Well I figured since Kate mentioned me I should chime in
It is true, I have taken "several" courses at both (ok Im two courses shy of my RIT MSEE). From what I can tell Conor has a pretty good explaination. Clarkson has a smaller but more family like feel. They are in the middle of nowhere, but I cant really remember ever being bored. You will work like crazy, but there is also plenty of fun to be had. RIT has a bit more of a city feel to me. They still have plenty of great professors, and a good education, but the quarter system and being in the city tend to spread out the students a lot more, so the atmosphere seems more school & city oriented.
The quarter system may also be something to consider. For me, its really hard to learn in such a short timeframe, and Ive found if I slip at all there is no time to catch up. That said, I know it works well for a lot of students because they can learn quickly, or if they dont "like" a class it is over much faster! I would say both have comparable co-op programs, only difference being that RIT forces you to do it as part of your requirements, whereas Clarkson has an excellent career center but you have to go to them to ask for help finding a job. For some, RIT is better because it forces, for others they like to plan on their own, in that case, Clarkson works.
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Originally Posted by Tetraman
I have heard from many sources that their sources say clarkson doesn't retain many students, that they transfur out before graduation.
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I wanted to talk to this statement, because it can be a bit misleading. After freshman year, Clarkson has a VERY high retention rate. In my class I only knew of a few students who left. However, where this probably does ring true is during freshman year. In your first year, Clarkson separates those who can make it from those who cant. Yes you are "just" taking physics, chem, calc etc... but with a slight twists. The tests make you think for yourself, the homework counts, the teachers will know your name (so if you dont show up for class, they know). Many kids get to Clarkson and think "Im away from my parents its PARTY time!" These are the kids who do not make it past freshman year. I knew several kids who after the first semester had 0.35 GPA's & below, and after second semester were no longer students. But every student that actually tried, made it to graduation. The teachers WONT let you fail if you are trying hard. Other students wont let you fail either.
Thats another difference I've seen in Clarkson & RIT... Clarkson suprisingly has nearly no competition. Everyone is out to help everyone else. RIT seems to have a bit more (not as bad as MIT or some of the others, but still very present). So it depends on which environment you thrive in.
And I guess that leads me to my last thought. From what I can tell, Clarkson is a lot more group oriented throughout your college career. Nearly every class stretches group projects or labs across the semester. You learn to work with people like you will in RL engineering. But RIT has a really strong senior design program that integrates you with other types of engineers to build a project. Other than that group work at RIT seems present but minimal. In about half of my classes there was a small group project/paper for the last three weeks.
For me, Clarkson was the perfect fit, but it depends on how you learn and what will help you grow. Good luck!!