RPI threads appear to be very stale. I wonder why? My son has applied for Fall '23.
I’m guessing things will pick up in March. My son is a freshman at RPI if you have questions.
Thank you.
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RPI, and other boards, have been quiet for a few years now. I think covid, the redesign of the site, and some, imho, over moderation. Yes some, including me, got a bit animated sometimes. I found myself doing a lot of defense for RPI. At any rate if you have question please post back here and I will try to honestly and objectively answer. My son graduated dual major CS / Computer Systems Engineering S '22. Overall very happy with his time at RPI and resulting employment.
My prior posts and conversations around them are probably worth a read too.
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My son is a recipient of Rennsselaer Medal in his junior year, does that carry weightage other than the fee waiver?
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Congratulations on the medal, it’s a big deal ! Provided HS grades maintained he should be accepted. Traditionally medal winners financial package starts at $25k (as of 6 years ago). You can get more. RPI wants to attract the medal winners. Good PR IMHO. It’s like getting a job offer before you graduate college.
RPI is one of the most expensive schools we applied to, even after all merit and loans. There was some national list, 50 of the most expensive colleges is US, and RPI was 50. With that said I don’t regret it.
A couple of money and grade savers: leverage AP tests to the max. You have to score high (4/5, there is a cross reference on their website) for them to count at RPI, but they make life better, giving some wiggle room, and opening up options for dual majors or minors. The financial package you get is not contingent on grades (some schools say you need to maintain a 3.0 etc) which in computer science or engineering can be hard. Also, the package applies to graduate degree if they go co-term and have over a 3.5. Not too many schools offer that upfront. You can and should live off campus after freshman year (or is it after 2nd year). Lot’s of housing right off campus in walking distance. Housing and food costs about 1/2. That really helped our budget. Just need to find a friend group to pull it off and be happy.
RPI is hard. It is no joke. You need to know that going in. It is not a party school. and with a 65/35 male/female, it’s not a dating school. There is a social life, but it is not Animal House. But, and experiences vary, an RPI degree has clout across the country.
I’m not sure what the status of ARCH is. Good idea not well executed IMHO. Maybe they fixed it. It should not be the deciding factor.
My last random thought is about summer jobs, esp starting the 2nd summer. The school’s assistance is limited (imho they could to better) but that is no excuse. Relevant opportunities are out there, more than ever with virtual WFH. It requires focus and working on interpersonal and interview skills early.
Please ask any questions or clarifications.
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Thank you sooooo much!!! Yes, he has a weighted GPA of 4.64 and has been maintaining A+ so far. AP front also looks good. The info that you have provided about financial aid sounds so good, unfortunately merit based scholarships are so few and this is very comforting.
My biggest concern about RPI is the availability of summer internships/jobs. How’s the name recognition in the industry?
My son is a medalist - he’s currently a freshman at RPI. It’s a fantastic scholarship, and the most important part, in my view, is there are no unrealistic GPA requirements to keep it. Compare that GPA requirement to other scholarships from other schools. My son already has friends from other schools who have lost their scholarships because their GPA dipped below a 3.5 or 3.0 or whatever. RPI is a tough school, and that medal scholarship really does take the financial edge off, and keeping it will be relatively easy. Congrats to your son. Reach out of you have questions from a current parent or want info about my son’s experience. He’s happy to be at RPI.
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On merit scholarships I would advise, at RPI, or any school you are seriously considering, you need to diplomatically go back and ask for more in writing, maybe even more than once. The school has options, and as others drop out of the admission process funds may become available. It is always helpful to have other schools offers in hand to use as legitimate bargaining chips.
Summer internships/jobs, you need to mindfully prepare in advance. Christmas break is the time to formulate a plan of potential employers and get moving. RPI has job fairs which can help. It’s the law of numbers, try 100 times and hopefully five take root, and 1-2 become offers. It’s tricky to navigate the dream job against a relevant job. My other son went to a different college for environmental engineering. His 1st summer job was in a lab doing construction lab samples. Wages on the low end, long repetitive shifts, but, required a certification and helped the following year with behavioral interview questions. Everyone appreciates and respects those who do the grunt work. Also, choose class projects with care, choosing ones that have the best potential to have real life application and will work for behavioral interview questions.
RPI imho has strong name recognition across the country. Opens doors, but there is no free lunch. There are sub reddits of alumni that is also a good place to check out.
Last thought, Paleochick reminded me, never underestimate calculus. Too many engineers in college lose there merit because of calc. Calc 2, 3, & 4, usually required in engineering are tough. Whatever college you land on, tutoring center is a must, before the bad grades. Both my kids at first were reluctant, but quickly realized the importance. If they are good in a particular subject, they should volunteer to be a peer tutor (another great thing to mention on an interview).
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Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. He was a little upset with Caltech rejection and RPI seems to be a great choice now that I learn more about the school. You are so right about summer internships/jobs, the school can only do so much.
Peer tutoring point is also interesting, his primary EC at high school has been with MuAlphaTheta peer tutoring, hope that helps him in the college admissions.
I am passing on these points to my S21, he’s a sophomore in college but these pointers are so valuable and helpful.
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How easy is the transfer between Science/Engineering @ RPI? My son is deciding between Physics and Engineering. Can he choose one and then switch over if he finds the other more interesting?
You should check with the school to be sure, but I would imagine it’s like a lot of engineering schools - it’s easier to move from engineering to science than the other way around. I know the current freshman class has an unusually large group of students in computer science. I’ve heard that it would be hard to switch into CS THIS year. It’s definitely worth an email to the physics [or engineering] departments.
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thank you, that makes sense. It’s been a crazy year for Engg applicants
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RPI’s EA decisions are due to come out 1/28. Just putting that out there. 
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Good luck. My son is happy there.
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RPI emailed today: The decision notification for the Early Action round will be available on Saturday evening, January 28, at 7 p.m. EST.
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EA decisions were released, my son was accepted for CS 1590 4.0
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Congrats. My son is a CS student at RPI. Great school.
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Congrats!
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Congrats to all! My son was also accepted. He applied for ME. The offer came with a good financial award. Nice news for a Saturday evening!
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