NROTC school decisions/comparisons: GT v Rensselaer?

navyfamilyof4

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DS is close to making his final decision on colleges and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on these 2 programs for Nuclear Engineering or Engineering in general. we have not visited either school so right now we are going off internet pictures and forum opinions.

background: DS is still waiting on USNA and 5 other admission decisions (Stanford/Duke/NW/Cornell/Harvard) so if none of those 6 pan out in the next 3 weeks then he will decide between those 2 (although im secretly hoping he also gives Michigan a chance)

he's waiting on NROTC board decision for a scholarship but regardless will join NROTC program at either school. Are these both equal in terms of rigor, strong ROTC program, job potential etc....
 
RPI certainly has a strong ROTC program. I can't speak to GT but it certainly seems to be a fine engineering school. One is below the Mason Dixon line where the sky is very close to Carolina Blue and the sun actually shines. The other is in the dampness of the Hudson Valley in upstate NY which I left because the sky was gray and overcast 263 days per year. The question to ask yourself, if you cannot decide between the two, is how much do you like winter.

I do not recommend picking a college based on the unit. Unit's change every year. Officers come and go. The curriculum for Naval Science is the same. Choose the school and the rest will fall in place. The midshipmen will perform better because they are glad to be there, and their grades are better.
 
DS is close to making his final decision on colleges and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on these 2 programs for Nuclear Engineering or Engineering in general. we have not visited either school so right now we are going off internet pictures and forum opinions.

background: DS is still waiting on USNA and 5 other admission decisions (Stanford/Duke/NW/Cornell/Harvard) so if none of those 6 pan out in the next 3 weeks then he will decide between those 2 (although im secretly hoping he also gives Michigan a chance)

he's waiting on NROTC board decision for a scholarship but regardless will join NROTC program at either school. Are these both equal in terms of rigor, strong ROTC program, job potential etc....
Best of luck to your son- there are no bad choices for him! However, if he wants to reach out to nuclear eng major at RPI, he can reach out to one of their unit members who is a current student there. message me for info
 
I can't speak for the specifics of Nuclear Engineering but after a long time in the Aerospace Industry (Eastern area - DC to New England) I did observe that RPI is pretty attractive to the Engineering hiring folks. Certainly MIT and Caltech are even more attractive but RPI is well regarded. GT is not looked down on, just not as looked up to in that world. Within the Navy, I've known great officers from both. My Retired Captain cousin went to GT as did a Rear Admiral who is a longtime friend.
 
I do not have any info about GT but DS applied to RPI after his dad (an engineer, not nuclear) said they have a really good engineering program and an equally good reputation.
 
I'm apart of the RPI unit now. Absolutely love it, and the best choice I've ever made. As I'm sure you know, RPI is a phenomenal engineering school, US News today and countless of other places will tell you that. Perfect size unit, great leadership chances, amazing staff, and amazing fellow MIDN. PM me for more questions, I'd love to answer anything for you.
 
I don't know much about either school as far as their engineering programs, except that both seem to be well regarded programs. Beyond that, they will bed very different universities. RPI has an enrollment of about 6400, where Georgia Tech is around 15,500. RPI is in Troy, NY, a city of about 50,00 people while Georgia Tech is in Atlanta, which has a population of almost 500,00 (that's just city limits; the metro area population is much more). So your DS should be thinking about what kind of setting he would most enjoy and be successful in. FWIW, Michigan is about 30,000 students and Ann Arbor has a population of about 120,000. DS loves it there.
 
I did one year of NROTC at RPI before leaving for other reasons, but absolutely loved the school and loved the unit even more. Also worth noting that RPI covers room and board for scholarship or contracted Mids, and if they decide to move off campus, then the school writes them a nice check that more than covers the cost.
 
I did one year of NROTC at RPI before leaving for other reasons, but absolutely loved the school and loved the unit even more. Also worth noting that RPI covers room and board for scholarship or contracted Mids, and if they decide to move off campus, then the school writes them a nice check that more than covers the cost.

Does this apply to AFROTC cadets as well?
 
I am at Tech right now, I know many people in Navy. Navy has a very excellent program here and is very uptight (Cadets cant be friends necessarily with upperclassmen cadets outside of ROTC). Nuclear engineering program is small but known nationwide. If you go to tech for nuclear engineering (or any engineering for that matter) you WILL have multiple job offers after college or military. Navy here has required study hours, required number of credits to take, certain gpa that must be held, wear of uniform for the entire school day one day a week..a lot more rules than most ROTC programs. If you are going to do Nuclear Engineering I 100% recommend Tech as I have been here long enough to see how worthy the name is (even as a freshman you will have multiple internship opportunities etc.. and our ROTC programs are all outstanding and have many well-known alumni and cool events being that Tech is in Atlanta.
 
I did one year of NROTC at RPI before leaving for other reasons, but absolutely loved the school and loved the unit even more. Also worth noting that RPI covers room and board for scholarship or contracted Mids, and if they decide to move off campus, then the school writes them a nice check that more than covers the cost.

Does this apply to AFROTC cadets as well?
Any contracted or scholarship ROTC, yes.
 
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