<p>AE is pretty new at WPI. Only recently have they labeled it as a seperate major. I think WPI is great for other engineering majors but I'm not so sure about AE.</p>
<p>Right now I'm torn between U of Michigan and WPI...and can't decide where I want to go. Both have great attributes but are very different (small vs. big school, etc.). WPI seems pretty unique. Theres a lot of student professor interaction at WPI and I trust that they give their students a top notch education, but I'm not so sure for AE.</p>
<p>UM, although big, has a very respected AE program. Now the course program for your 4 yrs as an undergrad are very similar at UM and WPI, but if I do good at UM, I think I'll have an excellent chance of getting into a top grad school, even more so than WPI. Theres more courses offered at UM for AE too. Then again, UM is huge, and student-professor interaction is not as high. Prof. dont care about you and seek you out as much as they would at WPI.</p>
<p>So where do you guys think I should go? Does anyone know any 'insider' knowledge about WPI that I might not know yet? Or about UM? thanks.</p>
<p>bump....c'mon someone, I need to decide soon.</p>
<p>UofM by far. WPI is a good school but michigan is a great school. There is no question about it. WPI does not have the national attention that Michigan has and based on the programs soley, michigan is the way to go. Make sure you also consider the student climate and the campus before making a final decision.</p>
<p>M4,</p>
<p>At WPI you will get:
-Closer Faculty Interaction
-Smaller classes
-No TA-taught courses
-"Geek" culture (good for academics)</p>
<p>If your goal is PhD in AE, it could be a good choice. I have friends that went there. One is a PhD at MIT and one graduating this year is deciding PhD at Berkeley or Stanford. </p>
<p>However, there are also alot of negatives. The social scene can be a bit weird and lame due to the skewed ratio and the fact its in Worcester. There are no big sports teams (missing a reason to party) either.</p>
<p>Basically, if your goal is a PhD and you want an attentive, small-school environment go to WPI. Else Michigan.</p>
<p>And Pip is right. If you aren't doing a PhD for sure, go Michigan. While the job opps at WPI are good in the northeast, Michigan will open alot more national and inter-disciplinary opportunities.</p>
<p>btw the difference between ME with Aero Concentration and actual AE is not much in terms of coursework, projects, and even job prospects in Aerospace.</p>
<p>In fact, some students even choose ME-Aero for increased job opportunities and flexibility.</p>
<p>Hmm yeah. Greater flexibility is nice when it comes to job-offers, however my mind is quite set on AE. Although I may change, I have a great passion for space travel and such, and therefore wanted sth specifically focused on AE. I've seen the course program for an AE. Not much different than UM. However, UM offers a lot more electives and courses in general, and exciting electives are important because they really start getting into the meat and potatoes of your major and thats what I'm looking for in my junior + senior years.
I know the student-prof interaction is excellent at WPI. The AE is probably fine although its still a little ME based b/c undergrad engineering is not that specific to any particular engineering major anyway, especially in your 1st + 2nd yrs. However, as stated above, it does not offer as many courses, and although undergrad engineering is mostly general, there are still some opportunities for specialization, especially in your junior + senior yrs.
I'm not sure if I want to do a PhD yet, its impossible to say now, but I'm quite sure I want to go to grad school and I think UM might open more doors than WPI across the US and internationally if I do good there. And yeah, as you said, job offers might be better.
It's a very hard choice in the end. UM doesn't have those negatives you mentioned about WPI, so thats a plus for UM. In the end, that actually might make the decision, because the academics at both schools are very similar, only with UM's AE having more courses.</p>