CWRU & RPI & Purdue???

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys, I need some help on choosing RD schools.
So here’s my situation.

My intended major is engineering.

My first choice & ED is Brown but I got deferred. I didn’t put much hope on it anyway so I took it totally fine.

My second choice would be Lehigh and I already applied ED2.

I was already accepted by Purdue (Rolling) & Case Western Reserve (EA).
I somehow prefer CWRU more than Purdue, just a feeling.
But still, I’m not interested in CWRU THAT much because of its location (Cleveland Ohio). But I am quite satisfied with all the other aspects of it and I do know that it’s good enough to be a “safety school” in case I don’t get into Lehigh.

RPI is another school suggested by my HS counselor.
It is a very good school but I don’t know, in this case would it be necessary for me to apply RD to RPI?
Or to say it in another way, which would be a better choice, RPI or CWRU?
Or is Purdue somehow stronger than CWRU?

I honestly don’t know that much about Purdue & RPI so any information would be helpful.

Advice!
Help!
Please!
Anyone~~~~~~~

And here are my stats (in case they matter)

SAT I: 2050 (CR 610 M 800 WR 640)
I know my CR is a bit low but I’m an international student and English is not my first language. Also I got 110 on my TOEFL so it shouldn’t be a problem I hope?

SAT II: 770 math2 710 physics

I didn’t take any APs because I’m doing IB program.
I have 4 IB HL: Math HL, Physics HL, English Lang&Lit, Chinese Literature.

School stopped offering GPA but I got A or A+ on everything for the last two years so it shouldn’t be a problem.

My hook is probably being an international student (especially for Lehigh) & a female engineering major.

2

You’ll most likely get accepted at RPI with those numbers (being a female engineering major helps). RPI has an excellent undergraduate engineering program arguably better than CWRU or Purdue (of course “better” is always somewhat subjective) - and its graduates earn some of the highest average salaries of any university in the US (check this link: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/search/?completion_rate=0.8…&median_earnings=80000…&sort=advantage:desc). Plus it’s a much smaller school than Purdue, which means smaller classes. (Depends if you want “big school” or “small school”.)
My daughter is currently a freshman engineering major there - she picked it over Carnegie Mellon and others, and is so far very happy with her decision. It’s a “nerdy” school if you like that type of environment. Academics are tough. But it’s very well respected in the industry.
If you’re doing engineering, I would put RPI over CWRU, Purdue or Lehigh.

3

These are all excellent engineering schools. I think the experience at a school like Purdue is more well-rounded in that it is larger, and has a substantial population of students outside of engineering. CWRU is a large campus in a nice part of Cleveland where there are a lot of cultural offerings (music, art), restaurants, etc. Its a nice size- not too big, not too small. If you are specifically interested in Biomedical Eng,their program is top notch. Lehigh is a smaller, pretty campus built into the side of a hill. Students can study a wide variety of majors there. They also have a few interesting interdisciplinary programs combining, say, engineering and business. RPI is the smallest and definitely has the nerdiest feel to it (though I found CWRU to have a nerdy feel, too, even though it is bigger). Almost everyone at RPI is studying engineering, cs, or other STEM field. The freshman classes are probably smaller than at Purdue, and you would get more person attention.

All four of these schools are very well-respected. I have recruited and worked with engineers from all of them, and attended RPI for graduate school, so I know it pretty well. They are all rigorous programs. Don’t be fooled by Purdue’s size or the stats of entering freshman. It is a tough school for engineers. Large corporations recruit at all 4 schools.

Besides the obvious differences in size, I would check the curriculum for each school. I am guessing Purdue has more General Education requirements (the courses outside of engineering). For example, RPI might require 7 or 8 courses in the arts and social sciences but you have a lot of freedom as far as which ones. On the other hand as a smaller tech school, the offerings are a bit more limited. Purdue probably requires an English Composition course, and has other specific requirement. I am actually a fan of writing courses for engineers. Also, if you think you would like to get involved in undergraduate research, that might be easier at a smaller school. I went to a very large state school for undergrad and did research, so it’s doable but maybe not as common.

These are all different flavors of engineering education. I would be hard-pressed to rank them as they are all of similar calibre.

4

RPI is a nice size with about 5000 undergrads and 1000 or so grad students. It’s a pretty campus, in a not so pretty town. Like many tech schools it M/F ratio isn’t the best, but unlike many tech schools they have a female president. They’ve got some great interdisciplinary programs and some cool new buildings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Media_and_Performing_Arts_Center

Purdue University in contrast is huge 38,000+. It offers lots more options if you decide engineering is not right for you.

Case Western Reserve has about the same number of undergrads as RPI, but five times as many grad students. That can be a double edged sword. More grad students can mean more high level research, but it can also mean less opportunities for undergrads. You’ll need to do some digging to see which is the case.

I only know RPI well, as it was a safety school for my son (he ended up at Carnegie Mellon in computer science), and I’ve had friends whose kids attended and did very well. One is now a grad student at Cornell in biology, the other in engineering at Columbia.

5

It’s a toss up. Each will provide a very fine undergraduate education in engineering. Each has great assets but some weaknesses. Keep in mind, CWRU and RPI are very comfortable places for female engineers. You will work your tail off at both places (and at Purdue, for that matter). It’s up to you.

6

Of your schools, Purdue and RPI have higher rated engineering programs (USNWR) than your ED choice (Brown). This may be a good reason to consider them both seriously. If you do like CWRU better than Purdue, then consider Case in relation to RPI (implied in your original post). You should also consider the University of Rochester, which has a traditionally arranged campus on the edge of a medium-sized city.