I have been considering RPI for a while because I am entering Computer Science and Finance and it’s has a very good program in business and computer science (BMGT-CSCI program).
But I have heard that internships for business and Wall Street job prospects aren’t too good through RPI because it’s mostly an engineering school. Also the tuition might be too high…
Opinions and any alternatives?
Some Stats:
Asian (Indian) male
1510 sat, 800 math 2, 800 bio m
GPA 4.93 weighted / 5
VP Computer Science club - 4 years
Math competition team
I don’t think you really should be judging colleges by internship rates as you will find that most internships in all schools are handled outside of their respective career centers. The purpose of career fairs is to present their brand to the masses and provide information and then have large swaths of students send in their applications and resumes to them afterward so that then the companies can make a selection from a larger pool. They don’t necessarily and actually hire the student that were standing on line at the career fair on the spot, that is a rare case for very special outstanding students or for very desperate companies. RPI offers top companies appearances nonetheless but you are certainly not limited to them and in fact all colleges recommend that you seek outside sources and look everywhere for your own best opportunities.
With regard to the business education at RPI I believe it is ranked very high in its Quantitative Finance specialization if that at all interests you. I don’t know about the other branches at the Lally School of Business at RPI since I’m an engineering major. Having taken very many computer science classes already I can tell you RPI should be ranked higher as I believe I am getting a top-notch computer science education. If you asked me whether you should apply for Computer Science I would without a doubt say yes, period. I don’t know enough about the business program to help you in that regard.
Speaking for myself I can say the cost is affordable and as I have seen, RPI appears to be overall affordable to those that have been accepted. Just be as accurate as you can with your financial forms and they will work the numbers to what is affordable for you. Your academic stats are about the going standard for normal at RPI, slightly higher, so you should get good merit aid also.
Apply, see if you get money, and then figure it out from there. RPI is a great school and I’ve enjoyed my experience so far. I’ve seen people get full rides and other people pay 70k a year, so seriously apply and see what scholarships they offer you.
In terms of Lally, RPI has great placement and a decent reputation if you’re interested in quantiative finance or data science. RPI is very quant-heavy, but the classes are small and professor are very good. It’s very common for RPI students in CS or IT to get jobs on Wall Street, so I can’t imagine it’s that much more difficult for Lally grads.
I have worked on Wall Street in tech for many years and have as a son I sent to RPI.
He has gotten interviews from many major brokerages, banks and financial tech firms.
Goldman, Fidelity, JP Morgan…
The RPI name on his resume has not held him back from this industry at all.
Also the proximity helps, you are only 2-3 hrs north of NYC and not that far from Boston.
Helps with recruiting and possible onsite interviews being in a central location near multiple major cities.