Hi,
Thanks in advance for all your help.
I don’t believe you can negotiate admission to these Universities as they have a good supply of well qualified applicants. The average freshman GPA’s in 2018 were 3.91 (RPI), 3.89 (WPI) and U Mass has a boatload of CS applicants. Those GPA’s are unweighted and were taken directly from the Common Data Sets as found on their websites. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOU ADMISSION!
Academically, all three CS programs are highly regarded in the CS industry. WPI supplies detailed listings every year. For a complete CS listing go to https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/career-development/outcomes. Click on 2018 to download the PDF and go to page 19 for that year’s CS report. I suspect UMASS Amherst and RPI do just as well, but have not seen such detailed reports.
Student profiles at WPI and RPI are virtually identical. The profile of CS majors at U Mass is probably close, but one can’t really view that CS profile breakout. They have a wide range of majors. STEM averages tend to be higher.
The real difference depends on your needs. In many other respects they are really three different Universities. “Better” depends on your individual needs and your personal requirements for.a balanced day. What makes your day complete so you can learn more effectively. What other interest do you want to pursue?
Faculty is impressive at all three Universities.
Student/faculty ratios at RPI and WPI are 13/1. U Mass, Amherst is 18/1.
RPI is a more traditional program with a high research level when measured by total outside contract research dollars. They often cite their research level, I believe, but do not know, that they have a long relationship with IBM which is based in upstate NY and they have a sizable research incubator adjacent to the campus. They also subscribe to the belief that they work harder than the rest of the STEM Universities.
All WPI students must complete research in three different areas to graduate, the total $ measurement of outside research is substantial, but not as large as RPI’s. They both have enough to offer every student the necessary opportunities for research. WPI has over 50 “project centers” all over the world and all students receive a $5,000 credit towards the off campus cost of participating in these centers. Last I heard, over 60% of the students participate in one of these off campus centers. Once the $5,000 automatic credit is applied, the students cost ranges from free to $2,000. WPI is known for their collaborative teamwork which is a basic part of the WPI Plan. They have great flexibility on the design and execution of the Humanities requirement. The IQP involves Interdisciplinary experience and incorporation of Social Sciences, and often Psychology and Business. I believe this is what makes WPI unique, but it does not mean it is right for everyone. I like to believe that learning is easier when you enjoy solving real questions in a project environment.
What is “better” for you? I can’t answer that.
WPI '67
Thanks, really appreciate the detailed response.
@abcxyz12345
At the WPI outcomes webcite listed above, you may also want to check out page 23 of the report, “Electrical and Computer Engineering.” There is a Table of Contents for majors toward the front of the report. Check out other majors that may interest you regardless of which university you select. Areas such as Data Science, Interactive Game Design and Robotics are just a few areas heavily dependent on CS. Double majors may be of interest…
Check to see what flexibility you have to move around programs once you are on campus. There is a wide world of changing majors out there to learn about.
You will hear that all ABET accredited programs are the same. While they all have to met the same basic set of rules, some offer more flexibility than others. Exploration and relative flexibility rule, when possible, at WPI.
You can DEFINITELY negotiate. My son got into all 3 schools and got 30K merit at RPI and only 10K at WPI. Once we told WPI we got 30K from RPI then WPI matched it. We got nothing from UMA. We are MA resident.
NOW, we are confused which school. My son does not like Troy so RPI is out (also their ranking has continuously dropped over years due to administration issues). WPI is nice in that it is a small school but the buildings are not renovated and cafeteria looks really dated. UMA is very large and with new updated building and first class food.
Yes all good schools for CS…We are now confused and have to make a decision in 1 day 
UMass Amherst. AI research and student focus is considered to be one the top programs in the country. Amherst is a great college town and the school is really on a huge upswing.
Well, after some additional deliberation my son decided on UMass Amherst over RPI and WPI with 30K of merit scholarship for each school
Yes !!! Awesome decision. It’s really a remarkable place and under the radar. My friends and roommates have all gone on to be big successes and we still hang out with each other.
We are in a similar situation, but my son is on the wait list at Umass Amherst. I’ve been wondering if he gets contacted from the wait list what kind of scholarship they may offer, but it sounds like it would be nothing if your son got nothing from UMA.