harvey mudd vs. rhit?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
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<p>My replies are all over that thread, but…</p>

<p>I think there are a couple reasons:</p>

<p>1) The thread was comparing Rose to MIT, the #1 engineering school in the world. People everywhere (including here on CC) know more about MIT than they do about Rose…and they know that MIT is the cream of the crop.</p>

<p>2) MIT is much larger than Rose. Rose is small, which affects things in two ways: it doesn’t attract as much attention as larger schools (UIUC, MIT, GaTech), and it doesn’t produce as many graduates as larger schools. Because there are fewer Rose grads than there are UIUC or MIT grads, <em>in general</em> companies and recruiters will be more familiar with the larger schools. This gets more pronounced the farther away you move from the midwest.</p>

<p>This may be an issue, depending on the situation. There will be recruiters in the United States that have not heard of Rose, and consequently Rose grads won’t have the advantage of brand-name recognition. Conversely, there are <em>no</em> engineering recruiters that have not heard of MIT, Georgia Tech, Berkeley, etc. Of course a national organization will know much more about Rose than a small engineering outfit in the Pacific Northwest, for example. Take a look at the companies that come to recruit at Rose: [Career</a> Fair List](<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman). There are so many companies that <em>do</em> know about Rose that you don’t worry about those that don’t.</p>

<p>Also, a sports-related example: John Stockton, former Utah Jazz point guard, is one of the top point guards of all time - no question. Holds the records for career assists and steals, and is in the hall of fame. Now, compare him to Michael Jordan. 99 out of 100 people will say Michael Jordan is a better basketball player. Michael Jordan is much more well-known, was a more well rounded player, and won more championships. Overall, MJ was a better basketball player. Does this mean John Stockton is an average player? No way - he’s one of the all-time greats. If you asked me to pick a point guard for my team, I would take John Stockton. He’s one of the best point guards of all-time.</p>

<p>If you ask which is a better school, Rose or MIT, most people will say MIT. MIT has a broader range of programs, a graduate school, more research, etc. If you ask which is a better school to go to for an undergraduate education, I think that’s a much more valid question (still not a very good question because “better” depends on so many subjective factors…but a better one). </p>

<p>MIT and Rose are very different.</p>

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<p>RHITAdmissions,</p>

<p>Are those research opportunities available to every undergrad engineering student who is interested (especially in civil or mechanical) or are the opportunities not enough to accomodate everyone.</p>

<p>Being able to do undergrad research and getting official credit for it is an important part of graduate school admissions and it would be extremely disappointing if a student with plans of going to grad school were to be excluded against his wishes.</p>

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<p>@foresthills…yes, all opportunities are open to all students. However, if you are a student with a 1.7 GPA who just got fired from your job at the SRC front desk, you’re not going to be an attractive candidate. Just like any other potential job out there. The other thing to remember is that the faculty really get to know you and your goals and post-grad plans. They will work with Career Services to get you the proper experiences to put you on your desired path. Yes, research is an option on campus during the school year. The summer is also a great time to get research opportunities with our faculty, but many students will get summer research jobs on other campuses as well. Bottom line, if grad school is the goal, you will be provided the opportunities to obtain the experiences necessary to get there.</p>

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<p>I hate the classic comparison posts – especially as an anonymous someone asks complete strangers in cyberspace whether we can elect for him/her which school is best for him/her.</p>

<p>Answer 1: the overused adage about fit remains overused, but that makes it no less appropriate – hence the thread could very well end there.</p>

<p>Answer 2: How is RHIT different from MIT and HM – easy: it is not on the coast. Having lived in the midwest and the coast, the difference is astounding./ Terre Haute is no garden of Eden, and it certainly is no Cambridge, Mass where college kids rule. Claremont’s campus is somewhat isolated, and even from its community, but gathered together the numerous schools make the feel more like a large school, and CC avoid the village feel that RHIT may encounter.</p>

<p>Now for the stereotypes – coming from someone who lived a few years in Cambridge, the midwest, and has been to HM on numerous occasions.</p>

<p>MIT kids are overly wound. HM kids are probably as bright as any, and a little looser. RHIT may not be as bright as the other two – but they are all a lot smarter than I am. </p>

<p>RHIT is predominantly midwest, which my biased opinion means they are nicer than others. MIT is more international. HM is multinational and represents more of the US than RHIT. </p>

