My D is a freshmen Chemical Engineer at RPI. She likes it there very much. It’s her kind of crowd (nerdy and gamers), it’s small, high academic standards, and she’s enjoying upstate NY. She didn’t want to go to a large state school, doesn’t care about college sports, doesn’t care about “going out on the town” or being in the “big city”, and doesn’t want to live in a hot and humid climate.
Her college GPA is 3.91. Her SAT was 2300, her weighted high school GPA was 4.2, she took 5 AP exams (4s/5s), and SAT subject tests were 710 Chemistry and 750 Math (I think). She was home schooled (online) overseas in China (she’s American, not Chinese).
RPI was not her first choice - in fact, she only applied there as a safety at the last minute because they didn’t require a personal essay But they offered her a large scholarship that covers her tuition and nearly half her room/board, so she said yes. And luckily, it turned out to be great.
Okay, sorry for the long introduction, just trying to set the background. So why am I asking if I should encourage her to transfer?
My daughter really wants to study and/or work overseas - preferably Germany. And while from what I understand RPI is an excellent school with a great reputation for engineering among top US employers, it’s relatively unknown outside the US. So I’m concerned that a school with a more prestigious name might serve her better when applying to a graduate program or job somewhere like Munich, Berlin or Zurich.
Originally, her first choices were Stanford, Chicago (they have a new molecular engineering program), and Cornell. She was waitlisted at Chicago and Cornell. She was also waitlisted at Rice and CMU (actually, CMU offered her to join a smaller priority waitlist and sent her a financial offer, so it seemed almost like an acceptance–she declined because RPI offered her a much larger scholarship).
So I have 2 questions:
Would she have a good chance of being accepted to a school where she was waitlisted last year, given her GPA at RPI (known for its tough grades)? I’ve heard that it’s sometimes easier to transfer into a top school than apply direct from high school?
She’s already hinted she’s not interested in trying to transfer. Should I encourage her to try to get to Chicago or Cornell anyway, due to the benefits they might provide later down the line due to being much more recognized outside the US? Part of me wants to, but the other part says no, she’s happy where she is, RPI is a decent school with good academics, so don’t push her.
Any advice from fellow parents? Or insight into how these colleges might be viewed outside the US (in other words, maybe RPI is just fine and I’m making a big deal out of nothing?) Thanks for your time.
Your daughter has indicated she has no desire to transfer and she is doing well at the excellent school she is attending. So why are you interfering? Leave her alone and allow her to be happy where she is. It is her education, not yours.
Spend some time on RPI’s website. Get a feeling for the vast resources your daughter has. Grad school acceptances are about the field you want to go into, your research and lastly your letters of recommendation by those who know you well in your field. It takes time to develop those relationships. She is fine where she is.
RPI is known for its career services. No doubt their career center would be able to help your daughter explore overseas opportunities. Also, from what I have read here, it isn’t easy to transfer to top level schools and getting scholarships as a transfer is far less likely. Your daughter got a fantastic scholarship at RPI, why give that up, especially since she is happy there.
It is NOT easier to transfer into top schools. Few students leave them, meaning there are few spots open. She will be fine where she is. Stop letting your jones for prestige mess with her life when she is happy, doing well, and is at an affordable school.
I don’t see ANY reason for her to transfer to another school. Let’s see, she’s doing very well academically, it’s the type of campus she wants, she fits socially very well, and she receives a significant scholarship (this is good for one’s ego as well as bank account). She has no desire to transfer. In a nutshell, she’s a happy college student.
What’s the problem? Oh, right. Prestige. You cannot be serious. Instead of encouraging your child to be a follower, chasing prestige, encourage your child to be the person that puts RPI on the map.
Instead of getting her to transfer from a school where she’s thriving, you should focus on other ways of getting her closer to what she wants.
(First, a disclaimer: you know that the odds are decent to good that she’ll change her mind about working overseas between now and graduation, right? And that, knowing all the points you’ve made and still NOT wanting to transfer might be an indication that she’s not as set on it as she’s let you think?)
Maybe what she should do is to start working with the career placement office at some point, looking into overseas options. And/or contacting some of the organizations she would be interested in someday working for, to see what they would want in a resume. And/or seeing if there’s something she could do over the summer to improve her chances or networking abilities.
Your daughter is doing well at a good school that is affordable because of her scholarship. She likes it there and wants to stay. I’m glad her last minute decision to apply there as a safety worked out so well for her. Don’t bug her to look into something else. She’s fine.
RPI is an extremely well respected engineering school. While man on the street in Germany will not know the program, and probably would not know any US engineering school beyond Stanford or MIT, the people that hire engineers will likely know RPI. Let her be.
I don’t think your comment is value-added to the OP’s query.
People who replied to OP were probably thinking the same thing but chose to keep it to themselves. Some things are just better left unsaid. It’s just better to provide more useful, and friendly, suggestions.
I would encourage her to study abroad before deciding to live there. She ought to be able to do that via RPI. A lot is happening in Germany right now. With the influx of immigrants, foreigners seeking jobs there in three to four years may face a very different environment both regulatory and culturally.
I agree with the other responses - leave her be. She is in an excellent school, that is well respected. If her desire is to work overseas (and I am one who believes that a child raised in China is likely to want to explore international opportunities and not change her mind) then I would encourage her to seek internships with international companies.
But they offered her a large scholarship that covers her tuition and nearly half her room/board, so she said yes. And luckily, it turned out to be great.