<p>Which school has a better undergrad comp sci program? I know WPI is a little more research based, however both schools emphasize their practicality. WPI be a little more prestigious but RIT has a bigger focus on Computer Science. WPI focuses more on engineering. RIT is also quite a bit cheaper.
Thanks</p>
<p>Sitting here on the West Coast, I wouldn’t consider either of these schools to be prestigious. But that’s OK, because they’re good enough, and it doesn’t really matter where you go. Unless there’s a particular CS track or specialty that’s offered, most undergraduate CS degrees are rather undistinguishable from each other.</p>
<p>Is there anything in particular that attacts you to WPI? If not, I’d suggest RIT just becasue it’s cheaper.</p>
<p>Do you want a co-op based school or not? That is another difference.
I don’t think it is worth splitting hairs over whether the CS program at one is “better” than the other, they are probably close enough. WPI has a slight edge in reputation though. But the schools have a different overall approach- RIT is focused on Co-op, WPI is focused on project-based curriculum and a global focus. My WPI son will be spending a term in Copenhagen next year, and will probably spend a term abroad senior year as well as part of his senior project.
But what school do you like the best? RIT is much bigger, and is in the suburbs. Have you visited both?
My son visited both and really disliked RIT and really loved WPI. So personal preference is really important!
Have you applied to these? The costs may differ based on what you get for FA and/or merit aid, so you can’t always tell ahead of time what the costs are.</p>
<p>@bean - what did your son dislike about RIT and love about WPI? Have not visited either, yet, but will visit RIT later this summer and WPI in the fall.</p>
<p>A few things in particular:
He was not interested in a co-op school. He would rather spend a 5th year getting a Master’s degree rather than finishing his BS due to time spent on co-ops. He would rather use summer internships to get work experience.
He *hated *the campus - the architecture, the uniformity of the buildings (they call it “Brick City”), the flatness, the suburban location (nothing good to walk to from campus). He just didn’t like the overall feel of the place. I didn’t think it was that bad at all. But he just did not like it all.
But you should check it out for sure. You might *love *it.
With WPI - it just clicked with him right away. The campus is “compact and efficient”, with a good mixture of old ivy-covered buildings and newer ones. But The main draw for him is the project-based curriculum which was described in a NY Times article (this is an interesting article, so do read it):
<a href=“Why Science Majors Change Their Minds (It’s Just So Darn Hard) - The New York Times”>Why Science Majors Change Their Minds (It’s Just So Darn Hard) - The New York Times;
He also felt the students there just seemed happier than students he had seen on some other campuses. He refers to them as “happy nerds”. Although Worcester is not the greatest city, it still does provide food options right off campus and more beyond campus (via zipcar or bus).
So a lot of this is subjective, so you do need to do your own research and visits. Try to spend a whole day on campus if you can so you can get a better feel for it.
If you come to WPI in the fall, try to come for one of their Open House Days - those are better than the standard Admissions sessions and campus tours. There are presentations given by each academic department, plus others focused on student life, career services, Global Perspectives etc. Its is much more in-depth.</p>
<p>WPI. Its just a better institution overall.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I think both schools emphasize real world education so missing out at WPI wouldn’t be a problem. I haven’t applied to either school. I’m visiting RIT in a few weeks and I was not sure if I should go to WPI also because I am on the west coast. I was thinking about applying ED to RIT, but if I want to go to WPI I will have to apply RD to RIT and EA to WPI. I have a 1760 (550 M/ 590 R/ 620 W) and about a 3.55 so I am not the most competitive applicant but RIT admissions counselor said I seemed to be in a good position. I go to a boarding school in CA and have a lot of EC’s and 36 community college credits but that doesn’t make up for my stats but I can raise at least 50 points next time. It’s a tough decision for me to make.</p>
<p>I am not sure if you can get into RIT with that Math score. Their 25th percentile begins at 570.</p>
<p>To be honest, those scores are low for most engineering schools. If I were you I would spend the summer doing test prep in an effort to bring those up. What kind of courses did you take in high school - AP, honors or college prep? How many CC courses have you taken?
