<p>I'd like to know what drew present students/ parents to RPI. Why RPI over your other choices?DS is seriously looking at it for Engineering.after comparing it to other similar schools in NorthEast, it seems to me like the best fit for him...but I would love to know what influenced others, and if those expectations panned out in the end. Thanks.</p>
<p>I have a sophomore there, and it’s been a great school for my son. He wanted to go away, and to a “prestigious” school. Once I saw my generally very quiet son interacting well with students there, I decided it would be a good fit for him. They give a fair amount of merit money, which helped with the decision. I couldn’t afford to pay full price at a similar school. All contacts I’ve had with RPI have gone very well, both before and after acceptance/attendance. There is a parent on CC whoa had a kid at Cornell and a kid (or 2) at RPI, and thought RPI was better. Our final choices were RPI and Georgia Tech. My son is not into sports at all, and GT treated him like a number. It took me over a week to get an answer to a simple question from GT. It was a bunch of small things that convinced both me and my son that RPI was the better choice. Not sure if this really helps. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman. It was a combination of the quality of the education, the opportunity to play Division 3 sports and the financials of the RPI Medal. My quiet daughter seems to be having the time or her life there after the first three weeks.</p>
<p>My son just graduated with a MechE degree from RPI, and he found full-time work through their career center. He/we chose RPI due to the merit aid and their emphasis on hands-on work in the classes. </p>
<p>He seemed to have quite a few classes that utilized demonstrations and labs to help communicate the material. My son is not a theory-loving guy, so the practical aspect was really well received. He also had several project-based classes where a group of students had to build and present a working piece of equipment.</p>
<p>Also, the environment among the students was very cooperative/helpful and not cut throat or overly competitive. It was very easy to form study groups, and there was also a very good availability of tutoring and help sessions, especially for the freshman & sophomore core classes.</p>
<p>He was also able to do a coop semester, and that really helped him get the experience he needed to land the full-time job. Transfer credits from the local CC meant that he still graduated in 4 years even with the coop semester.</p>
<p>Best wishes in the college search!</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the answers! The medal money is a big plus to us. I thought the campus was beautiful (my son didn’t really care too much about that, but a student starts to care when they are living there for four years.) I like that that are D3, too. He is not sure if he is good enough for D3, and I am not positive about whether or not it’s manageable time-wise, but that’s really up to those coaches to decide and at least he might have a shot. A friend had said that the students were very competitive with each other (he heard) and so sent his son to WPI, but that is not what I am hearing in this forum. I also like it’s rep for being more conservative than liberal on campus. DS would prefer that environment. Again thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter was considering going but after a weird information cession she may not even apply. The admissions counselor told the group that RPI was only really interested in recruiting materials and civil engineering majors as the other majors are overcrowded. He also said they don’t have any biomedical phds teaching the biomed classes. They profs are borrowed from the mechanical and civil depts. </p>
<p>How good can the biomedical engineering program be if they don’t have qualified professors. She loved RPI so it is hard to know what to do.</p>
<p>Lubock… I suggest you verify the information prior to making a decision, and also seeing how other departments compare. I don’t know whether it’s true or not.</p>
<p>Hard to believe how any incoming class can be overcrowded even before the Early Decision deadline? Sounds like an admissions counselor having a bad day.</p>
<p>You can check out the faculty list for department of biomedical engineering on RPI’s website. Why don’t you contact them directly with your concerns?</p>
<p>[Biomedical</a> Engineering | The Department of Biomedical Engineering](<a href=“http://bme.rpi.edu/]Biomedical”>http://bme.rpi.edu/)</p>
<p>Lubock - I replied to these concerns on another thread. I have no idea why you were told RPI is only looking for materials and civil engineers. I also don’t know what conversation you had about the biomedical program. And finally, I addressed what you stated about RPI not encouraging woman, not having any special programs for women, and that women want to be treated like men. Frankly, I have never heard an admissions officer from a technical school say this, especially when it isn’t true. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16395427-post29.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16395427-post29.html</a></p>