Coming in as a freshmen, engineering or technology major, you will be required to take the calculus series (calculus 1-4) which covers everything from differentiation and integration, to series and partial derivatives/integrals. You will also take chemistry 1-4, and then either physics 1-2, or begin taking your humanities requirements which will be anything you want from history to English, a language, or music/drama/art.
Coming in as a biology or life sciences major typically take a slightly different track as not as much math is required for these subjects so usually a modified version of calculus will be taken.
The first courses in engineering are introductory courses offered in freshman year. They basically touch upon all of the different methods and topics that will be taught in upper level classes without going into too much detail. Many students find these to be extremely helpful come sophomore year to have already been introduced to the material, or in other cases, if deciding between majors to take the introductory course to solidify their decisions.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
There is so much to do on campus. Everyone here is extremely friendly and teamwork is not only highly encouraged by the faculty, but utilized among the student population. There are a ridiculous amount of clubs on campus, everything from academic societies, to community service organizations, to the ultimate frisbee team, to the scuba diving club. Therefore, there is something for everyone, and if the club you want doesn't yet exist on campus (which is unlikely) it only takes seven people to start a club and you can start it when you arrive.
There are also movies offered (FOR FREE ... with free popcorn) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in Fuller Labs. These are movies that have just left theaters but are not currently on DVD. We also have our own bowling alley.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
WPI definitely gives you a bang for the buck. Although it is relatively expensive, there are plenty of on campus jobs available to help you through. In addition to this, what you are paying for is truly exceptional. The accessability of professors, TA (teaching assistants) and PLAs (peer learning assistants) is amazing. They not only go above and beyond the minimum requirement for office hours, but they will often meet you outside of their office, to answer questions you might have, or perhaps even just to talk about potential future jobs.
WPI is also part of the Worcester Consortium, which is a collection of the 13 colleges in Worcester. By this connection, WPI students can take classes at any of the other schools in the consortium, completely free of charge and the credits are transferrable to WPI.
WPI also hold three job fairs a year. One in the fall, one in the spring and another for the life sciences majors. These career fairs are for WPI students ONLY, and the waitlist for companies trying to get a spot in the career fair is just as competitive as the students trying to get jobs.
Another great thing about WPI is that the lab equipment in all the labs is completely gutted out and redone every 3-4 years so that students are constantly using only the most up to date equipment. This is a huge selling point too when applying for jobs because students to not need to be trained in the new equipment because it's what they have been using already at WPI.
Post graduation, WPI have above a 90% placement rate into either the work force or competitive graduate programs. This is a very high number to look at. It has to do with the way students are bred for success at WPI, and the dedication the career development center puts into helping it's students acheive their goals.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
My only advice is that you master time management skills, which regardless of where you attend, its a good skill to have. As long as you plan out your time well, you should have time to do everything you could possibly want to on campus. Also, take as many math and science classes as you can in high school. Even if you retake the material once you arrive here at WPI, having seen the material before really helps out in classes.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Students who are ambitious and driven do well here. We are a fast-paced engineering school so you have to want to succeed to do well here, but you will not be on your own if you struggle. Professors and other students want to see everyone succeed so there will be plenty of people to help you along the way. However, the desire to learn and create better products for a better world is a pretty common theme at WPI.
Coming in as a freshmen, engineering or technology major, you will be required to take the calculus series (calculus 1-4) which covers everything from differentiation and integration, to series and partial derivatives/integrals. You will also take chemistry 1-4, and then either physics 1-2, or begin taking your humanities requirements which will be anything you want from history to English, a language, or music/drama/art. Coming in as a biology or life sciences major typically take a slightly different track as not as much math is required for these subjects so usually a modified version of calculus will be taken. The first courses in engineering are introductory courses offered in freshman year. They basically touch upon all of the different methods and topics that will be taught in upper level classes without going into too much detail. Many students find these to be extremely helpful come sophomore year to have already been introduced to the material, or in other cases, if deciding between majors to take the introductory course to solidify their decisions.
There is so much to do on campus. Everyone here is extremely friendly and teamwork is not only highly encouraged by the faculty, but utilized among the student population. There are a ridiculous amount of clubs on campus, everything from academic societies, to community service organizations, to the ultimate frisbee team, to the scuba diving club. Therefore, there is something for everyone, and if the club you want doesn't yet exist on campus (which is unlikely) it only takes seven people to start a club and you can start it when you arrive. There are also movies offered (FOR FREE ... with free popcorn) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in Fuller Labs. These are movies that have just left theaters but are not currently on DVD. We also have our own bowling alley.
WPI definitely gives you a bang for the buck. Although it is relatively expensive, there are plenty of on campus jobs available to help you through. In addition to this, what you are paying for is truly exceptional. The accessability of professors, TA (teaching assistants) and PLAs (peer learning assistants) is amazing. They not only go above and beyond the minimum requirement for office hours, but they will often meet you outside of their office, to answer questions you might have, or perhaps even just to talk about potential future jobs. WPI is also part of the Worcester Consortium, which is a collection of the 13 colleges in Worcester. By this connection, WPI students can take classes at any of the other schools in the consortium, completely free of charge and the credits are transferrable to WPI. WPI also hold three job fairs a year. One in the fall, one in the spring and another for the life sciences majors. These career fairs are for WPI students ONLY, and the waitlist for companies trying to get a spot in the career fair is just as competitive as the students trying to get jobs. Another great thing about WPI is that the lab equipment in all the labs is completely gutted out and redone every 3-4 years so that students are constantly using only the most up to date equipment. This is a huge selling point too when applying for jobs because students to not need to be trained in the new equipment because it's what they have been using already at WPI. Post graduation, WPI have above a 90% placement rate into either the work force or competitive graduate programs. This is a very high number to look at. It has to do with the way students are bred for success at WPI, and the dedication the career development center puts into helping it's students acheive their goals.
My only advice is that you master time management skills, which regardless of where you attend, its a good skill to have. As long as you plan out your time well, you should have time to do everything you could possibly want to on campus. Also, take as many math and science classes as you can in high school. Even if you retake the material once you arrive here at WPI, having seen the material before really helps out in classes.
Students who are ambitious and driven do well here. We are a fast-paced engineering school so you have to want to succeed to do well here, but you will not be on your own if you struggle. Professors and other students want to see everyone succeed so there will be plenty of people to help you along the way. However, the desire to learn and create better products for a better world is a pretty common theme at WPI.