Son is MechE/Aero major. Had his choice of many great schools. I was surprised he chose RPI. He took Physics II last summer at our state flagship which is a top 25 engineering program. He said that the rigor at our state flagship was “a joke compared to RPI.” He found his rhythm during his first semester sophomore year and wound up with a 3.91 for the semester, but he was not sure he would make it his first semester freshman year. I really worried his academic confidence was damaged at that time. Bottom line: I think RPI will push smart kids to their limits (at least in engineering).

Anonymous wrote:Have you also considered WPI? I associate the three of those schools together.

Mine considered these three. Loved RIT and WPI, didn't like RPI's mandatory year away. WPI is so unique, and he got a lot of merit there. Chose WPI.

RIT parent here and just speaking to the 4 year graduation rate. The program is designed to be 5 years. In my son’s major he is expected to have 4 coops (spring/summer and summer/fall, count as 2). Also I would agree that they may be more inclined to give kids a chance in admittance but all kids who graduate will be solid engineers. My kid was a strong candidate academically for RIT and other schools and many of the classes are challenging.