<p>RPI has an excellent reputation, based on faculty, research, and strength of student body, presumably, but what distinguishes the undergraduate experience compared to other tech-focused schools in the region? WPI emphasizes collaboration and project-based learning, Stevens emphasizes coop, as do larger places like Drexel and Northeastern. I am guessing employers might look more favorably on RPI, but what is the flavor of the place? Does it research opportunities, good lab experiences. . .?</p>
<p>Last sentence should have been: Is it characterized by research opportunities, good lab experiences. . .?</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, some RPI majors have some pretty extensive project based classes. So I guess it depends upon the major you’re planning to go through really.</p>
<p>RPI also has some really good connections for internships and I’m pretty sure they’ve got a co-op system for the junior/senior year, but I haven’t really looked into it much.</p>
<p>Hope this helps,</p>
<p>-Doom</p>
<p>If you go to RPI tours, you’ll hear the phrase “Get the sage off the stage”, they really broke away from lecture formatted classes (except chem lectures, etc) in favor of design groups and small classes with labs built into classes. It does depend on major most certainly. They have a strong co-op program and there’s lots of undergraduate research opportunities as well. I have two kids there and it seems very hands on (EE and MechE/PDI).</p>
<p>Thank you sandpit! Maybe they should hire you. We went on the tour and attended the info session and could really get no sense of what makes the place special other than they have a lot of neat buildings and research centers. The admissions counselor giving the talk spent an inordinate amount of time talking about procedural issues (such as how to write a good essay), and couldn’t answer the question I submitted to this forum except to say that the kids do independent projects outside of class. The tour guide was similarly baffled, though she is in the arts program. My son really liked WPI, since their website, info session, tour guide and student interviewers all emphasized the collaborative aspect of the school, convincing me, anyway, that the project-based thing is more than a marketing approach. Are your kids happier than the average disgruntled student reviewers on other websites? Maybe those reviews are lagging behing current reality, but this idea of imbedding a hands-on approach in the labs and emphasizing coop is hard to find in these reviews or even in the RPI site itself.</p>
<p>I think both my kids at RPI would be the first to say going there was the best decision they could have made. Both are very hard workers by nature so they adapted easily to RPI and do well. My son has done undergrad research since sophomore year and my freshman daughter has a small research project.</p>
<p>We heard the “get the sage off the stage” during the RPI Medal tours and the accepted students day tours. I think the guy who spear headed the movement at RPI may have been hired away by NSF or some other federal agency to spread the movement. They get CAD and hands on projects early enough in the curriculum that it makes them more suitable for summer jobs or co-op sooner. There’s also lots of team projects.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>