Penn State

[Anonymous]

What are your thoughts on Penn State?

[Anonymous]

What is your actual ?

This is not very hard.

Penn State very large state school in the middle of nowhere PA.
Major Party school
Supported profiles for years. Still thinks a football coach is more important than children.
Large classes
Large Alumni network LOL this is touted all the time yet not that useful.
Cost OOS absolutely a financial stupid idea

Most kids go to Penn State if instate of course flagship right. OOS is for for students that do not get in anywhere else in their home state.

But hey if want football, large OOS tuition payments, it's the place.

[Anonymous]

It's fine if that's where your kid gets in but I don't get the push for OOS kids from this area to go to PSU. I mean often the out of state push comes from parents who are PSU alums and OBSESSED with the school in ways that are really odd at age 40+, 50+ etc. I

t's fine for a state school with the same problems as many other state schools - switch majors too many times and you may not get your required classes done in time to graduate. It's a huge place - if you don't carve our your own social scene and also get to know profs etc. you'll be a number (assuming you need law school, med school etc recs). You are very much on your own - one pre med advisor has thousands of students, they aren't sitting with you and carving out your path to med school. No different than say a Rutgers or Maryland - in fact Rutgers and MD are a bit smaller class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your actual ?

This is not very hard.

Penn State very large state school in the middle of nowhere PA.
Major Party school
Supported profiles for years. Still thinks a football coach is more important than children.
Large classes
Large Alumni network LOL this is touted all the time yet not that useful.
Cost OOS absolutely a financial stupid idea

Most kids go to Penn State if instate of course flagship right. OOS is for for students that do not get in anywhere else in their home state.

But hey if want football, large OOS tuition payments, it's the place.

+ 1,000

The Sandusky situation alone = my student wouldn’t even apply there because I wouldn’t give them a dime.

I know someone with huge PS debt who like the PP said, only went there because they got into one other school which was in state. They wanted the out of state experience.

[Anonymous]

Graduated in the mid 00s from PSU honors program

Even though the rank is worse compared to when I went, it places better now to good jobs if you maintain a top gpa

Maintaining a top gpa can be easy or hard — depending on your internal motivation - no one hand holds you.

Ag school is world class

horrific weather - it’s always gloomy

The rest of the departments are hit or miss

Would I send my kids there? Heck no, unless they were in state and wanted to study at the ag school

I didn’t like my time at PSU but most kids do.

If you are a minority/visible POC - hard no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's fine if that's where your kid gets in but I don't get the push for OOS kids from this area to go to PSU. I mean often the out of state push comes from parents who are PSU alums and OBSESSED with the school in ways that are really odd at age 40+, 50+ etc. I

t's fine for a state school with the same problems as many other state schools - switch majors too many times and you may not get your required classes done in time to graduate. It's a huge place - if you don't carve our your own social scene and also get to know profs etc. you'll be a number (assuming you need law school, med school etc recs). You are very much on your own - one pre med advisor has thousands of students, they aren't sitting with you and carving out your path to med school. No different than say a Rutgers or Maryland - in fact Rutgers and MD are a bit smaller class sizes.

This describes life. No one will hold your hand. Not a big deal. The real world is the same way.

[Anonymous]

Alumni tend to be super loyal.

[Anonymous]

Ohio State is a meathead school in a boring, sprawling giant suburb that calls itself a city. And it’s superior to Penn State in every respect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your actual ?

This is not very hard.

Penn State very large state school in the middle of nowhere PA.
Major Party school
Supported profiles for years. Still thinks a football coach is more important than children.
Large classes
Large Alumni network LOL this is touted all the time yet not that useful.
Cost OOS absolutely a financial stupid idea

Most kids go to Penn State if instate of course flagship right. OOS is for for students that do not get in anywhere else in their home state.

But hey if want football, large OOS tuition payments, it's the place.

+ 1,000

The Sandusky situation alone = my student wouldn’t even apply there because I wouldn’t give them a dime.

I know someone with huge PS debt who like the PP said, only went there because they got into one other school which was in state. They wanted the out of state experience.

Yep, I feel the same. I will not let my child apply to PSU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alumni tend to be super loyal.

Football mafia.

[Anonymous]

I recently listened to a college admissions counselor on a podcast who said PSU AO's don't read most of their apps and stats don't have to be stellar, unless applying to honors program, which is competitive. But, I agree that alumni seem to have enjoyed their time on campus and are loyal.

[Anonymous]

This is one of the most F ed posts Ive seen here in years. My kid had a 36 ACT (one sitting) and an uwieghted GPA of 3.9. Turned down Ivy's to have a life . PSU has been a blessing to him coming out of a small private. Deans list and loving life. Not like my kid at Dartmouth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine if that's where your kid gets in but I don't get the push for OOS kids from this area to go to PSU. I mean often the out of state push comes from parents who are PSU alums and OBSESSED with the school in ways that are really odd at age 40+, 50+ etc. I

t's fine for a state school with the same problems as many other state schools - switch majors too many times and you may not get your required classes done in time to graduate. It's a huge place - if you don't carve our your own social scene and also get to know profs etc. you'll be a number (assuming you need law school, med school etc recs). You are very much on your own - one pre med advisor has thousands of students, they aren't sitting with you and carving out your path to med school. No different than say a Rutgers or Maryland - in fact Rutgers and MD are a bit smaller class sizes.

This describes life. No one will hold your hand. Not a big deal. The real world is the same way.

YMMV but if I’m paying 40k/ye tuition for my 18-22 yr old and he has questions regarding how to make himself competitive for med school, I’d like someone who can answer those questions rather than shrug and say good luck with that. Yes people will do that in life but I won’t be paying those people yearly tuition for them to shrug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most F ed posts Ive seen here in years. My kid had a 36 ACT (one sitting) and an uwieghted GPA of 3.9. Turned down Ivy's to have a life . PSU has been a blessing to him coming out of a small private. Deans list and loving life. Not like my kid at Dartmouth!

I’m happy your student is happy and thriving at Penn State (and happy to hear the humble brag that they got into Ivy’s plural).

That doesn’t change Sandusky, and what they knew he was doing to so many young people for FOOTBALL. Scumbags the lot of them and more people should’ve been fired for what went on there.

There’s no reason to be defensive, you had nothing to do with it. You and your student made a choice and they’re happy and that’s fine. Acknowledging the atrocities that went on there and your student enjoying their college experience can happen at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Legends in their own minds.