Really like your ideas @StudentsR1st. Wish the data was easily available to high school students for all of your suggestions. Also, wish the data was easily comparable for high school students, comparing apples to apples for colleges.
Not the best, but using first to second year retention rates and 4 year graduation rates together and comparing them to top schools might help. For example, while RPI has what sounds like a good first year retention rate of 93%, the top colleges have a retention rate of 97% to 99%. And RPiās 4 year grad rate is about 60%. Think ātopā engineering schools have a 4 year grad rate of 75% to 85%.This is a bit lower than the top non-engineering colleges 4 year grad rate, for a few reasons, co-op probably being one of them. I realize that for engineering schools, 2nd to 3rd year grad rates are also important, as sophomore year, students in science and engineering start getting into classes in their major.
Another possible ranking of undergraduate teaching may be USNWR Best Undergraduate Engineering Program Rankings (without a doctorate) https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall Since these colleges donāt offer a doctorate degree, they would be likely ranked on their undergraduate engineering education.
I am not saying that these rankings, data, and metrics are perfect, or the best for a high school student to evaluate colleges by, however this data seems to be some of the most easily accessible for families to use and to compare colleges with.
@CollegeGrad79
Great post. Very interesting to note the (sometimes vast) differences in Best Undergraduate Teaching vs the Best National University rankings. I would have bet they would be closer to each other because the quality of teaching is such a critical component of what makes a University good in the first place.
Just dropped in and see the āsubtle takedownā of RPI continues. Still trying to figure out why when I look at individualās historical posts negatives about RPI are the outliers. At any rate, to balance things out ā¦
This past weekend I visited my son on campus (freshman). What a great trip ! Weather was great, winter over ? 60 degrees and sunny. Had another opportunity to interact with some of my sonās friends. A diverse, inclusive, sharp group of optimistic and engaged RPI students. All talking about their classes, professors and activities. The only campus issue which came up was the Union not being student run. I know others have raised this, and on a number of levels it seems like a valid area of controversy. Beyond that, excitement about next year dorms and that the commons (freshman hill cafe) is being expanded to add more options, self cooking, and pacific choices. Iām sure someone will point out that the construction is only adding to the debt load. Had lunch downtown at Dinosaur BBQ with dessert at Manoryās. I recommend both. Farmers market back next weekend.
For those visiting the school for the 1st time, while there are three hotels very close to campus and downtown Troy, there are plenty of others a few minutes (10) aways with more availability and lower prices. Check out Latham near the airport, or Clifton Park.
You will find that the people who recently attended and graduated from RPI are mostly negative on the school because they actually attended. They have experienced all of what RPI has to offer and now work with colleagues who attended other schools and now compare their experiences. All my posts are about RPI because I attended there, and wouldnāt spout my findings on other schools I knew little of.
Most of the positive posts are of parents who have kids who attend, who feel a need to defend their expensive monetary investment, or freshmen/sophomores who know nothing better. Being a freshman you have hardly experienced what a college has to offer and are excited by just being off on your own (I know I was) giving you a positive lens to look at college with. Wait until the students attend for 4 years, go through the arch program, try to take advantage of the CCPD, or anything else supposedly offered by the school then look for a job. Then come back and feel free to spout your opinion. I see too many posts from kids who are like, āIāve been attending for 3 months and I love this place!ā.
@Spark2018 has had a son attend for a semester and a half and seems to believe he knows more about the school than any alumni does? @reformedman seems to be in same boat?
The opinions of studentsā experiences at RPI after graduation can easily be shown through alumni donation rates. Currently, the participation rate for RPIās alumni donors is about 7%, one of the lowest (or maybe the lowest) of a major college in the US. This is a drop of more than half since 2000. A college that has endeared itself to its students/alums, has an alumni donor participation rate of 40+% to 60%.
My DS is in his second year and from talking to him, I would say it is the hardest mind-stretching thing he has done in his young life and he would not have it any different. He is learning great things, living with wonderful smart and interesting roommates and enjoying the Troy area, including the restaurants and farmers market. DSās first visit to the school was for accepted students day and we decided while there that RPI was the school for him. 2nd yr students can reduce their meal plan and convert cafeteria swipes to flex dollars usable at Panera and Union restaurants. (The conversion is not perfect but, oh well.) He and his science/STEM oriented friend group are not focusing at all on the issues with the Union and school management.
My DSās class is the first required to do ARCH and we are adapting. They have breaks before the session starts and he will be taking a nice vacation. The Facebook parentās group reports good experiences from students who did optional ARCH last summer and have done their Away semester.
Regarding financial aid, make sure you have completed both the FAFSA and the CSS profile. Review your results and ask for what you need from your #1 choice school. RPI works for us. Federal loans are capped for students and parents have to decide what, if any loans they will personally take. (We donāt do parent loans and chose to cash flow the gap.) BTW, our gap = FAFSA EFC, which I felt was reasonable. I am interested to see how financial aid changes since we have a 2nd student starting college in the Fall 2019. (Yikes!!)