<p>MIT and HM – by being extremely selective – can make the campus more female. RHIT is hovering at 20 percent female is hurting, but is about 2 percent above the national average for engineering majors – about 18 percent female.</p>

<p>HM and MIT offer LAC curricula. RHIT really does not. Hence, if the engineering major ain’t your thing, bailing out at RHIT would be more difficult and transfer may be imminent as you really have no alternative choice. I know there is an econ major and such, but the alternatives are limited.</p>

<p>HM has the obvious best weather, while RHIT and MIT suffer. I know, I lived with each and now live in Miami – ha ha.</p>

<p>I have one great endorsement for RHIT – totally unsolicited. This is a true CC story. I began PMing a couple who seemed to know a bit about the engineering schools when my junior S was leading me to look into the same – a world I knew nothing about. The couple parented a D of same age as my S. They were engineers, and had advanced degrees. Their uber older S was a sophomore in college at MIT when they visited RHIT for D. The 4 of them were in awe (got to love the toys they have at that school). They left, H and W, asking themselves why S never discussed this place – but he was the genius who got full ticket to MIT – no arguments from anyone there. When D applied, S confided with parents that he wished he went to RHIT as the facilities were better than his, and the number using the facilities of course was less. Hence, better toys with fewer users – dream come true for the engineer.</p>

<p>True story 2: S got into RHIT and few other big name places. Friend from college taught at one, another college buddy taught at another. I asked, for undergrad, which would be better for S: their place of employment or RHIT? Without hesitation, the two (who were asked same question in private and separate times) gave same response: no question: RHIT. </p>

<p>S needed smaller environment, and has worked out well at RHIT. To be frank, he probably would not have gotten into MIT or HM, but those were probably the two of a few schools that he had no realistic chance at, – maybe CalTech and Olin as well would been stretches. He did get into enough other name schools seen through the engineering threads to assure us that he was above average – nothing unique as RHIT kids are. Maybe RHIT kids are not cosmically top notch as MIT or HM or CalTech, but they are not that much inferior (if at all) to make a difference.</p>

<p>And, that last sentence may be the answer to these threads. All of these schools are good. Correction: all of these schools are great. There are about 3000 good colleges that kids may find to offer a good 18-22 year old a good education. And, limiting the search to engineering majors, there are about 100 good choices. And, if you want the environment of matriculating with the elite, the schools of this and related threads are such institutions. To boast for one to the detriment of the other is prefaced upon a fraudulent implication – that one being good makes the other not good. </p>

<p>For those who start these threads and have not yet applied, feel lucky to get into any of these schools. If you only got into RHIT and were rejected by MIT, HM etc., consider yourself in good company and fortunate to have the opportunity to attend RHIT.</p>

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<p>Here’re some phenomena at CC.

  1. Among engineering schools, people generally don’t compare HMC with RIT, (I didn’t find any single thread comparing the two.) whereas people compare RHIT with RIT pretty often. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I saw a thread comparing MIT with RHIT. Almost everyone believes there is no comparison between these two. But there are many threads comparing MIT with HMC, in which almost everyone believes HMC is on the same level of MIT in terms of academics, which is college is all about. </p></li>
<li><p>In threads comparing HMC and RHIT, if we don’t look at comments made by either school’s students, faculty, or alum, we can see most people, including many engineer recruiters, believe HMC is better than RHIT. </p></li>
<li><p>Most people say RHIT is a good school, too.</p></li>
<li><p>RocketDA and atomicfusion appear constantly on threads on HMC and Caltech. But they rarely appear on the ones on HMC and Rhit.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Here’re some facts: </p>

<p>A. I’m a Mudder, so it’s kind of ironic for me to state #3 above.</p>

<p>B. People say USNews base their rankings on the opinions of college professors, deans of faculty and presidents, which makes #3 more ironic. </p>

<p>C. On CC RHIT admission officers published the list of graduate schools Rhit graduates go to. If you compare that list with the list offered by HMC website, you can see among the students who do go to graduate school, HMC graduates in general go to better schools. </p>

<p>D. I don’t know which is better. But I can vaguely tell from people’s arguments on CC that most people think HMC is better. </p>

<p>E. Rhit admission officer think the reason for D is other people’s ignorance. </p>

<p>F. Rhit is very proud of the fact it’s ranked #1for nondoctorate engineering schools by USnews.</p>

