<p>S and I visited several engineering institutes, but it was spring break when we were at Stevens. Liked the tour, but tough to get the full flavor. The kids we saw at WPI, eg, were mildly nerdy but friendly, and one could see how collaborations and projects would work. This certainly suits my son's personality. Is Stevens similar, or does the NY/NJ setting and student body bring a bit of a gruffer urban edge to the campus? S has a hard-working but collaborative MO and wouldn't do as well in a place that was more one-on-one competitive and less relaxed and polite.</p>
<p>My S2 attends Stevens and I can tell you from his experiences that the general population is not “one-on-one competitive,” in fact we find it to be the very opposite. Kids are very willing to help each other excel as demonstrated by the many study jams and impromptu study sessions that the kids organize themselves. Whenever we visit (fairly regularly) we find the students to be extremely friendly and outgoing. My son would not be happy at a school where kids were afraid to help someone for fear that the other might gain an academic edge. And the urban atmosphere is what makes the campus energized and diverse…literally every personality type has an opportunity to find it’s own niche with others that share similar traits, study habits and social interests. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>That is indeed helpful. The kids that I saw at other engineering institutes fit into a personality spectrum that suits my son. Just making sure that a similar attitude prevails even when you move such a school from a remote outpost into the big city. Sounds like the Stevens students fit the usual engineering student profile, which I probably should have assumed.</p>
<p>This is an older thread but I just wanted to confirm that the atmosphere at Stevens seems very supportive. I have not met anyone who was rude or gruff in the least; both staff and students have been extremely helpful. S2’s friends all seem very friendly and courteous to each other.</p>