@collegegrad79 Are you attributing the low alumni donor numbers due to the alums having bad experiences during their time at RPI? I have read many posts here and on other social media from alum that say they will begin donating again to the school once there is a change in administration.
On July 1 SAJ will celebrate 20 years as President, so the point made by @CollegeGrad79 and @shuttlebus are connected. It is clear that large numbers of those who attended/graduated during SAJās presidency are not donating.This low satisfaction is something potential attendees and applicants should be aware of. They can decide if it is relevant and if so good or bad.
The low alumni satisfaction and less percentage of alumni donations may be relevant for potential RPI attendees in several areas.
Less donations can equal less financial aid and more student loans also less financial aid and more student loans often equals low alumni satisfaction. The colleges that have the best financial aid packages, some with no loan policies, usually have the highest participation rate of alumni donor and often the most satisfied alumni.
Low alumni satisfaction can lead to alumni not hiring recent graduates for internships, or employment after graduation. This can also be applied to the alumniās firm. If the firm knows that alumni arenāt happy with their alma mater, or that a particular collegeās reputation has dropped, they may be less likely to hire an applicant from this college.The colleges that have the highest alumni satisfaction (and the highest participation of alumni donors) usually have alumni that will do anything to hire a recent graduate of their college, or offer them an internshipā¦
@randomdude532 , I have read your review of RPI , but as I understand you liked the academics and found great friends , you did not like administration and that RPI did not help you in job hunting. Am I right?
@randomdude532 I respect your opinions as you actually attended, which, you may find hard to believe, I value the most. I also factor in that potential overstatement + / - for a myriad of reason including not being objective as possible, and maybe an ax to grind. Still, even discounted, most valuable ! Along those lines your āmost people who graduated from RPI are mostly negative.ā I actually do know a few through work and that is not the case. Maybe vocal minority and all. Maybe many. Iām going to be optimistic that more positive days are ahead.
As far as parents defending their investment. Sure, but that does not mean we are wrong or blinded to the truth. It has not stopped you from being honest. Most of āus parentā attended college too, and grad school, and maybe currently hire college grads so we have a clue what good looks like. Thanks for admitting you were positive on RPI 1st and 2nd year. Knowing 3 & 4 were rough spots, also good to know. Going in with eyes open can only help. You point out all the posters who are all āthis place is great the 1st 3 monthā, true. There are also, as I previously posted on a different college board, many in that same time period find out their ādream schoolā is not what they expected, and transfer or go home. āFreshmen / sophomores who know nothing betterā comment a bit dismissive. Most still are in touch with HS friends and all compare notes. Not all roses. At least my kids.
So yeah, I freely made it clear my standing as a parent of a new student. When parents send their kids off to school they hope it is a great experience and all that is expected. So the experiences Iām posting hopefully reassures those families that choose RPI. As far as @reformedman who has posted for awhile, more than me and you by x5, if Iām reading the posts correctly his 2nd son followed the 1st to RPI. I would assume the 1st is talking to the 2nd, and warning him if RPI is not so hot. Even on campus itās not like upperclassmen are not talking to 1st & 2nd year students.
@CollegeGrad79 Alumni donation rates, interesting, you made me do some homework (not exhaustive). So, yeah RPI at 7.7% is low, among the lowest. And, 40s is very good. Interestingly, I found a list which validates that number, which contains some of the names from our previous peer school discussion, and, well, they are not all so hot.
WPI 9.1; CMU 13.9; NYU 6.8 and another of interest Columbia 12.4
60% would be fantastic, in the tech category beyond the ones I just mentioned MIT 22.9 and Stanford 25.5. Seems mid 20s is a good number in the northeast.
So basically, you are right, and if they were where they were back in 2000 they would be in a reasonable pack.
I hope those considering RPI find this forum/discussion useful. Lets continue to find and share information. There are bound to be opinions as to whether or not something is good, bad or indifferent - like the alumni donation numbers. I hope that we can continue to help those considering RPI make the best decision for them.
I have not read it yet. But there are 17 new articles on the web page. Many are based on student government and the upcoming elections. I encourage all to read it.
Hello, I had a questions about student orientation. The student website says that it will be available in late March and I was wondering if anyone has been able to register yet? I canāt seem to find out exactly how I am supposed to, unless its just not open yet
D got accepted to the B.Arch program on 3/9. A week later the Dean of Architecture called to congratulate her and reach out to see if she had any questions or concerns about RPI. We received the call 7:30 MST which was 9:30 EST. I am impressed the Dean took the time and effort late Saturday night to reach out to us. A few days ago a fifth year B.Arch student reached out to us to congratulate and see if we had any questions about the college and the architecture program,. I must say RPI is taking all the time and effort to recruit new students.
