<p>math:660
eng:600</p>
<p>gpa:B+ at a really tough private school</p>
<p>APs:calcAB,physics,macro+micro economics,italian,computer science</p>
<p>i'm looking for good CE/EE colleges in my grade range.</p>
<p>i live in rochester ny and RIT is 10min away from me so that is obviously a choice, right now my list is:</p>
<p>RIT
RPI
WPI
RHIT
Clarkson</p>
<p>and comments on those colleges and any others that i should be looking at?</p>
<p>Ever thought of Carnegie Mellon? You might have a shot if you raised your SAT. Do you have any ECs/honors/awards?</p>
<p>ya i run cross country, indoor track, outdoor track for my 5th yr now and im captain of the team. the only award i have is for running.. not really sure what honors your talking about?</p>
<p>i also have over 100hrs of community services and alot of work experience dealing with large online databases(i threw a bunch of words into my resume to make it sound really important, which it is)</p>
<p>RPI would be the place to go, if you get in. They have an 82% graduation rate.</p>
<p>WPI and Clarkson have 75% graduation rates.</p>
<p>RIT has a 59% graduation rate. But, you would save money if you commute.</p>
<p>ya but i may still stay on campus, still need to decide. at RPI i will have 15k towards it for 1 yr, not all 4, but that still helps alot.</p>
<p>Ripken: Did you get the RPI Medal? How's your financial aid status? Do you think you will need a merit scholarship? For my son RIT, RPI, RHITand WPI all ended up very close in price. (He didn't look at Clarkson.) Have you been able to visit any/all of these schools?</p>
<p>i didnt get the medal, thats why i said i am not getting 15k per yr, only for 1yr.</p>
<p>i've visited rit, rpi, and clarkson so far. i really liked clarkson but i never see anything about them on any forum..</p>
<p>so what would be the best college in this list to attend(and how would you guts rank them?):
RIT
RPI
WPI
RHIT
Clarkson
Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>i'm not too interested in the graduation rate.. more of how much employers will look for me once i'm graduated. schools that have co-op's are nice for that reason, work experience.</p>
<p>also i need some safety schools but i cant really think of any. RIT and Clarkson i should be able to get into very easily.</p>
<p>Those are all good school - but Carnegie Mellon, RHIT, and RPI are probably considered the best. </p>
<p>Engineering can be a little regional though - so WPI is well known by employers in the Boston area, RHIT will be better recognized in the midwest. Clarkson will be the least known - but you already are aware that in upstate NY anyway people recognize it. Really, if you do well you can't go wrong with any of them. </p>
<p>Carnegie gives out the least money. My son applied to all the others on your list except Clarkson and they all came in at about the same cost (he got merit money at all of them). He ended up at WPI because he liked the smaller school feel and preferred the extra-curriculars they offered (strong music/theater). So far he seems happy there.</p>
<p>If cost is a concern go ahead and apply to all of them and see what happens! Carnegie requires SAT II exams, so that may be a factor for you.</p>
<p>While you are waiting for acceptances and money offers to roll in be sure to visit all the schools. The trek out to RHIT is long! My son felt (I think) that all the schools had different feels. That is REALLY important for you to get a handle on - where you will fit in the best. </p>
<p>Clarkson and RIT are probably enough for safety schools. If you want, should you add SUNY Buffalo?</p>
<p>If you would like to talk to my son (McQ '07), or if you want to hear more about the schools on your list, let me know.</p>
<p>rank order:
Carnegie Mellon
RPI
WPI
Clarkson
RIT
Rose Hulman</p>
<p>^ Sorry, but I disagree about Rose Hulman.</p>
<p>"i really liked clarkson but i never see anything about them on any forum"</p>
<p>-don't worry. In terms of general reputation (in the Northeast anyway) Clarkson and RIT are about on even par. My own company hires loads of Clarkson graduates and the school is well-respected. The son of a friend of mine just started his sophomore year at Clarkson in CS and he is alredy being recruited for a new program involving internships during his last two years + "guaranteed" employment in a special career development track upon graduation.
