Please advise with college selection (ChemE college decision)

College Search & Selection
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<p>So I've been accepted to University of Illinois and Rose Hulman for chemical engineering, and I am waiting to hear back from RPI (Rennselear Polytechnic Institute) and Stevens IT, I will most likely get into both. I am a high school senior in NY and I'm conflicted on what school I want to go to. </p>

<p>This is the information that I've gathered so far on the schools aforementioned.</p>

<p>University of Illinois - Great chemical engineering program, although the school is very large and professors may be preoccupied with research and not able to be fully available to students. Good for students who want to get PhDs eventually and do research (note I do not want a PhD or do research). The engineering and science program is really the only reason to go here, and other students outside of that here don't fit so well with engineering kids. Social life here is the best out of the four schools that I'm looking at, Urbana is a nice town.</p>

<p>RPI - It's in NY, parents want me to preferably stay close to home. Engineering and science programs are good, don't know much specifically about their ChemE program but it's probably almost as good as Illinois. 70% male gender imbalance, lack of social opportunities, Troy, NY isn't so great.</p>

<p>Stevens IT - It's in NY, very close to Manhattan and Long Island (where family lives), this is a plus. Engineering and science programs are good but again I couldn't find anything that sets the ChemE program aside from others. Good school but seems like a better fit for business people/software and computer engineers, not chemical. Same 70% male thing. Closely knit campus.</p>

<p>Rose Hulman IT - Top notch engineering and science program. Couldn't find specifics on the ChemE program but like all the eng programs here it seems like it is very very good. Teachers are 100% dedicated to students and not focused on research. Very rigorous workload (this is a good thing). Students come out very good at what they majored in. Biggest downside I read is that the credits don't transfer so the longer you stay at RHIT the longer you're stuck there. 80% male. Terre haute sucks and there isn't much to do at all except for nerdy social activities (this isn't the best but its ok). Tuition is pricey, but I found out I can get a lot from scholarships.</p>

<p>Please advise which school would be a best fit for me. I am a Caucasian male. The main thin g I want to get out of college is a good education in ChemE and the ability to be able to go a good grad school and be able to get a well paying job. </p>

<p>Thanks so much,
Scott</p>

2

<p>I too am looking at ChemE. Although I’m not looking at those specific schools, the ones that I consider most reputable in ChemE are the University of Illinois and RPI; the other two seem stronger in other majors. However, perceived prestige and rankings are usually more grounded in graduate schools (as may be the case with Illinois), so I guess there are more important factors. Stevens, RPI, and Rose-Hulman are all more undergrad focused, so you’ll probably have more opportunities and contact with professors. I would personally recommend RPI because it’s ranked highest next to Illinois but has the advantages of a smaller school (better relations with profs, tighter-knit community, smaller class sizes…). It sounds like you’re concerned about the whole gender gap and social life matter, but since pretty much any engineering school with have that issue, I’d just set that aside as a given. I’d recommend doing more research into the ChemE programs at each school. See if you can get into contact with teachers and students or maybe visit some of the closer schools like Stevens and RPI.</p>

<p>I hope you get into the rest of your schools! Good luck with your decision.</p>

3

<p>We visited a few years ago RHIT & came away impressed with their Chem E program & job placement. However, the only thing that kept my S from applying to RHIT was their cost of attendance.
If you have not already considered Univ. of Minnesota for Chem E, you may want to do so. Perhaps one of the oldest & highly reputed programs.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies. Michellel, do you think the research opportunities available at UIUC would outweigh the smaller class sizes and overall better learning experience at RPI/Rose Hulman? I think I would rather be at a smaller school but how does grad schools see this? If you can show you are a qualified candidate, is it necessary to still show you’ve participated in a lot of research?</p>

5

<p>How do the relative costs factor into this decision? How much debt would be incurred?
These are all very good schools so I think it comes down to personal preference.
Personally I would find RHI’s location to be a deal-breaker, and I think the others are all more prestigious than Stevens (for whatever that is worth).</p>

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<p>I think that you’ve outlined the tradeoffs pretty well, except I think I’d skip Stevens over the other two. Rose-Hulman seems like a great place for someone who would get destroyed by RPI or Illinois. I don’t know your stats, your work ethic, and how you handle pressure. </p>

<p>RPI and Illinois are both research universities. There is a choice to be made, and you clearly get it. You don’t have to decide until May 1st. Visit RPI, see if you can arrange to stay overnight at a fraternity, and assess whether the social life would be as bad as you think it would be. Illinois is a great school. You are correct, that you have to give professors a reason to notice you. Try to figure out just how much of a problem it is for undergraduates to get involved with research. If you can work it out with Illinois, that seems like your best bet.</p>

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<p>“Rose-Hulman seems like a great place for someone who would get destroyed by RPI or Illinois.”</p>

<p>I’m not sure Rose is that much easier than Illinois. Knowing students (of similar caliber) at both schools, I have heard that they’re pretty close in terms of difficulty.</p>

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<p>If this is a consideration, you may have to wait until all scholarships and financial aid offers are in.</p>

<p>You did not apply to any lower list price schools (SUNYs, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, NCSU)?</p>

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<p>I don’t think he was implying that RHI is easier. It is just a much smaller school with total emphasis on undergrad education. So there is more support for students who are struggling with the material. Sometimes that more nurturing environment makes all the difference for a student when compared to sink-or-swim environments of other engineering schools.</p>

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<p>Thank you, that’s partially what I meant. My cousin’s son (I guess my first cousin once removed), went to a public flagship for engineering and found that he couldn’t get the help he needed. I think he’s graduating this year (his 6th). It could be because he’s shy and quiet, but that’s really my point. It’s hard to hide at a place like Rose-Hulman. On the other hand, I work with Illinois graduates who excelled and went on to MIT and the like. </p>

<p>I also meant that the Rose-Hulman has a lower low end of the student body, and I think there is a lot more support there to make sure students like this succeed. However, I’ve never seen a Rose-Hulman graduate in the MIT resume book I get every year, suggesting that very few go on to a graduate school of this caliber. </p>

<p>I think Illinois and RHIT would be very different experiences, and which one is better for you depends on you.</p>

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<p>Here is Rose Hulman Institute of Technology’s post-graduation survey (though it is less detailed than those of some other schools):</p>

<p>[Recruitment</a> & Employment Statistics](<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman)</p>

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<p>Anyone offering any money? Isn’t UIUC OOS cost on par with private schools?</p>