My daughter went to WPI and had the 7 week terms. Never had an issue of missing something and then getting into trouble. She did like the 1 week break between first and second and also third and fourth terms with NO school work to be great. She could come home and really relax during those breaks.
Undergraduate research is almost always an option. However, as others have said, it up to the student to search out (and it is an easy thing to do) and find those opportunities to do research.
@HPuck35, I’m glad to hear about your D’s experience at WPI. I think their model would really fit my D as well. She’s been in a four-year engineering program at her hs, so she’s accustomed to talking to the teachers about extra projects and so forth. She’s not great at socializing with her peers, but teachers/profs are another story as long as they’re approachable.
There’s a lot to like about WPI. The short terms, project based curriculum, real engineering based foreign exchange, the location and the campus are all great. My son ultimately didn’t end up there, preferring to stay on the west coast, but it was one of his favorite schools.