<p>Rankings in general are pretty broken, but if they are your main factor and you’re comparing a #2 ranked school with one probably not in the top 15 then there’s hardly any question as to where to go.</p>
<p>The small-school advantage RPI has is nice. I can’t really comment as to what this would mean for your son since I wasn’t in BME, but as a CS/Math major I felt by the end of my fourth year I knew the majority of professors from both departments pretty well, virtually all of whom I felt privileged to meet (and, in some instances, work with!). Perhaps because I’m a huge introvert, I can’t really say I knew many of my peers very well (some of the ones I did know, however, were pretty exceptionally smart).</p>
<p>Nonetheless, I’m sure GT has some advantages of its own (beyond rank, that is) that merit much attention. Have you asked people on the Georgia Tech boards for their ideas?</p>