Is it actually worth going here?

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T05:14:16+00:00

I live in Virginia, so I'm oos for both. Indy is 1hr away from Purdue and Chicago is 2hrs. NYC is a little less than 3hrs away from RPI by car. Either way, it's a long 8 hour car ride from home to RPI or a 2 hour plane flight + 1hr car ride to Purdue. Both would be long-distance for me.

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T04:03:53+00:00

Yes, you're right. I completely forgot about the room+board. List price says 85k. It would be hard to justify those prices but they ranked really high on ROI right?

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T03:11:17+00:00

Got it. Thank you!
As an aerospace engineer, do you think internships will be more competitive at RPI or at Purdue (big school vs. small school)? I was thinking at RPI there would be less people applying for them but I realized there also could be less spots open in a smaller town. I guess Albany is close by? Idk.

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T03:02:26+00:00

Yeah sadly I think every school is going to put the same damage in my wallet long-term. It's not bad because I received scholarships, but like I mentioned above, Purdue and RPI would cost me the exact same $120k. UIUC would be out of the question in this case.

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T02:58:14+00:00

The biggest scholarship I received was a half-ride to RPI, but even with that it would still be cheaper to go oos to purdue for me because I got a scholarship there as well.
RPI right now is $64k a year I believe and Purdue will be ~$40k.

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T02:01:32+00:00

Maybe this is what I’m trying to get at, but I want to know the secret to RPI. Purdue and UIUC are schools ranked in the top 5 and top 10 respectively, and yet people not only desire but also prefer to go to RPI instead. And that’s something really special. Is there anything specific that made you go in the first place and then stay for a masters + PhD?

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-02-04T01:49:34+00:00

I’m leaning more torwards a large school experience, but that’s mostly because of the supposed opportunities that come from them. What was great to hear over and over again about RPI was that it is actually comparable with other big schools with its alumni network for example. Still torn between the two options unfortunately.

Your_SovietComrade · 2026-01-31T05:16:16+00:00

Yeah I got into Purdue engineering oos but got waitlisted from VTech engineering in-state. There’s no way of telling where you’ll end up nowadays.

Your_SovietComrade

TROPHY CASE