More specific to my child:
The flexibility of the freedom/responsibility part of the WPI PLAN made it possible for him to take Organic Chemistry I,II and III freshman year. He had taken Organic Chemistry (college level but no credit because there is no AP) and did not want to wait a full year to revisit the material. He consulted with his professor, and they both decided it was a good idea to move forward with the idea. He did great in the first 2 classes, and is finishing the third in about 2 weeks. He was only able to do this because: a) there are no prerequisites for the classes (only suggested background) and b) WPI encourages risk taking with their NR policy.
My son will start doing research on campus this summer. For those that say there might not be as much research opportunity at the undergraduate level, all he had to do is ask. He had the option to start sooner, but he deferred it to the summer to focus academically during his first year.
Because he will be on campus during the summer, he will also be taking extra summer classes (WPI gives current students 30% reduced pricing in summer classes) to make more space in his schedule the following years. WPI already gives students some wiggle room in their schedule, but he wants to pursue a Masters (4+1) and wants maximum flexibility should the opportunity of cooping present itself.
Next year he will be living in WPI’s upper class men apartment style housing. I consider it to be the best of both worlds. It is still campus housing, so he does not have to deal with landlord or utility bills yet (he will probably have that opportunity later on) but he will have access to a full kitchen, so he does not have to buy a meal plan unless he chooses to do so. And if he does get a meal plan there are several flexible options that allow upper class men to carry their meal credits all the way to graduation (no need to worry about expiring unused meals).