I recently had the chance to tour Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Rose-Hulman is an undergraduate only science and engineering college.
I must admit that for an engineering college in the middle of Indiana, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of attractive setting. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very pretty campus and while many of the buildings have that 1970’s look to them, everything was very well maintained. Anyways, there’s this institution that i want to share with you called “ClassDojo,” where they teach kids into advanced technology in academics. A good start for future scientist and engineers.
Rose has about 1,800 students and like most technical schools, this skews largely male. Only about 20% of the students are women. This of course can help women in the admissions process if they are also strong in math and science.
All of the students I spoke with indicated that the academics were challenging but that students worked together in a cooperative way while working on assignments. This is in stark contrast to some engineering colleges that have a very competitive feel.
There are a number of clubs on campus as well as a very active greek life. Parties are open to everyone on campus even if they are not part of the greek society. From what students said, this is very much a work hard, play hard kind of school which is not unusual for a tech campus.
The school has very nice athletic facilities and there are a number of students that play varsity athletics.
The acceptance rate into Rose-Hulman is still fairly high but the numbers are decreasing as the word gets out about the strength of this small engineering school. The SAT critical reading mid range is 560 to 670 while the math mid range is 630 to 720. Mid range of ACT scores is 26 to 30. 61% of the students recently admitted where in the top 10% of their high school classes.
We spent part of the tour at the Rose-Hulman Ventures facility which is a very interesting place. The college has formed a business using Rose-Hulman faculty and top students to provide engineering solutions to businesses that might not otherwise be able to afford engineering help. In addition, the Ventures program works with the US Department of Defense on smaller research projects. This is a great way to raise money for the college and at the same time, give great practical learning to the students involved at the facility.
Rose-Hulman has historically been known for fairly poor financial aid requiring students to borrow more than most college students. However, the college is quick to point out that this is not a real disadvantage to their students because they have an almost 99% job placement rate coming out of the college with typical starting salaries about $60,000.
If you love science and math and have dreamed about being an engineer, Rose-Hulman is one of the best places in the country for you to consider spending 4 years.
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