phd in geek

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you thought I was a bad fit! That was just me worrying that I am a bad fit (compared to the other schools I applied to). My main concern is going to a good school and keeping my options open both during and after I graduate, so I've been worried (a bit too much) about reputation and variety of research. I've contacted the department with a bunch of questions, so I'll get some more info to clear up my confusion. Thanks again for the advice! You've given me some peace of mind.

Thanks for the reply! The thing is, while my interests are kinda related to tech (I want to research the role of the internet in media consumption, for example), it's mostly media and cultural studies that I want to research. I clearly laid out my research interests in my SoP, so why would they accept me if I'm such an off fit? Between that and the fact that RPI's deciding not to teach foreign languages anymore (and I want to focus a lot on international media, so I want to study a foreign language), I'm leaning towards not going. I was thinking USC would be a better fit, but I doubt I'd get in. For what it's worth, I got a BA from a top school, good GRE scores, and research experience, but I'm hesitant to reject the offer and not get in anywhere else.

I have a bit of a question. A while back I decided I wanted to study comm in grad school. I applied, and I got into RPI's PhD program for Communication and Rhetoric. I'm glad, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about their program. When I was applying a few months ago, none of the professors (at other schools) or students (RPI students, but not in the comm department) even knew that the program existed! It's a little concerning... I got wait-listed by UMass Amherst, so I'm waiting until I hear back from them to make a decision, but until then, can someone give me some info on RPI, or at least about how their program is viewed (reputation, ranking, etc)?