<p>mathmom, I don’t think RPI is part of any consortium. What made you think it was?</p>
<p>[Consortium</a> Colleges : Office of the Registrar, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute](<a href=“Academic Planning | RPI INFO”>Academic Planning | RPI INFO)</p>
<p>I have one sibling but she’s graduating from a suny this may and is not planning on attending grad school right now</p>
<p>They talked a lot about the consortium when we visited for accepted students day. And see the link Kayf supplied. :)</p>
<p>I’m an engineering manager in NJ, and have some small familiarity with both schools. I think highly of SUNY Buffalo and recommend it to potential engineering students who don’t have the stats to get into more selective schools. However, RPI is in a whole different league in terms of the program and respect it receives in the engineering community. If you have the stats to get a merit scholarship at RPI, you will be very much above the average at SUNY Buffalo.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link. It is good to know, I knew Sage had a 3-2 engineering program with RPI but not that there is such a large group of schools that have a connection.</p>
<p>One possible issue with Buffalo: biomedical engineering is not yet ABET accredited, although they will seek ABET accreditation:</p>
<p>[UB</a> Undergraduate Catalog 2011-2012: Biomedical Engineering : About The Program](<a href=“University at Buffalo - Acalog ACMS™”>University at Buffalo - Acalog ACMS™)</p>
<p>However, ABET accreditation does not appear to be as big an issue in biomedical engineering as it is in some other engineering fields, particularly civil engineering where PE licensing is commonly needed. Some highly regarded schools do not have ABET accreditation for their bioengineering or biomedical engineering degree programs, presumably because the school name is enough “backing”. But lesser known schools generally do get ABET accreditation to make it clear that the degree program meets the ABET standards.</p>
<p>One older cousin managed to attend and graduate from RPI without debt by obtaining an NROTC scholarship there. Not sure if it exists now, but if you are eligible to get the NROTC scholarship and accept RPI’s offer, RPI will throw in free room and board. </p>
<p>Heard that arrangement was still around in the early '00s.</p>
<p>Another point to consider is that the retention rate (percent of freshman who return for sophmore year) is 93% at RPI, but only 75% at Buffalo. (These figures were obtained from the College Board.)</p>
<p>Not sure for the reasons for such a large difference, but it could be due to differences in support givien to freshman at the schools, how much students actually like the school once they get there, etc.</p>
<p>I went to a consortium colleg. Junior year, when I got a car and it became logistically feasible for me to cross-register for ONE course (something that would augment my major and not available at my home school) I found my home school very resistant to doing their part to permit it. I really had to argue with them. Ironic, because the access to classes at the other colleges had been pitched as a selling point. I didn’t know of a single other student who took advantage of it. With applicants today, if consortium is a consideration, I would urge them to talk to current students who are cross-registering and make sure it’s for real.</p>