<p>Hi!
WPI (Worchester Polytechic Institute) has sent me a plethora of emails, recommending me to apply. To be honest, I consider WPI kinda of a safety... But I wonder... Is WPI a strong institution in biology...?
I want to master in neuroscience... I actually don't even know if there is a concetration or something similar...
What do you think?</p>
<p>WPI science departments are good. The facilities are relatively new. WPI’s reputation on the east coast is good. The senior research project is a good stepping stone to graduate school or employment.</p>
<p>Not a bad program, but BU or Northeastern are both better and have only slightly harder admission requirements. They are more expensive though.</p>
<p>My D is currently a senior in Biology at WPI - she has had a fantastic research job the last 2 summers at U of R - in part due to the reputation of WPI in the research community. She was going to apply to PHD programs and her advisor was telling her she had a good shot at Yale and some other Ivy’s. She has recently decided to take a year to work in industry before starting her PHD, so hopefully she will be able to find a job :)</p>
<p>WPI was a safety for her, but she got a great scholarship and it was always in her top 3 during the selection proccess. She absolutely LOVES it!</p>
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<p>I don’t think that the differences in admissions requirements are significant (in fact, WPI has a higher percentage of students in top 10% of high school and average SAT score along with equal/better engineering rankings). The sticker prices are very similar, though WPI and Northeastern offer much better financial aid (they both offered me the same package; I opted for WPI) and scholarships than BU. If you consider WPI a safety, BU and NEU are also safeties for you. If you are applying as an international for aid, none of these schools may actually be true safeties.</p>
<p>WPI’s science departments are good but they are small so you might not find the same diversity in research opportunity although UMass Memorial is very nearby and many students pursue research there as well. Every year, students are accepted to grad schools at the tier of UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Caltech, and Yale. It’s not Harvard or MIT but WPI’s biology department will not hold you back from a good graduate program if that is what you want.</p>
<p>Also, if cost is an issue, consider your state flagship. UMASS-AMHERST and UCONN also have good biology programs.</p>
<p>I have applied to both WPI and Northeastern. Any other comparisons?</p>