<p>How would you compare these schools for engineering? Why would you choose one over the other?</p>
<p>Both are great schools but for different reasons. U of R is a great university with a good engineering program. Rensselaer is a good university with a great engineering program. </p>
<p>If the quality of the engineering education is your only concern, RPI is one of the very best in the world and beats U of R.</p>
<p>RPI: </p>
<p>Is the oldest engineering school in the USA.</p>
<p>Has on-campus linear accelerator and nuclear reactor.
<a href="http://www.linac.rpi.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.linac.rpi.edu/</a></p>
<p>About to open a world top ten IBM Blue Gene supercomputer center.
<a href="http://www.rpi.edu/research/ccni/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.rpi.edu/research/ccni/index.html</a></p>
<p>Has a world - class Biotechnology Research center.
<a href="http://www.rpi.edu/research/biotech/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.rpi.edu/research/biotech/index.html</a></p>
<p>Has one of largest microchip fabrication clean rooms in the U.S.
<a href="http://www.rpi.edu/dept/cie/mncr/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.rpi.edu/dept/cie/mncr/index.html</a></p>
<p>Is a world leader in the use of interactive education/computers in the
undergraduate program.
<a href="http://www.rpi.edu/change/intlearn.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.rpi.edu/change/intlearn.html</a></p>
<p>Having said all that, Rochester will have stronger programs outside of engineering/science and is the more well rounded of the two. </p>
<p>RPI is in Troy which is a horrible city in terms of economic activity, social
scene, fun stuff to do. The town has a long way to go. </p>
<p>I've been to Rochester and while not scenic/attractive by any means, will give you more to do than Troy. </p>
<p>So you really need to consider what factors are most important when choosing between the two.</p>
<p>RPI without a doubt. (Easy for me to say - right?! lol ;) )</p>
<p>U of Rochester (contrary to popular myth) does not have a great engineering department. (Especially for what it costs.)</p>
<p>Unless you have a car, the City of Rochester will offer you little too.</p>
<p>I second rico's post.</p>
<p>If your student is interested specifically in Optical Engineering, UofR is the place.</p>
<p>If your student is interested in another branch of engineering or is undecided about a specific branch, RPI is a better choice because it has more choices and better programs.</p>
<p>If your student is not 100% sure about engineering, UofR offers a wider menu of great options to fall back to, but the engineering options are more limited.</p>
<p>If you want to find a school with the engineering resources of RPI and the breadth of UofR you should be looking for a much bigger school (e.g. Cornell.)</p>
<p>My son is very interested in design and engineering. He was accepted as a double major in PDI with mechanical engineering. He has other interests as well, like maybe learning Chinese and being around kids who have other interests. However RPI is the only school other then Stanford I think that has engineering and design together. He needs something else in his life besides Calc, physics, etc. What Rochester has would be the opportunity to take other types of classes, but they don't have design?</p>
<p>Would he be better off in a place where he could move around if he wanted, or a program where is gets to apply engineering to his design projects?</p>
<p>For my son, being able to move around is a major concern. Your son seems to be more focused, so that may not be the main concern. </p>
<p>Regarding Chinese and kids with other interests (and a more balanced male/female ratio) vs. the PDI program? Only he can decide.</p>
<p>You're lucky if you are deciding between only two colleges. My son has 9 schools to choose from (including RPI and UofR) and is no closer to committing to anything than he was last September.</p>
<p>SamK: We're in the same boat. My son has whittled his original 9 schools down to about 5 or 6. A lot is riding on these final April visits. (Or at least I hope he will be able to decide then.)</p>