Worcester Polytechnic Institute

I had a great time here! Got a great education, there were some faults for the school, but it's clear they try hard, and I did see improvements along my education in terms of creating a more forgiving and accommodating experience. I would take a star off because I feel they don't expand in the best regard. My freshman year I was in a triple dorm room that was the size of a double at most other schools, and they don't guarantee on-campus housing past your first year, but while I was there they built a building with more classrooms and maker-spaces rather than more housing, feels like a wasted opportunity. With that said, I had a great time here and I do feel it set me up well for a good career! I've worked with the professors and they do really care about their students.

Seeing a gloomy review just now, I could not help but to drop one myself. I am an alumnus and my daughter is heading there now. Excellent institution preparing elite students for the most advanced engineering careers. The project focused learning is unique and very effective. This is a place that takes students to the next level on the global stage.

What a horrible school in a depressing area. There was a few suicides few years ago and I am not surprised. To be honest, if the kid comes from a strong prep school and have all the AP courses under the belt then they/he/she will do fine. But if you come from an underprivileged family and from a not so strong high school, i would not recommend wpi. The faculty is not supportive at all. They are never available to help . Tutors are scarce. . They just focus on their research/grant and put no work in teaching undergraduates. they don't care about struggling students and some have contempt for them . They come in class, teach dull lectures and leave (talking about science classes like physics, chem, eng. Classes). The liberal art professors are more reachable and helpful. The advisors are not advising properly. They don't answer emails. it's not a school for students coming from city schools Worcester is very gloomy. And it's freezing in winter. There is also political tensions between the president and the faculty. In my opinion, the atmosphere is very toxic. I am not talking about graduate programs that i don't know. ( From a parent)

My daughter is a WPI alumnus (Class of '10), and everything I heard about her experience was positive. Hopefully, I'm about to find out first-hand what the student experience is like as an MBA candidate. So far the application process has been extremely positive with personal, one-on-one attention. I'm looking forward to receiving an invitation to enroll.

High quality education and the project-based curriculum really adds to your resume and provides much opportunity to study abroad. I chose a project site at NASA's Johnson Space Center for my MQP. How many undergrads get the chance to work at NASA? Not many. I had friends who went to project sites in Italy, Thailand, etc. I have also attended the University of Florida and Clemson University (for 2 graduate degrees) and would rate WPI on par with UF as fantastic experiences, and above Clemson. There are certainly trade-offs between large and small universities, with larger universities typically able to offer many more opportunities (greater course selection, greater selection of minors/concentrations/certificate programs to enhance your degree, sports, clubs, study-abroads, career fairs with heavy-hitting employers) and WPI makes up for its diminutive size with a strong emphasis on enhancing student life and opportunities that you won't find elsewhere like their project sites around the globe. Part of the reason WPI costs what it does is because of the value added to the student experience. Clemson, in contrast, offers what you would expect for its size- noticeably less than both WPI and UF. If a student simply wants to take classes and graduate doing the bare minimum, WPI would be wasted on them. But if you really want to make the most of your 4 years of undergrad, WPI offers a lot.

This is one of those places that people talk about when talking about excessive student debt. They encourage people to take too many classes. They also don't require you to take prerequisite classes, so you can take classes you have a low chance of passing because you have to race to learn old material before you can understand the class you're taking. People end up failing out with 30k in debt because the school doesn't set the students up for success.