My own impression of WPI in talking to some graduates is that it is a little different than most engineering schools- they seem to emphasize non-technical skills, communication and teamwork, giving the school a little less of a hard-core "techie" feel (sorry to be a little vague, just trying to interpret what I've heard). If this kind of atmosphere appeals to you it might be worth a close look. Other than that I think your list is good. As for "rankings" I guess you'd put Carnegie on top, RPI second, and the rest according to your own preferences. But again if you like Clarkson, you look like a good match for it and don't be concerned about the rep. ( the weather is the real thing to worry about up there!) Good luck.</p>
<p>ps to "weenie" (love the name): My own son is thinking about a CS major and is just beginning to look at schools. I have been trying to get some inside information on what some of the various programs are like, but it is really hard to come by- I get the impression that there aren't a lot of CS majors in general on these forums. As a New Yorker I was also thinking about Buffalo as a safety (financial as much as anything) but the little I've heard about it is not too positive. Any perspectives? We're also thinking about RPI. One school I came up with that's not mentioned in this thread is Case Western Reserve. It looks like a great school that offers good merit aid but certain things leave me a little suspicious about the quality/safety of the location. Any info. on Case? Thanks.</p>
<p>weldon: I agree about tha lack of CS majors. And I don't know much about it either.</p>
<p>In general I am not fond of the SUNYs (having attended SUNY Bing in the 70's). However, I do hear good things about Buffalo, and had my son not been completely burned out by the college search we would have looked at it. My brother graduated from there with a chem eng degree, and thinks highly of it. It is also the best ranked SUNY for engineering; I'm not sure about CS.</p>
<p>From my experience I think "techy" students really need to decide what sort of school they want to attend. Do they want to be surrounded by techies? Or do they want a "normal" college experience? Because that seemed to be the "Defining" thing between engineering programs!</p>
<p>Don't forget that engineering students (and CS students) might have harder work to do than many other majors. Maybe it's better for them to all be in the same boat. Fewer distractions, and better support perhaps!</p>
<p>My son wanted to be in with the techies. Since he's only been at school 6 weeks, it's too early to say how that will go...I have to say though that so far I am very pleased with his experiences at WPI. He's been over to his faculty advisor's house for a picnic. He's already working in teams. (Which I think is super important for engineers.) He has attended the in-dorm advising. He was very pleased with the help he received from the prof in Physics. All good stuff.</p>
<p>Case Western is appealing because it's a larger university with a decidedly techy feel. They also (sometimes) give out good merit money. I think it is a rigorous school. The campus is fairly attractive, and the area is urban. (Not a bad thing in my opinion - but I am fairly unfazed by perceived safety issues. It might depend on your kid.) Like all the tech schools, there is a fair amount of grumbling about the social life. Haha.</p>
<p>I have a little advicea bout exploring programs. Make your visits really thorough. Get the admissions offices to make you an itinerary that includes a tour of the facilities by either a grad student or a prof. (MOstly, that affords your son a great chance to chat and get a feel for the place.) Sit in on a CS class (for sure). Have lunch with an undergrad. Have your son seek out someone there who can give him an inside look (my son made contacts through the various high tech forums). Have him check out the facilities for whatever extra curricular he might do. (We actually attended some plays!)</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks weenie</p>
<p>all good info guys. yesterday at my school i had an interview with a guy from WPI and tomorrow i have an interview with someone from RPI.</p>
<p>so should i apply to SUNY Buffalo just as a safety? i mean i am pretty confident right now that i can get into RIT and Clarkson no problem but you never know..</p>
<p>You might want to apply to Buffalo as a financial safety.</p>
<p>ya i think i will. even my guidance conseler suggested that to me today as a safety.</p>
<p>Another place that might be worth checking out for CS is University of Waterloo in Ontario, about 2 hours from Buffalo.</p>
<p>i dont want computer science tho.. i want computer eng.</p>