Central Massachusetts College Road Trip: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the nation's third-oldest technological school, sits atop one of seven hills that comprise Worcester, a rugged industrial city about 40 miles west of Boston.
In a state known for its higher education, the school, which competes with the likes of Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, stands out for its "WPI Plan." The plan is a project-based curriculum that is infused with the humanities and takes a collaborative, hands-on approach to learning. Some 90 percent of students major in engineering, computer science or the sciences.
The school is a pioneer in problem-based learning, having dropped its conventional engineering curriculum more than 40 years ago. Today, most freshmen select a two-course "Great Problems Seminar," or GPS, which introduces them to college-level research focusing on 21st century issues such as energy and water and culminates in a project.
[Discover why college engineering programs are focusing on hands-on learning.]
"GPS prepared me for what was to come," says Andrew Santos, a junior from the Philippines studying electrical and computer engineering, who took a seminar in food sustainability.
"Time management skills were really instilled," says Anna Civitarese, a 2015 grad in biology and biotechnology from Foxborough, Massachusetts, of her Heal the World course.
The seminars and a robust system of advising by faculty and RAs result in a first-year retention rate that's higher than 95 percent.
Students are required to take eight courses outside the science and technology fields, using six of those to drill deeply into one arts and humanities area.
"My high school music teacher turned me onto WPI," says Luke Perreault, a recent grad from Blackstone, Massachusetts, who studied biomedical engineering and took several music classes.
Students typically take three courses during each seven-week term; classes focus on helping them identify, investigate and report on open-ended problems.
"You'll know what you need to in order to be an electrical engineer or other professional, and you'll also get to solve real problems and learn how to ask the right questions," says Arthur Heinricher, dean of undergraduate studies and a mathematical sciences professor.
Two-thirds of students study or work away from campus for a term, with nearly half going abroad. Chris Long of Burlington, Connecticut, a 2015 grad, spent part of his junior year in New Zealand working on a project to improve the technology in Maori schools, for example.
[See which colleges have the most students studying abroad.]
The WPI Plan culminates senior year with a capstone experience, often with an outside company or nonprofit, aimed at getting students to grapple with actual problems found in the workplace and elsewhere.
Civitarese, for example, researched bloodstream infection rates in intensive care units at the University of Massachusetts--Worcester medical school. Often these projects "lead to direct job offers," notes Rick Vaz, dean of the interdisciplinary and global studies division and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.
When it comes to extracurriculars, there's everything from "LARPing" -- Live Action Role Playing, which entails dressing up in medieval garb for mock battles -- to athletics to musical ensembles and Greek life. WPI claims to have the nation's longest-operating student-run theater program and counts 20 NCAA Division III men's and women's teams, known as the Engineers. It also offers club sports and intramural activities; most students participate in sports at some level.
"Like all WPI students, I'm involved in many things," says Katie Picchione, a senior from Albany, New York, double majoring in mechanical engineering and security, technology and policy. She cites being president of the WPI Engineers Without Borders chapter and visiting high schools as an engineering ambassador as examples.
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-- University of Massachusetts--Amherst
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Colleges 2016" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
