<p>easydoesitmom: You may want to post your questions in the RPI area. There are several current students who seem to reply to questions posted there and they may be able to better answer your questions.</p>
<p>Hi weenie. One of my son's apt mates is a PDI major so I know a bit about it. It is a terrific and very unique interdisciplinary program where the studio courses are project based. The students have to develop actual products from concept stage to the manufacturing stage. In the freshman year spring studio class they were assigned a project to develop a product which would be cost effective to manufacture and given to entering freshmen the following autumn. Our son's friend developed a clear ball with a holographic "RPI" image in the center. The major involves 10 additional credit hours to complete than most other majors.</p>
<p>I thought PDI was a special admittance major like architecture but I could not verify this on RPI's web site so I assume I was mistaken. However you may want to double check with admissions.</p>
<p>Two students from our church have attended WPI. Both have graduated during the past several years but enjoyed there time in Worchester. I believe WPI requires a senior capstone project and both went off campus to do this, one to Washington, DC and the other to Sweden I think.</p>
<p>If the choice has come down to RPI and WPI I doubt he will be disappointed with either one.</p>
<p>^ Good scoop on the PDI. Thanks. My understnding is that you can "join" that program anytime before freshman year. They seemed to be actively recruiting for it at the Admitted Students Open House (that's were my son first heard about it). He is waiting to hear back from the advisor of that program - he had some questions about how it would work with his preferred major (computer systems engineering) - it is usually done with some other major(s) I guess.</p>
<p>Do you know if your son's friend thought it was a ton more work than doing just one major? I guess it fulfills a lot of core stuff...but I don't really understand much about it. Like I said, I'm worried about him finishing ONE major in engineering, much less TWO!!!</p>
<p>My son has this vision of being an entrepreneur - good idea - assuming he can hack it ---- he's seen first hand how much it stinks to work for a huge, dying company, ahem, no names mentioned. (Actually applies to almost any company in Rochester.)</p>
<p>Looking at the Catalogue PDI is a multidisciplinary major involving STS and either management or mechanical engineering. STS=science technology and society.</p>
<p>The curriculum in the catalogue seems comparable to a strait engineering major with the 8 studio courses taking the place of some engineering and elective courses so the total number of courses taken is about the same as for an engineering major, maybe a class or two more.</p>
<p>It it a lot more work? I really do not know. I suspect that the studio classes may be more time consuming but I doubt that they are any harder than most engineering classes. And for students who really enjoy the project nature of them, i doubt that time is a big issue.</p>
<p>I dragged this post back from last week to update our status and illustrate how unpredictable the decision process can be.</p>
<p>We went up to Case Western over the weekend for the very last college visit, even though S was "99.9% sure" he was going to RPI. He had "bought the hoodie" at RPI which, as jdasmom points out, is a state of mind not to be entered into lightly and is roughly equivalent financially to mailing in the deposit. But, hey, we were going anyway. We had already paid for the Southwest tickets and Priceline hotels, and we figured that the visit would remove any doubts that might otherwise linger in the back of his geeky little mind for the next four years.</p>
<p>Mom'o'2 and I were very impressed with Case. While S was doing his overnight, we talked about how even though he wouldn't be interested, it was a strong possibility for D's list, especially since she probably won't have as good of an idea exactly what she will want to study. </p>
<p>When we picked S up at the dorms on Saturday morning after the overnight, we asked him if he wanted to stop and get something to eat. Nope. He wanted to go to the bookstore and buy a sweatshirt. He liked the campus better than RPI's (more grass and open areas, more interesting buildings), as well as the dorm situation--more lounges, more people gathering to talk till late at night, etc.) Case also has a lot more campus housing for upperclassmen, including some absolutely gorgeous new apartments. I didn't think he would notice or care about those things. I guess this is the "fit" thing they talk about.... He wasn't even all that turned off by the SAGES seminar where they analyzed a poem about pulling the feathers out of a chicken or something like that. Knowing how much he is hating his English class this year, that says a lot.</p>
<p>I told him I'd be thrilled for him to go either place, and at the moment he's pretty sure it will be Cleveland. And here I was planning to look up jdasmom (and maybe weenie???) at the RPI parents weekend. I think RPI would be a fabulous engineering education, but I have to agree that the environment at Case was nicer, and my own views have evolved to appreciate the more "well-rounded" university approach (OK, so I'll never really understand the whole liberal arts thing, but I'm getting a little better....) Case also gave him more merit money than RPI, which would be a nice unexpected bonus for Checkbook'o'2.</p>
<p>Anyway, things I have learned in this process:</p>
<p>I can't always read my S.<br>
Visit early, visit often.
