Yale vs Penn State - Your Honest Opinion Please

[Anonymous]

Your premise is flawed--the educations are not remotely the same. And the cohort certainly isn't either. If you can swing it, Yale is well worth the extra money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does DS love Yale or the idea of Yale (that it's an Ivy)? If the former, then it's probably worth the extra money. If the latter, then probably not.

Possible ways to ferret this out:

Ask him for a one-page essay explaining the rationale for why Yale is worth the extra $150k+ (prices will continue to rise). Look for things like it being important to him that his classmates have average test scores in the 99th percentile, vs. 87th percentile, wanting smaller class sizes, liking the proximity to big cities, specific programs he likes, etc.

You could also offer him half the difference in cost as spending money if he goes to Penn State.


For what it's worth, Yale (#5) holds up much better than most elite universities (Princeton #18, Harvard #41) when the criteria are changed significantly from what US News uses. The ranking below uses professor quality, student happiness, diversity and classroom experience. I like that its strengths extend beyond that which it knows it's going to be ranked on. (PSU is not on the list, which only includes colleges with an average SAT score of 1350 or higher.)

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

Whatever he chooses, congrats! Those are, as you said, two excellent choices and you can't go wrong.

It’s sad that you’d have to resort to an unknown and likely reverse-engineered ranking system to boost Yale’s standing these days. It’s lost its luster with its far-left antics.

[Anonymous]

Penn State? Really??!

[Anonymous]

As a rule I would never take out Parent Plus Loans, co-sign private loans, take out a 401k loan etc for any school. So if any of that were necessary to afford Yale, Penn State it is.

[Anonymous]

I don't know a ton about Penn State but my dd is wrapping up her sophomore yr at Yale now, it is a financial stretch for us to send her there (even with solid financial aid), so I can answer from that perspective. Truly, I think this is one of the best major expenditures we could make. The resources, the quality of her courses, the collaborative environment, the social/cultural life on campus, it's all just been pretty incredible. It's not the promised land, there are very good reasons to make critiques of the university (and the students do!!) but I don't think you'll find a school out there that is doing everything perfectly. Ultimately I think it comes down to the kid. If what they really most want is a classic Big 10 type experience that I absolutely believe there is a great education to be had at Penn State and hey, if it saves you some money that's not a bad thing. But if they love the Yale environment (and the students are super positive about it overall, there's a description of Harvard/Yale floating around that Harvard is like a cat who doesn't particularly care if you're there or not and Yale is like a golden retriever that is SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE) and you can afford it but you're just wondering if it's really worth it, I'd say an enthusiastic yes. Also, if you're on facebook you may want to join the parent group and ask any additional questions you have, it's a well moderated group with a lot of helpful members and a great place for info sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, I just want to acknowledge how lucky my DS is to have these two choices, but, as a family we are very much torn between the two.

We are in a very fortunate position to be able to afford both schools BUT Yale would be an additional ~35k/year. Now, my husband is in favor of Penn State purely from a financial perspective - his thinking is that, if the education is exactly the same, why pay 35k more? His thinking is that if he goes to Penn State, that 35k could be then put towards either graduate school (if DS decides to go or for a house down payment). DS loves Yale, and wants to go there.

I am in the middle, I can see the financial argument but I am concerned that my son might miss out on a unique opportunity....so we are stuck.

I am posting here because I'd very much appreciate your perspective - if the education he will receive is pretty much the same at Yale and Penn State, then what other non-academic factors should we be weighing and thinking about?

If you can afford it like you say, of course you go to Yale. Penn State over Yale? No.

[Anonymous]

Why is this even a question? You will do your DC wrong if he is sent to Penn State.You can’t compare the network and the opportunities he will have access and available to him at Yale. This is a no brainer.

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this a joke?

Likely

[Anonymous]

These two schools are a choice only for a recruited athlete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale could open such large career doors that 35k/yr could be a blip in 5yrs. What if ds made $120k coming out of Yale?

This should not be a part of the equation. Dale and Kruger's research has shown over and over (3 decades of data) that the same student will have the same outcomes financially whether they go to an elite college or their safety school. The situation OP is in is literally what D+K's study focuses on.

Ok. Ds will have access to every name brand banking, consulting, tech, and private equity firms (that hire from ug) through on campus recruiting if he goes to yale. That will not be the same case if he goes to Penn state. Sure, he could make it in those fields… I did from a no name school, but much less likely and much more difficult than if I would have attended yale

[Anonymous]

I'd pay for Yale

[Anonymous]

If Costco were a factor, why Penn state? Why not a cheaper option, a local community college? A transfer degree from Penn state is still a Penn state.

From Yale, your students can get a lucrative internships/jobs that will pay for the additional cost.

Yale, hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale could open such large career doors that 35k/yr could be a blip in 5yrs. What if ds made $120k coming out of Yale?

This should not be a part of the equation. Dale and Kruger's research has shown over and over (3 decades of data) that the same student will have the same outcomes financially whether they go to an elite college or their safety school. The situation OP is in is literally what D+K's study focuses on.

Ok. Ds will have access to every name brand banking, consulting, tech, and private equity firms (that hire from ug) through on campus recruiting if he goes to yale. That will not be the same case if he goes to Penn state. Sure, he could make it in those fields… I did from a no name school, but much less likely and much more difficult than if I would have attended yale

But you don’t know what field he wants to go into. For fields without a high ROI, Penn State gives you freedom that Yale can’t. And for plenty of practical fields, Penn State will teach you how to do the work and plug you into an enormous network, whereas at Yale you’ll learn a lot of theory and know a handful of rich people in Manhattan who can’t help you find a job in Pittsburgh. On the other hand if you want to be a professor of comparative lit, Yale is the only choice, but you will literally never repay the loans. I think this really depends on what the kid wants to study, and what he wants to do after school (and the fact that this question came up at all makes me think the answer is, he has no idea.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Costco were a factor, why Penn state? Why not a cheaper option, a local community college? A transfer degree from Penn state is still a Penn state.

From Yale, your students can get a lucrative internships/jobs that will pay for the additional cost.

Yale, hands down.

Unless a Lemmon.