<p>My son has narrowed his decision down to Case Western, Villanova and Rose Hulman. He has been admitted in engineering programs of all these schools but hoping to do both engineering and business (maybe minor) since he want to open a technology Corp. in the future. Any comments on the programs would be appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>Hi TanMon,</p>
<p>I didn’t look at Case Western that much in my college search (and Villanova wasn’t on the radar - I’m from the west coast), so I’m sure you know more about the overall comparison between the schools than I do, but here’s my quick take.</p>
<p>Rose-Hulman v Case Western: Rose has an undergraduate focus, while Case has a substantial graduate program. Both approaches have merit - at Rose the undergrad is king and professors are focused on teaching students. At Case, on the other hand, undergrads will have exposure to graduate-level research opportunities. </p>
<p>Rose-Hulman v Villanova: Neither school offers PhD’s in engineering, so they will have a similar undergraduate focus. In my opinion Rose-Hulman has an edge as far as overall engineering education, but Villanova certainly wins on diversity of the education and non-engineering opportunities. I personally don’t think you need to do business at the undergraduate level (engineering -> MBA is <em>very</em> popular), but if your son wants to pursue business as an undergraduate his options would be limited at Rose-Hulman. We have some business classes (corporate finance, managerial accounting, etc.), but the closest minor we have is an economics minor. Personally, I’m interested in the business side of things as well, but I’m focusing on engineering for my undergraduate studies and may transition more into business at the graduate level or just through experience in my career.</p>
<p>That’s about all I can say about that, though. I’m not sure if you’ve seen these, but there have been a couple recent threads on deciding between Rose and other schools… [What</a> makes Rose different?](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/1262362-what-makes-rose-different.html]What”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/1262362-what-makes-rose-different.html) and [Why</a> Rose-Hulman?](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/1306600-why-rose-hulman.html]Why”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/1306600-why-rose-hulman.html)</p>
<p>I’m currently a junior Electrical Engineering major at Rose, so although I can’t speak much to Case and Villanova specifically, if you have any further questions about Rose please ask!</p>
<p>Hi gobeavs</p>
<p>My son (international student) is also looking at Rose Hulman(RHIT) for ME. Can you pls help explain in detail about
- Why does RHIT has comparatively lower academic grades of incoming class as compared to some other highly ranked colleges
- Research opportunities, does every student get to do research
- Are Professors actively engaged in research
- How many students go on to do Graduation immediately, and do you have a list of universities they get admitted to
- I have seen some forums where people question the #1 ranking of RHIT. How would you evaluate that
- Diversity - both in terms of male/female seems low, and international students. Would you say the environment is welcoming to international students, and
- safety issues</p>
<p>Anyone else having first hand experience of RHIT is more than welcome to share their experiences. It would be really helpful.</p>
<p>
This is anyone’s guess. Some possible reasons:</p>
<p>-Rose is more industry-oriented, whereas Harvey Mudd and many other highly ranked schools are more oriented toward research and graduate school. The different focuses attract different people. </p>
<p>-“College experience attractiveness”. Competition is less stiff at Rose than other schools in part because Rose is seen as less attractive in various non-academic ways. Its location is less desirable than other schools - it’s an hour away from a major city, and Indiana isn’t a go-to location for college kids anyway. The campus is 80% male, which is a downside for some people. Rose is STEM-only, so if a student wants to switch to a non-STEM major they are out-of-luck. Various factors like these are somewhat unique to Rose-Hulman, and turn a lot of people off. Less admissions competition means, in general, lower admissions standards.</p>
<p>
Most students can do research, if they search for it. The professors are very approachable, and get to know students very well - so if you want to have a research opportunity, you can definitely go to professors and discuss that with them. It isn’t mandatory or in-your-face, but the opportunities are there for those that want them. See [IPROP](<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman)</p>
<p>
Yes. Not all professors are, but there are a lot. Every professor at Rose is supposed to put teaching first - that’s part of the draw to Rose-Hulman, but many professors do research as well. I just spent time today with a professor discussing research - he is very involved in it, and is always looking for ways to get students more involved with cutting-edge research.</p>
<p>
I think it’s around 20% that go on to graduate school. [This](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/968494-received-pm-asking-about-grad-school-placement.html?highlight=graduate#post10904099”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rose-hulman-institute-technology/968494-received-pm-asking-about-grad-school-placement.html?highlight=graduate#post10904099</a>) list is a little dated, but will give you some information about what schools Rose grads have attended. If you email someone in the admissions office I’m sure they could provide you with a more current list, if they have that information available.</p>
<p>
Look at my post history for this one…it’s come up so many times, ha. Pretty much any thread relating Harvey Mudd and Rose-Hulman.</p>
<p>
There are a lot of international students here, and more every year. The environment is probably a little bit more difficult for international students than a larger, more traditional college (for example, we’re an hour away from the airport - how do you get to campus?), but there are so many international students around that I don’t think it’s a bit deal. (Rose has started organizing a shuttle for getting to campus from the airport)</p>
<p>And, what do you mean by safety issues? The campus is very safe. When I lived on-campus I only locked my door when I went home for vacations. I regularly leave my laptop and books unattended around the academic buildings.</p>
<p>Thank you, very helpful.</p>
Where did your son end up going? My son has been accepted to Case-Western and Rose-Hulman, and we are juggling numbers financially, with the far better deal at RHIT. His number 1 choice until the financial picture was revealed was CWRU. Any insight from your perspective 4 years later would be so appreciated! Thanks
@CollegeDad65. I had one son choose Rose and the other chose Case. It really depends on what is important to your son. One really liked the undergraduate emphasis, small classes and feel of Rose. He was very happy there and moved on to graduate school and is now working. The other wanted opportunities at Case that he couldn’t find at Rose - like a double major in music. It gets tough when there is a big difference in cost and there is not a compelling reason to chose one school over the other. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have. We were very happy with the education and resources at Rose.
My son was accepted to Rose-Hulman, Case Western, and Colorado School of Mines. We visited all three and he preferred the urban environment of Case, which is the opposite of where he was raised. He was offered merit money at all three universities. Honestly, another deciding factor was the male/female ratio of the three schools. CSM ratio is similar to RHIT. Case is closer to 50/50, probably because there is a liberal arts program as well.
bigred93,
I was curious if you son has been happy this fall at Case Western? My son is waiting to hear back from a few more schools, but currently has the three choices your son had. He is going to visit Mines and CW next month (saw RHIT this summer), but I was interested to hear your feedback after your son’t first semester at CW.