<p>G. I don’t know why, but USnews ranks Reed College as the 54th LAC in the nation, which is pretty darn ridiculous.</p>

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<p>JIAODA
*F. Rhit is very proud of the fact it’s ranked #1for nondoctorate engineering schools by USnews.</p>

<p>G. I don’t know why, but USnews ranks Reed College as the 54th LAC in the nation, which is pretty darn ridiculous.* </p>

<p>NOTE: System for LAC’s is not same as for engineering school in regard to LAC. LAC’s has formula. Engineering is peer review.</p>

<p>Other listing issues:</p>

<p>Salary –
[Best</a> Engineering Colleges By Salary Potential<a href=“but%20may%20reflect%20high%20cost%20of%20living%20where%20grads%20reside%20more%20than%20school’s%20accomplishment”>/url</a></p>

<p>Other views:
[url=&lt;a href=“http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegerankings/tp/top-undergraduate-engineering.htm]Top”&gt;Top 10 Small Engineering Colleges With Undergraduate Focus]Top</a> Undergraduate Engineering Colleges - A List of 10 Top Undergraduate Engineering Colleges](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/best-engineering-colleges.asp]Best”>Best Engineering Schools | Payscale)
[10</a> Best Undergraduate Engineering Schools - Top college program rankings](<a href=“http://www.superscholar.org/rankings/engineering/10-best-undergraduate-programs/]10”>http://www.superscholar.org/rankings/engineering/10-best-undergraduate-programs/)
[Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Schools | ABC Article Directory](<a href=“abcarticledirectory.com”>abcarticledirectory.com)
[Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Schools](<a href=“http://www.articleco.com/Article/Best-Undergraduate-Engineering-Schools/329627]Best”>http://www.articleco.com/Article/Best-Undergraduate-Engineering-Schools/329627)
[Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Programs - US Colleges Rankings (No PhD schools) 2011 , Top Universities in US](<a href=“http://www.university-list.net/us/rank/univ-20130044.html]Best”>2016 Best Undergraduate Teaching Rankings - US National Liberal Arts Colleges | Top Colleges in USA | Best universities | US News Undergraduate Rankings - Education Rankings)
[Top</a> Undergraduate Engineering Programs | Good University Ranking Guide](<a href=“http://whichuniversitybest.blogspot.com/2009/09/top-undergraduate-engineering-programs.html]Top”>Top Undergraduate Engineering Programs | Good University Ranking Guide)</p>

<p>Other than what I previously posted, the other obvious difference is:</p>

<pre><code> Middle 50% of
</code></pre>

<p>First-Year Students Percent Who
Submitted Scores
SAT Critical Reading: 670 - 760 94%
SAT Math: 740 - 790 94%
SAT Writing: 670 - 760 94%
ACT Composite: 32 - 35 39%</p>

<p>ROSE
Middle 50% of
First-Year Students Percent Who
Submitted Scores
SAT Critical Reading: 570 - 670 73%
SAT Math: 630 - 740 73%
SAT Writing: 550 - 650 73%
ACT Composite: 27 - 32 65%</p>

<p>In short, the students of Mudd have a significant edge when enrolling. And, CalTech or MIT (as far as numbers go) may be ahead of Mudd (like it or not). But, the remaining question is are the RHIT graduates as disadvantaged upon graduation – or are the RHIT graduates peers to graduates of MIT, CalTech, and Mudd? I have to expect the latter.</p>

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<p>jiaoda,</p>

<p>Glad you are enjoying your HMC experience. Thanks for sharing your take.</p>

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<p>Father of the Boarder,</p>

<p>Glad you are enjoying your parental HMC experience. Thanks for sharing your take.</p>

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<p>*Father of the Boarder,</p>

<p>Glad you are enjoying your parental HMC experience*.</p>

<p>I am parental RHIT. RHIT has been very good to child. Love HMC as well. Child suited more for pure engineering of RHIT than LAC character of HMC. As stated before, if you can get into either, you are a winner. If you can get into both – what a great choice.</p>

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<p>Take two — “Glad you are enjoying your parental RHIT experience!” Thanks for your insight …</p>

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<p>This whole thing developed into an extent where I can’t tell which part is sarcasm, which is not. So I don’t really know how to respond…(I’m not the Sheldon Cooper kind of guy.) But I do find the last comment I gave is kind of harsh and pretentious and arrogant, so Sorry…</p>