I was just accepted to RPI and I’m absolutely shocked. On top of that, I got the leadership scholarship. The total cost of RPI would be $29k for me and I would graduate with little debt. I also got into Binghamton in December. I didn’t get into honors and I didn’t get any scholarships but I did get the New York State stem scholarship, so it would cost me $19k. I have been pretty set on Binghamton because I really like it and the size and everything. I did not anticipate anything from RPI so this is definitely crazy for me!! I would graduate from Binghamton with no debt and I would graduate with very little loans from RPI. With RPI’s amazing connections and focus on engineering, I’m very conflicted. I feel like both schools fit different parts of my personalities since RPI fits my nerdy side but Binghamton would fit my social side. I like the class sizes better at RPI better as well. What do I do!!!
I would revisit both during the admitted student days and then make a decision. Congratulations.
That’s a wonderful dilemma to have, assuming that you really would graduate without too much debt. What are the requirements for maintaining your scholarships at RPI and what is the percentage of people in your major who earn that GPA? What happens if you don’t maintain any required GPA - could your family still afford to send you to RPI?
I know kids who have gone to both schools and they have all enjoyed their experiences and those who have graduated are doing well.
RPI makes it easier to retain merit scholarships for 4 years, no gpa min (just need to be in good standing).
I have a son at RPI, and was shocked he got waitlisted at Bing Engineering. Wife, brother went to Bing. Other son got into Bing and didn’t attend.
My advice, RPI is worth the extra $ if you are sure of engineering (many drop out of engineering). My son loves RPI academically and it has opened many doors. He joined a frat and plays sports and making the most of it despite Troy not being a great location.
Both Troy and Vestal/Bing are not very nice places to live, but different. RPI is right there in the downtown area, more of a city feel. Bing is more suburban and a bus ride from downtown. Personally I like being in, not near, a city, as a student.
Great to have these choices, but I agree with your preference for smaller class size. RPI is a great size, big enough in their fields, small enough to be personal.
The RPI name will be better for you in terms of Engineering once you graduate. Personally I also think the education will be better at RPI. JMHO
I beg to differ with blevine about Troy not being a very nice place to live. It is much nicer than Binghamton and there are some really cool “pockets” of Troy that make it a fun and interesting city. Troy is also much more centrally located than Bing and the weather is a bit better.
I do think the nerdy and intense academic culture at RPI could be tough but if you work at having a typical college experience like the previous poster suggests (join Greek and get involved in things), I think you can have that fun, collegiate experience.
On the other hand I think you will meet a greater variety of people at Binghamton.
Agree with the others - visit again and see which one feels right. Enjoy!
I just wanted to add something 
I toured both before and I plan to tour them one last time. From my impressions (if anyone has insight please comment) RPI is obviously a lot better especially since I’m going for engineering. My impressions are that although bing has excellent career outcomes for bing, it has a really small focus on engineering and I’m not really sure I like that. I really like the class sizes for RPI so there is a better chance to become closer to professors, but I like the larger student body at bing since it’s more diverse and there is more faces to see. However, I get a little bit of a snooty long islander cliquey vibe there. At RPI, I don’t exactly fit in either since it is clearly super nerdy. It fits two parts of my personality? I’m not super in love with either of the locations, but it seems like Binghamton has a little more to do than Troy. However, at both I feel confident that I can take on leadership roles and there are many activities I like. I forgot to mention, I could even swim d3 at RPI because I talked to swim coach in the past. Just a little insight on me!
After reading your post I happened to share your choice with an Engineer at the other end of his career over breakfast. He thought RPI probably gives you a better network after graduation.
I agree - SUNY is downstate…L.I. and NYC. Not for many.
Totally disagree…the Capital District has way more to do than Bing. You will have everything from the Adirondacks, to Saratoga, to Albany, to Troy at your fingertips not to mention RPI hockey games!!! Troy has lots of cool bars and independent restaurants. Troy Music Hall, the Times Union Center, rivalry with Union College and Clarkson.
@Empireapple thank you so much for sharing with the engineer!! I am from upstate so the NYC and LI is a little overwhelming, it’s definitely a stereotype but there is some truth to it? and thank you for the insight on Albany, I have family there too and you have a great point. I love the adirondacks and I’m a huge skier. Since Albany is close I do like the benefits of the city. I loveeee hockey so I definitely like that about RPI and bing doesn’t have sports teams which is a huge downside. Thank you for the help!
Another thing to think about:
RPI has a 68% Male to 32% Female ratio
SUNY Bing has a 51 to 49 ratio.
@bopper I have seen that ratio and mixed with the nerdy reputation it is the biggest con about RPI for me
Congratulations on having this choice!
