Located in the heart of Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a hub of information and activity. Commonly referred to as WPI, the college has undergraduate programs ranging from technical to artistic to professional, with cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities. While it is known to specialize in the sciences, WPI also offers majors in the arts and humanities. The Institute runs on a quarter calendar (with seven-week terms) and does not give out failing grades. Professors are passionate about their classes, and 98% of full and part-time faculty members hold PhDs.
WPI hosts a wide variety of extracurricular activities, from varsity sports to musical ensembles, and roughly a third of all students participate in Greek life. Though many are self-proclaimed “nerds” or “geeks,” students value the diversity of their passions and each finds his or her own space on campus. Each student completes an interactive project and a separate major project before graduation, designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by providing real-world experience.