I start college this fall (hopefully š¤). Among the schools I was accepted to is RPI. All of my financial aid offers are very similar, so itās down to just picking a school. Convince me that RPI is or isnāt where I should be.
[edit]: my other choices are Cornell College (not to be confused with Cornell of Ithaca), U of Kansas, U of Missouri.
Posted Apr 26, 2020, 8:03 AM UTC
OP posted before recently in https://www.reddit.com/r/RPI/comments/g7n8zh/how_does_everyone_here_afford_rpi/
So maybe look at that earlier posting for more context.
If you can go to a state school do it. It honestly plain and simple costs too much money to come here. I met people from state schools getting the same degree I am get the same internships and even same full time positions with the same pay. Thatās anecdotal evidence at best but honestly I personal donāt see any benefit to paying more money if you have cheaper choices.
Hey, I like RPI. I won't give you a detailed answer, but I just wanted to put in some more context that the already-frustrated student body of the school is even more frustrated right now because of terrible decisions regarding covid-19. I would recommend trying to find "older" posts asking the same question.
Hi, as someone from Missouri, I am very familiar with the UM system, I know people at KU (Iām assuming thatās the school you meant by U of Kansas) and Iām currently an RPI senior. So, please message me if you have any questions and Iāll answer as best I can. That said:
If the cost of attendance at all four universities is the same across the board, RPI is the best of your four options. If one school is cheaper to go to by a long way and still has a decent program for what you want to do, then you should go there.
Also, a lot depends on what you want to do and the majors youāre looking at. So, by all means message me for any questions you may have and Iāll answer as best I can.
No
No
No, don't.
As a grad student I reccomend an in state institute for undergraduate degrees and then a private university for any grad work. In terms of cost/benefit you'll get as good an education at most in state colleges for a fraction of the cost
The average starting pay of an RPI graduate hasn't significantly changed in 20 years, which is to say RPI grads make significantly less now, when accounting for inflation, then they did prior to the Jackson administration. Despite this, RPI tuition has increased dramatically, putting students who rely on financial assistance in a deeper hole that can take decades to pay off.
MIT and Stanford are now less expensive, and more prestigious. There is nothing so wholly unique about RPI which cannot be obtained elsewhere, for less money and aggravation.
Compared to the other choices on your list RPI is higher caliber for learning your field. You will be more qualified for getting and keeping a job simply because the rigor at RPI is higher than at your other choices. If you decide for RPI be ready to work, it is a very difficult school. Do not pay attention to campus life, or administration concerns since you say that your endcost will be the same at all these schools. My three years here have proven to me this is the best school from all the choices I had.
No itās not worth it especially now, go to a state school
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You should go to Cornell.
Copypasta: Job placement for RPI is 84% vs WPI or similar at 94% and starting average pay is 62k vs 72k. This is consistent with research implying poorer teaching and admission standards - falling paper counts, large staff turn over, old standards. The price is significantly higher, at ~60k vs ~55k. The admin is the primary cause of these failures, and they have some other limited negative interactions with students. However, none of that is the end of the world. If you have the money, but can't get into a better school, RPI will work.
This is really dependent on what you want out of your college experience. What major? Do you want to do research? Do you want to party? Etc. etc.
Just as a heads up, you're asking at a time when current students are highly frustrated with the school:
The rest of your choices are all in the Midwest which is going to be significantly different than the east coast. How do you feel about that?
To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would add fifth option: deferring for a semester (or year). It's hard to tell what life is going to be like in 6 months. If the college experience is deeply affected (more online classes, fewer in-person events, etc.), I don't know that I would pay RPI's asking price.