Yale vs Penn State - Your Honest Opinion Please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Penn State opens a lot of doors since there are so many Penn State grads out there.

Both my parents were Penn State grads. Penn State has a lot of school spirit.

Yale no longer has the cachet that it used to. Ask Anderson Cooper how many doors his Yale degree opened? He had to take what was a very low wage post graduation to even have a job. If you read his biography he didn't think his Yale degree opened any doors.

Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest people in the country in her time. What the hell doors were closed to him? That's an absolute absurd comparison to the op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn State opens a lot of doors since there are so many Penn State grads out there.

Both my parents were Penn State grads. Penn State has a lot of school spirit.

Yale no longer has the cachet that it used to. Ask Anderson Cooper how many doors his Yale degree opened? He had to take what was a very low wage post graduation to even have a job. If you read his biography he didn't think his Yale degree opened any doors.

Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest people in the country in her time. What the hell doors were closed to him? That's an absolute absurd comparison to the op.

Is he actually blind to his privilege? Cringe.

[Anonymous]

Penn State is a cult. Yale is not.

[Anonymous]

I've not read all 12 pages so I'm not sure how the conversation has progressed, but I don't agree that Yale and Penn State (which I kept re-reading thinking OP actually meant to say UPenn) are on equal footing academically.

Fwiw, we made a similar choice and have decided on the much higher ranked, and more expensive, school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn State opens a lot of doors since there are so many Penn State grads out there.

Both my parents were Penn State grads. Penn State has a lot of school spirit.

Yale no longer has the cachet that it used to. Ask Anderson Cooper how many doors his Yale degree opened? He had to take what was a very low wage post graduation to even have a job. If you read his biography he didn't think his Yale degree opened any doors.

Alum network of PSU is a mile wide & an inch deep.

[Anonymous]

This is a joke, right? Your DH needs to get over himself and let your son pick Yale, especially since you can afford it without taking on any debt.

I have visited Yale many times and know many Yalies, some of whom are close friends, and they all loved their time at Yale. It is truly a very special place. Penn State is a fine school but it is not in the same league as Yale, not even close.

And this praise should mean even more coming from me,

Harvard grad who sometimes wishes he'd gone to Yale (or Princeton) instead

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've not read all 12 pages so I'm not sure how the conversation has progressed, but I don't agree that Yale and Penn State (which I kept re-reading thinking OP actually meant to say UPenn) are on equal footing academically.

Fwiw, we made a similar choice and have decided on the much higher ranked, and more expensive, school.

Op confirmed she is referring to Penn State, not UPenn.

[Anonymous]

Yale is a school for gentlemen (and in recent years, ladies).

Your husband, Madame, is not gentleman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yale is a school for gentlemen (and in recent years, ladies).

Your husband, Madame, is not gentleman.

[Barf!]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yale is a school for gentlemen (and in recent years, ladies).

Your husband, Madame, is not gentleman.

[Barf!]

Barf? Selected for Penn State. Right on brand.

[Anonymous]

Come back, OP! Did you guys decide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a joke, right? Your DH needs to get over himself and let your son pick Yale, especially since you can afford it without taking on any debt.

I have visited Yale many times and know many Yalies, some of whom are close friends, and they all loved their time at Yale. It is truly a very special place. Penn State is a fine school but it is not in the same league as Yale, not even close.

And this praise should mean even more coming from me,

Harvard grad who sometimes wishes he'd gone to Yale (or Princeton) instead

👏 😂 Boola Boola!

[Anonymous]

If DS wants to go to Yale, let him go to Yale since you said you have the finances to cover it. Let DS choose. If you take his choice from him, he’ll always be wondering what he could have done, where he could have been if he’d been allowed to do what he wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there are plenty of campus jobs at Yale that pay very well for very little work. I had friends who worked in the library or Dean’s offices for 20 hours a week, got paid well, and spent most of their time working actually just doing homework. Maybe one way to make your DH feel better is to ask your son to get a campus job for 8 hours a week or something. I say 8 only because there are so many extracurricular activities, and you wouldn’t want him to miss out on those for working when he doesn’t actually need it.

Yale is also very generous with regard to undergraduate research assistants and teaching assistants and laboratory work, if that's an interest. My child has had well paid opportunities in those areas since the summer before sophomore year and every semester since, in addition to the easy jobs, to which I'd add jobs in residential college offices, admissions and as special event personnel.. No way they have the same opportunities at Penn State.
I went to a highly ranked SLAC, and the on-campus opportunities and resources really did not compare to what is available at Yale.
I

[Anonymous]

One of the best and most obvious reasons for you son to got to Yale is that he got into Yale. Having gotten into Yale is an instant distinction in world where you don't always get the chance to explain or demonstrate how talented and hard working you are. At least not in the first 5 minutes.
If I am told that someone graduated from Yale, I immediately know (ok, suspect) they are pretty special. Someone who graduated from Penn State may be special too, but "got into Penn State" doesn't tell me that.