Things can change.<br>
Fit happens.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Fit happens.
[/quote]
ROFL! Congratulations on the decision. What a relief it must be. I believe we are almost there as well, and will be so happy when the check is in the mail!</p>
<p>dad'o'2, our sons choice came down to RPI and Case too. And with nice visits to both the decision could have been a difficult one. But the unique dual major in AI intrigued him and the additional $8000 in scholarships convinced him that RPI was the better choice for him.</p>
<p>We were very happy for him and the past 3 years have been wonderful. However I am certain that the same would have been true if he had decided on Case.</p>
<p>Congrats to you son.</p>
<p>Hey dad'o'2 - I'm jealous! Have you mailed in the check yet? How funny. I was sort of hoping for a similar revelation at Rose Hulman - like a tie breaker of sorts. Didn't happen.</p>
<p>Binx - I've been wondering how you're doing as well. Sounds like you're close. Is it Miami?</p>
<p>My son has a drop time and date of Wednesday at 7:00 PM. (Didn't want to give him any wiggle room.) I believe his heart is saying WPI, but his brain is suggesting RPI. I'll keep ya' all posted.</p>
<p>Good choices all. Case and RPI are both good and I know happy grads from both.</p>
<p>Amazing how the teenage thought process can evolve. S's top choice for several years up til December fell back in the pack come February. Yep. It is about fit. Always MIT,Berkeley, Caltech and then the about face to Michigan and Olin and the gut wrenching choice on Sunday for Michigan. Never even on the radar until the Fall.
Something about a place, the people, the profs or a combination of all and ----ta da!!!, a choice.
Now it is deposit, orientation, etc time!----- Oh yeah still AP's, musicials , recitals, track and graduation. 5 weeks to go.</p>
<p>My daughter yesterday said "the person in me is thinking X school but the student in me is thinking Y." All I could think is that maybe we're over-thinking!</p>
<p>You know, we visited RPI two weeks ago and Case this beautiful weekend. If we had done them in the opposite order, he would probably be going to Troy instead! I think it's often the luck of the draw. But like little son-of-weenie, with all good choices, there is no wrong answer. I'm just thrilled that he made a decision, and it was HIS decision, not us pushing him one way or the other. </p>
<p>Part of me is in mourning for RPI's embedded controls studio classroom and programming the blimps (but not for that biting wind!) Cleveland is a warmer climate, too: average low of 17 degrees in January, compared to 13 in Troy. BRRR, either way!</p>
<p>No, weenie, we haven't mailed the check yet. However, Case emailed us a link to an online survey before we got home. On he last page, the only button says in little letters "confirm my enrollment." It then asks you if you want to charge the $300 deposit Visa, Mastercard, or Discover? Pretty funny.</p>
<p>Weenie--I'll be checking the board Wednesday night!</p>
<p>oldolddad,
I am curious how your S ended up with UM over MIT/Caltech.</p>
<p>Gosh, Dad'o'2, I really can relate to the "mourning" of the road not taken.</p>
<p>Yes, Weenie, it will probably be Miami-Ohio. She mailed off the turn-down form to Allegheny last week, and the letter to Denison goes in the mail today. Each one is a difficult one to send, and she is not just marking "no thanks" on the card, but writing letters to the people who have been so helpful to her, explaining her reasons. It's a good "letting go" process for her, too. To Allegheny, it was because she wants to double major in a combination not possibly there. To Denison, it was because of their limited languages available. Next to go will be St. Olaf -- which had been her #1 choice for a long time, so it will be a sad good-bye. Especially because she doesn't have a "good" reason to turn them down - just not a good enough reason to accept their offer. Money was good, but not best. Programs are good, but not especially better than schools that are closer or warmer or cheaper.</p>
<p>Toughest of all will be the letter to Furman. Especially turning down the trip to China, if she is selected. But she is getting more and more excited about Miami, and I think if Furman came back with a competitive offer now, she'd turn them down. She told me last night, "There are definite advantages to going to a larger school." It really really helps that her oldest brother keeps meeting alumni of Miami in Washington DC where he lives, and keeps reporting their great experiences.</p>
<p>A year ago, Miami-OH wasn't even on our radar, so it's been an interesting ride.</p>
<p>My daughter yesterday said "the person in me is thinking X school but the student in me is thinking Y." All I could think is that maybe we're over-thinking!</p>