RPI can be an obvious selection for a certain type of tech-oriented student. If the choice of RPI is not obvious to you, then you might not be this type of student. However, I think you should fully consider factors you have indicated as important to you, particularly diversity. Geographically, for example, Rensselaer enrolls over two thirds of its students from out-of-state. This type of mix will not be present at a state school such as Binghamton. (Though this is of course confounded by respective gender balances that favor Binghamton.)
@karlee2510 The NYC and LI thing is overwhelming for those that actually grew up there all their lives!!! ?? Fortunately I raised my kids in Central New Jersey (not much different) and my oldest is combing through his engineering acceptances as well. He was waitlisted for RPI but was middle of the list for him. Good luck - you have great choices!
FWIW, the happiest people I have known at RPI have been athletes. It seems as if being on a team can really provide that “missing ingredient” socially, to balance out the nerdy academic-grind aspect. I would suggest connecting further with the coach and actually meeting people on the team, and seeing how that part feels, because that could be a really significant factor for you. (Greek life can fill that gap too; a lot of people who would fall solidly on the non-Greek side at a typical school would find their niche in a sorority or fraternity at RPI.) Of course, the flip side of that is that keeping up with more-intense academics plus a varsity sport is a lot.
What kind of engineering are you thinking about? You seem like you’re not 100% all-in, engineering-wise (and really it’s hard to know for sure until you’re in it), so it’s also smart to look at what else is available that interests you, at each school - what would your exit path be if you decided not to stay in engineering? (If your exit path is a pure science major, or cognitive science, or even business, then RPI could still be a good choice; if it’s Linguistics or Environmental Anthropology or whatever, then Bing may be a better bet.)
Congrats on two great choices. Definitely visit both and get a clear-eyed view. RPI is a terrific school but it admits a lot of students - especially women, because they struggle to attract enough women - who wouldn’t necessarily be happy there, so it’s up to the student to be discerning. (My daughter got in with a 23K merit offer a few years ago, and would have been miserable there - not sure what we were thinking. Fortunately that was clear by decision time, lol. But my point is, acceptance and merit can’t be taken as any kind of proof of fit - you have to weigh that for yourself!) It’s good that you’re close enough to visit both - take full advantage of that, and not just at rah-rah admitted students’ events - you need to see the normal day-to-day vibe. Let us know your impressions when you look deeper!
With respect to engineering specifically, though RPI would be superb, Binghamton should not be under-regarded.
You may want to consider it while thinking of the STEM as a loan rather than a scholarship because if you change out of a STEM major, move out of NY sooner than 5 years (IIRC while the excelsior/enhanced is 4 years) and or don’t work in an acceptable STEM field for that time period then you will have to pay it back with interest.
That’s just something to keep in mind in comparing finances.
@karlee2510 If you haven’t done so already, you should check out the thread from a recent RPI graduate http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute/2093142-honest-review-of-rpi-after-5-years.html
The OP provides a detailed review of his 5 years there and expresses concerns about the Career Placement center and how the university doesn’t do enough to help place students for internships, coops or jobs upon graduation. Especially when compared to peer universities. You should compare the career placement services and alumni connections of Binghamton’s Watson School of Engineering versus the RPI career placement center. See the following links:
https://www.binghamton.edu/watson/student-services/career-connection/index.html
And https://info.rpi.edu/career-development
@aquapt thanks for the advice!! I think I would most likely join the swim team or greek life, but if not I would join other activities since I like a lot of stuff at RPI. I’ve been set on engineering all throughout high school and I’m currently planning on industrial engineering. I’m pretty set on engineering, and I think if I would switch it would probably be civil or BME since those interest me as well. If I were to switch out for whatever reason, I’m not really sure what I would do…id probably say accounting/business since my family does it? I am definitely the biggest math geek and I’m not big on social studies or English (except I love US history). I’m not too concerned about switching out of engineering, but if I did I would consider transferring most likely to a state school which isn’t the end of the world because I am pretty confident engineering is for me. I will definitely tour both before I commit, since I’m not really sure which school fits me best yet. Thank you!
@mom2twogirls that’s excellent advice. I haven’t committed to the NYS Stem Scholarship yet, and the requirements seem pretty daunting.
@trackmbe3 Thank you for sharing!! I’ll definitely compare this to Binghamton. I’m shocked to see that although RPI is prestigious, it’s job placement rate and internship opportunities aren’t too impressive
In terms of data that I’ve seen, such as that for early career earnings, RPI graduates land quite well, @karlee2510 (scroll down for this figure in https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rpi-2803). In this case, I would not compare the figure to that for Binghamton in that, as you’ve observed, the predominant academic emphases of these schools differ.