligent and passionate people who have taught me a lot about the sciences, career opportunities and so much more. They’ve pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone, try new experiences and helped me grow as an individual.

I attended a school for the deaf, and loved my high school experience. I was very outgoing, so when I was searching for a college I wanted to find a place where making friends would be easy and where I could become involved in any activity I wanted to take part in. I also wanted a college that had resources specifically for deaf students, so I could be successful in my major. I visited RIT and knew immediately I belonged here. Over the years, I’ve made many friends at RIT—both deaf and hearing. My hearing friends enjoy learning sign language. My deaf and hard-of-hearing friends come from many different backgrounds. I love the community here and fit in perfectly as an RIT Tiger.

I grew up attending Texas School for the Deaf. Everyone in my family attended or worked there. In Texas, I was very involved with sports, student government, international studies and the Deaf community. Finding a college that offered my major, a deaf community where my identity is welcomed, and the ability to find an internship/co-op were most important to me when searching for a college. I actually transferred to RIT after spending one year at a different college, and I have no regrets! I was nervous at first about transferring to RIT because I was not sure if I would like being part of a big school with a lot of hearing students. But as soon as I stepped foot on campus, I felt at home. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are embraced here, and I was warmly welcomed into the community. Here at RIT, I get to pursue my dreams while being who I am. I never could have imagined how happy I would be being here at RIT. My time here has been nothing but an eye-opening, inspiring and phenomenal experience. I am extremely proud to say RIT is my second home, 110%. This school is a great fit for us all, no matter our backgrounds. A perfect place to gain academic and professional skills, and a fitting balance to focus on academics and socialize.

I was the only deaf person in my entire mainstream high school. I was definitely not a popular student, and had low self-esteem. It took me until the end of my high school career to get over my social anxieties of being deaf. Once I overcame this, I was able to make friends and identify myself.

I chose RIT because it offered my major, provided discounted tuition and had both hearing and deaf communities. I knew that I wanted a life with hearing people to experience a large set of perspectives, and to surround myself by deaf peers who understood what I was going through and who shared similar experiences. RIT’s large deaf community mixed within a mainstream campus was the ideal situation for me. The unique environment offers me the experience of a true reality that I will face after graduation.

RIT has been a wonderful fit for me because I am receiving an excellent education and incredible leadership experience that caters to both my general needs and specific needs as a deaf student. I’m not outcasted from the hearing portion of our student body, because all campus activities are inclusive of so many backgrounds, and it is incredibly easy to develop as a person here. I have been involved in many clubs and organizations, and today I serve as president of RIT’s Student Government. My time here at RIT has been nothing but amazing and enlightening. I found my identity here, and I have done things I have never imagined.

RIT is absolutely the perfect fit for me. I grew up mainstreamed as the only hard-of-hearing person I knew, and I was very self-conscious of it during high school. Coming to RIT's diverse and accepting community, meeting people with similar backgrounds as me for the first time, and learning ASL and connecting with the positive sides of my hearing loss has completely improved my mindset. On top of the perfect social atmosphere for me, getting access services in my classes, meetings and events is extremely helpful and easy to request. I believe I would have been happy at any college. But when I think about what it would be like as one of the few students with hearing loss at another college, and having to figure out access services alone and explain my hearing loss to peers, I become even more thankful for all of the ways that RIT/NTID has helped me grow and flourish.

I wanted to find a college that fit my learning style and interests. For me that meant small class sizes, tutors and support services, and direct instruction where faculty and staff can communicate directly with me using sign language. The college also had to have an orchestra that I could join, because I have been playing the viola since fourth grade, and it brings me so much joy that I couldn’t envision not continuing in college.

My family and I looked at several colleges before I chose RIT. The college offered all the things I was looking for. My biggest concern was being more than six hours from home, but I’m so happy here now that the distance doesn’t bother me anymore. I attended a mainstream school growing up, and I felt isolated sometimes from my peers, who oftentimes would not communicate with me at all. At RIT, I get to interact with other people like me for the first time, and can communicate with everyone. I have both deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing friends, and the RIT community treats me so well. When I first arrived on campus, I was very shy. I was not comfortable interacting with people. Since being at RIT/NTID, I have developed my social skills, I am successful in the classroom, and now I always have a smile on my face. I made the right decision to attend RIT—100 percent!

I was mainstreamed and had a good mix of both hearing and deaf friends in high school. My priority while searching for a college was finding a well-ranked engineering program close to home. Later on in the search process, I realized how crucial communication accessibility was to me as well as having a deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The fit also had to be right. For me, that meant having the opportunity to meet people from various backgrounds, so I could find friends I could relate to and others I could learn a lot about, and we all could share in our common deafness. RIT met my criteria. To be honest, when I first arrived to campus the large number of students was overwhelming and the huge Deaf community was culture shock for me. I was not used to seeing so many deaf people all at once. But RIT’s friendly environment enabled me to make friends easily and find comfort right away. I have made great friends and I continue to meet new people with whom I share common interests. My friends who are hearing, know sign language or are willing to learn, and my friends who are deaf, come from all different backgrounds. They are academically driven and an amazing support system for me.

Coming from high school, I didn’t really have a lot of close friends. I finished high school in three years, so that I could start college and begin a new journey. When I came to RIT it was a different experience than high school. I got to be more myself, and did not have to try to be someone different to fit in. I first thought interacting with other deaf people wasn’t important to me, because I didn’t have that experience in high school. But when I got to campus and saw all the other deaf people interacting and developing relationships with each other I realized it was important to me. I made friends quickly the first week of school, many of whom I am still best friends with today. The best thing that I get from RIT is acceptance from everyone. Faculty and staff understand how to work with deaf people, and I never had that before.

I’m deaf, so when looking for a college I wanted to find a place where I could meet new people who are like me. I wanted to find a place that had both deaf and hearing people—a place I could call home. When I discovered RIT, I knew I would fit in right away. I could be myself and be part of a community. Having a sense of belonging at RIT made me happy and more self-confident as a student and as an individual. I made lots of friends, both deaf and hearing, and found success in my academics. RIT has prepared me so well and given me the professional skills I need to succeed. I’m proud to say RIT is like my second home.

I grew up attending mainstream schools. Based on my high school experiences, I felt like I fit into the hearing community perfectly fine. When searching for a college, I thought many of the colleges I considered would have been a good fit academically for me. But they were all missing one important feature—a deaf community I was yearning to be a part of so I could meet other people like me who had gone through some of the same experiences and challenges as I did growing up. Coming to RIT was my shot to meet many other deaf and hard-of-hearing students from all over the country, as well as to get a fantastic education that was affordable and prepare me well for my future.

RIT has been an excellent fit for me. I have a group of buddies that are hearing and also some friends that are deaf and hard of hearing. It is a great feeling to be able to have a combination of both. I feel especially close to my friends who are deaf and hard of hearing because we shared so many of the same experiences before arriving at RIT.