If you HAD to chose one - which school would you go to: VA Tech or PENN State

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As parents in the DC area - we should hope both Penn State and VA Tech thrive and prosper. The two schools are comparable but if cost is not an issue I would want Penn State for my kid due to the following:

#1 - State Flagship University - Penn State is the public flagship university in a large state while VA Tech is the #3 public university in Virginia. That is a big benefit to Penn State's reputation and they will continue to get a good number of the top PA students which also over time burnishes the school's reputation and alumni network.

#2 - Alumni Network - Penn State has a larger and stronger alumni network in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic then VA Tech and also around the country to some extent. Now if you know you want to end up in DC Area or Southeast then VA Tech's network may be a little better so regional preference is a factor.

Yes, the Tech alumni network in DC and the surrounding area is huge.

True, but also know that DC has the largest Penn State alumni chapter outside of the state. Penn Staters are everywhere here.

Disclaimer: Penn State grad who would not pay out-of-state tuition for my kid to go there. I'd push my kid to Tech bc we're VA residents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Nonsense.

George Mason is harder to get into than Virginia Tech or Penn State.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Nonsense.

This is absolutely true. I've lived it . . . more than once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Nonsense.

This is absolutely true. I've lived it . . . more than once.

+1

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whichever had instate tuition of course. Coming from Maryland or DC, I don't know. PSU inexplicably climbed 9 spots on the USNWR list this year (to #37?!) but I'm not ready to forgive the college for the entire S host of crimes.

Bingo. If both are out of state, visit and see which one they like best. Both very solid schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Nonsense.

George Mason is harder to get into than Virginia Tech or Penn State.

Not according to SATs and grades it isn't. It might admit a smaller percentage of the lower quality students that apply however. That doesn't make it more competitive.

[Anonymous]

Virginia tech admitted 70% of applicants last year. That is a lot. Tech is not turning many applicants away. George Mason took 55%. Penn State 52%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the College Park booster is having fun with this thread but it won't change the fact that no one really wants to go to Maryland from out of state. The large NY/NJ contingent consists mostly of Cornell and Rutgets rejects who almost ended up at SUNY-Deep Freeze.

May be fun to tweak Maryland but they are up and coming IMO even if the popular ratings have not picked up on it yet. I am a UVA grad so not plugging my school here. It has a higher admission profile than Penn State or VA Tech (avg SAT ~ 1300 versus 1200). Outstanding EE / CIS program and strong business school. One of the reasons Penn State comes up so often in this forum is that it is kind of a safety valve for NOVA kids in danger of getting locked out of the top Virginia schools. Maryland's admission profile is too demanding to serve that role. Granted Penn State has a better name for now but not sure that matches the current reality.

I'm a UVA grad as well and I completely agree. For STEM in particular I think UMD is better than any school in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia tech admitted 70% of applicants last year. That is a lot. Tech is not turning many applicants away. George Mason took 55%. Penn State 52%.

True, but the applicants had better credentials than the GMU applicants. GMU is still considered a safety school for lots of so so NoVa students, so it gets a ton of applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia tech admitted 70% of applicants last year. That is a lot. Tech is not turning many applicants away. George Mason took 55%. Penn State 52%.

True, but the applicants had better credentials than the GMU applicants. GMU is still considered a safety school for lots of so so NoVa students, so it gets a ton of applications.

With a 70% acceptance rate, Va Tech is a much better pick as a safety school. I think GMU is more popular than Tech because it is closer. Lots of kids, particularly immigrants, don't want to incur the extra travel expenses to Blacksburg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia tech admitted 70% of applicants last year. That is a lot. Tech is not turning many applicants away. George Mason took 55%. Penn State 52%.

True, but the applicants had better credentials than the GMU applicants. GMU is still considered a safety school for lots of so so NoVa students, so it gets a ton of applications.

With a 70% acceptance rate, Va Tech is a much better pick as a safety school. I think GMU is more popular than Tech because it is closer. Lots of kids, particularly immigrants, don't want to incur the extra travel expenses to Blacksburg.

I think that many people will tell you from experience that Virginia Tech is -not- a safety school for a lot of NOVA kids. Maybe when I attended, but certainly not anymore. It's a different animal nowadays and a lot of the older common perceptions about VA state schools are no longer accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VA Tech or Penn State?

both are stinky poopy colleges. i'd choose a for-profit on-line university over either of those

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot easier to get into Penn State from NOVA than VA Tech.

Unlikely. VA Tech accepted a whopping 70.4% of all applicants. That is hardly elite or even selective. Penn State accepted just 54.2% of applicants. Even adjusting generously for any regional disadvantage, Tech is easier. High schools in NOVA send large numbers of every class to Tech so there are lots of kids are getting in.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-3754

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-university-park-6965

You are confusing the size of the applicant pool with the quality of the program. Sure it means something for the very top schools. But in this case it just means that VA has two really good state schools and that the biggest sports schools have a wider draw.