WPI is the *only * test optional engineering school. However, your GPA is even a little low for them (only 15% of freshman had GPA 3.5-3.74), so you odds are overall probably still better at RIT. See the Common Data Set, section C -
[Institutional</a> Research: Common Data Set - WPI](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/offices/ir/data-set.html]Institutional”>http://www.wpi.edu/offices/ir/data-set.html)</p>
<p>I’ve taken around 15 or 16 CC classes and I’m taking AP computer science. The only other AP I’ve taken was AP Lang because my old school was on a CC. I’ve taken an intro to programming class and a couple mech eng classes at CC, but I should probably focus on raising my math score. I was aiming for around a 620.</p>
<p>also take the ACT. I know a few kids that did not do great on the SAT but nailed the ACT. But do practice tests prior to taking it.</p>
<p>Beantowngirl, did you look at U or Rochester when you were out there? Throw RPI into the mix too. If you’ve seen all of these schools, how would you compare RPI, WPI, U of Rochester?</p>
<p>and throw Northeastern into the comparison too.</p>
<p>Yes, anyone who likes RIT’s programs would probably also like NEU, but NEU is harder to get into these days. My son didn’t consider NEU due to location and co-op emphasis, but I am familiar with it since I am a local.
We did visit U.Rochester and we all liked it a lot. It has very good engineering and sciences but it is not a “tech” school; there are lots of liberal arts majors. Pretty campus too. It made it to my son’s short list.
RPI and WPI are big competitors for students. Very similar offerings and types of students (i.e. nerds!), but RPI is a little bigger both in campus size, student body size…We were not impressed with the surrounding area, it seemed worse than Worcester (at least WPI’s neighborhood). RPI is still a little better known nationally than WPI.
In terms of similarities: RPI and WPI are similar, NEU and RIT are similar, U. Rochester is more like Tufts.
OP - A good tool is the search engine here on CC - it tries to guess what your odds are of getting in by comparing your GPA and test scores. [College</a> Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential - College Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/index.htm]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/index.htm)</p>
<p>Wow, if Worcester is nicer than Troy then Troy must really be a dump. I am not a big fan of Worcester although maybe, as you say, WPI is in a nice neighborhood. I always felt Tufts had its own niche in the Boston area so its nice to hear U of R is similar.</p>
<p>I’m sure you’ve seen the SAT/ACT ranges RIT publishes by major. It is based on admitted students, not enrolled students. You squeak into the 25% of scores for CS. <a href=“http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/pdf/SAT2012_2013guidelines.pdf[/url]”>www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/pdf/SAT2012_2013guidelines.pdf</a></p>
<p>My daughter will be beginning her freshman year at RIT soon (not in CS). Colleges and Careers was a wonderful overnight visit, and she stumbled into a unique major she never would have thought of. She really clicked with the current students she met (and being female there is nice!). It’s true the campus is rather 1970s institutional, but she figured she can live with that for a few years. Be sure to escape the Henrietta bubble - there’s some cool stuff in Rochester and the school does offer bus service to the city. She loves the co-op program. One of the big co-ops in her program is on a Cunard cruise ship - 6 months traveling the world!</p>
<p>Troy, NY is truly horrible. I visited both RIT, RPI, and Clarkson.<br>
RIT with the co-op program in a major city like Rochester won out. RPI has a better rep, but Troy is just so nasty.
At our major internet company, we have 58 RIT, 9 Clarkson, and 1 WPI.</p>
<p>If finances are an issue, go to RIT since you said it is a good bit cheaper for you. If you like a the idea of a co-op program, choose RIT. If neither one of those factors is important to you, then just choose the school you feel most comfortable at. They are pretty comparable institutions from what I can tell.</p>
<p>Hi guys
I am really looking forward to admission at WPI
I want to do robotics engineering? CS (confused :P)
can you tell me how good are my chances
I am Indian so will be applying as international
- 92% in 10th board
- probably 75% in 12th mid(its not easy here)
- 2100 in SAT I : 660 CR,800 Math,640 Writing
- I am Vice President robotics society
- I have won 2-3 national level competitions in robotics and gaming
- Won 6-7 state level competitions in robotics and gaming
- I am working on an invention( basically a robot that would do stuff I cant tell :P)
- I have community service of 4 continuous years My robot is focused on ppl there
I have LOR from HOD comp and HOD robotics</p>
<p>can i get 100% aid at WPI??</p>
<p>Fragtoast, please read the websites of colleges you are interested in to get aid information. You would read that WPI does not offer 100% aid to internationals
[Financial</a> Aid: International Students - WPI](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/offices/fa/international-students.html]Financial”>http://www.wpi.edu/offices/fa/international-students.html)</p>
<p>Go to the College Chances forum to list personal info, rather that taking over an existing thread.</p>
<p>According to a colleague whose daughter attends RPI, Troy is a rebuilt mill town similar to many others in the northeast. Really its not that bad according to him and the campus is nice. As for WPI, we visited over the summer and will say that the campus is nice and its in a nice part of Worcester. Both schools are well respected tech schools in the northeast.</p>