Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI is a great place to have flexibility to pursue what you want in learning especially with a focus on science and technology. The IQP or the junior year project is a great way to work in an interdisciplinary team on a social issue abroad. Many students are able to travel abroad and work on a real world problem. I worked for an NGO in Africa. The Faculty are very accessible and they have office hours to get help. They are approachable and as a faculty they pride themselves to be reachable for the undergraduate students. Even though they are hard at work with research, they understand that WPI is about the students and their learning. The WPI plan is a unique education system that is different and innovative for STEM education. The project work really helped me in the long run in preparing me for the professional career.

Social Life:

People complain about the social life at WPI but the school is not your regular state school. The students that get admitted are intelligent and they are primarily focused on science and engineering. Still, many students are involved in clubs and organizations with over 200 clubs. I was very active in many clubs which allowed me to get a well rounded experience. It is a small school and if you are active on campus, the faculty, staff and peers get to really know you. Its a tight small-knit community.

Greek Life: A third of campus join Greek Life. It is worth exploring because it is not your typical Greek System that you see in Animal House. Many students who join Greek Life actually do well in academics and have a great social life. People think its all about drinking but in fact, what made Greek Life for me was a support system while in school and access to alumni in my Fraternity. It has actually helped me in my professional career.

Worcester: Worcester is not Boston. People always think the grass is always greener on the other side. Still, Worcester is a pretty fun city. It has great restaurants in Shrewsbury St and bars/clubs in Green Street. There have been a lot of development within the city. It is a college town with so many students in in the city from various colleges but it is definitely not Boston. So people who say the city sucks probably has not explored anything beyond the limits of WPI and Park Avenue.