<p>Ivoryk, I really like that description. It seems to sum up some of why my D felt torn. When she stopped thinking, the person won!</p>
<p>Dad'o'2, as the last minute reminder postcards and "pitch" letters come in from the other schools my son did not pick, I dutifully hand them to him and he barely glances at them. Has his RPI hoodie draped over a chair in his bedroom (too warm to wear it right now). I will from time to time mention the other schools for various reasons but he is quiet and calm in his decision. I think it is a good thing that he is not having any problem with his final decision. He has even set his Facebook profile up in RPI's admitted student website. I think that shows more committment than a hoodie. You know, in the end, all of these schools will give our kids a wonderful education it comes down to their idea of what fits them best. It is tough to figure out sometimes how they came to that decision. I thought for sure my son would pick a school like Georgia Tech with "big sports" since he is such a sports enthusiast. Or that he would pick Carnegie Mellon. But he sees himself at RPI and he made that decision many weeks ago without telling my husband or I. And he has never waivered. </p>
<p>It's been fun reading about the decision making process other CC households. Good luck to everyone, end is in sight!</p>
<p>bookworm: Well, he liked it better. Turned down Cal and Stanford too so he is consistant. Like Rice better than those too) Actually lets see, he liked the engineering school and got real good feed back from profs, alums etc from other schools including HYPSMC folks who said nothing but good things about the place and who had some less than completely positive things to say about the others, the kids he met, the classes he sat in on, the persona attention and correspondence he received from UM profs, staff etc, the fact he was treated special during his visits, met the president, provosts etc, liked the town, the diversity, the great music school, the dorm and honor society he got into, the reseach choices he gets and, the 17 week summer for internships, study or work abroad, the fact they are taking about 60 hours of credits and helping him with a combo major, BS/MS, the chance to live in a great college town without needing a car, and the fact he got tired of the hype of other places, and I guess the fact that he will get paid to go. Having said that, he felt all the schools are great and had he had a chance to go ED to any of them and had done so would probably have done fine, been happy ,and gotten on with it. With some many choices he got to really look at best fit. He thinks he has the best of all the others in the school he chose. Hard to believe given the size difference compared to with Caltech and Olin. Like any decisions, he will later find out things he did not know ,both good and bad, after he gets there. What happens is really dependent on him and his attitude once he gets there.</p>
<p>jdasmom-</p>
<p>Yeah, my S was reading/writing on the admitted student's forum (or facebook or whatever these young whippersnappers do these days!) Apparently his mind wasn't as made up as your son's. </p>
<p>How's this for a blessing to bestow on CC parents of HS seniors:</p>
<p>"May your kid have the strength and wisdom to make a good decision, and may you have the patience to wait for it and the serenity to live with it."</p>
<p>binx: Did I ever tell you that my wonderful sister-in-law spent 11 years at Miami U? (She was a professional student and has several degrees.) She just loved it. She was an army brat - I have no idea how she ended up there - but now she is a paper engineer in Maine. She can't say enough good stuff about it. Denison though -- :( ;)</p>
<hr>
<p>You know what I wish??? I wish either RPI or WPI would call my son TONIGHT and ask him for an answer. He'd be so easy to tip one way or the other (I think).</p>
<p>What time do you want me to call?</p>
<p>"Hello? Son-of-weenie? </p>
<p>This is Dean Mumbles, Head of Admissions at ________ Polytechnic Institute. </p>
<p>I regret that our office made a slight mistake in the letter we sent you. I'm sure you understand how these things can happen, given the large number of applications we process. I do hope you have a valid acceptance at another school...."</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>I'm wondering how the gorgeous weather Mathson is getting at Harvard will influence his decision. It was miserable for all the other visits! OTOH since he spent most of Saturday playing board games with the sci fi club and watching
a screening of The Davinci Code where the whole point was to loudly diss it, I'm not sure he's paid much attention to the surroundings!</p>