Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD got an acceptance letter for Penn State. Where does Penn state rank and how good is the school? My question is UMD versus Penn state, which one would you choose. My DD is not very sure what she wants to do, sometimes talk about interest in biology....

How the hell do you NOT know these basic facts about colleges your DD applied to? And you haven’t even bothered to Google the information? Talk about a lazy and uninvolved parent, sheesh.

Really you should just let your DD make the decision here because your input will be worthless.

Well yeah, you can google and see rankings but I think coming here can give you more insight. Obviously a lot of people here with connections to both schools who can give answers with first hand knowledge.

Anonymous wrote:My DD got an acceptance letter for Penn State. Where does Penn state rank and how good is the school? My question is UMD versus Penn state, which one would you choose. My DD is not very sure what she wants to do, sometimes talk about interest in biology....

How the hell do you NOT know these basic facts about colleges your DD applied to? And you haven’t even bothered to Google the information? Talk about a lazy and uninvolved parent, sheesh.

Really you should just let your DD make the decision here because your input will be worthless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD in MD has a 3.4 uw GPA so she didn't even apply to UMD based on her Counselor's recommendation but the Counselor said Penn State Main Campus is a good target with this GPA and a 1160 SAT. Is PSU really that easier to get into than UMD?

Yes, it’s easier. Lots of good posts on this thread (aside from the nasty ones). Go visit PSU. You will want to go back to college.

I think it’s easier than UMD but those scores will place her at a commonwealth campus for sure.

Anonymous wrote:My DD in MD has a 3.4 uw GPA so she didn't even apply to UMD based on her Counselor's recommendation but the Counselor said Penn State Main Campus is a good target with this GPA and a 1160 SAT. Is PSU really that easier to get into than UMD?

Yes, it’s easier. Lots of good posts on this thread (aside from the nasty ones). Go visit PSU. You will want to go back to college.

My DD in MD has a 3.4 uw GPA so she didn't even apply to UMD based on her Counselor's recommendation but the Counselor said Penn State Main Campus is a good target with this GPA and a 1160 SAT. Is PSU really that easier to get into than UMD?

UMD>Penn State

Anonymous wrote:The students at UMD have stronger academic profiles (GPA/SATs) than Penn State. Penn State is a more classic college town. Both are reasonably solid academically.

I agree that State College is nicer than College Park.

Does she want access to nature/hiking or museums/DC level culture?

Jerry Sandusky.

Penn Star knew joe paterno knew and his family knew and his son is on the board

One of the smartest kids from my kid's "big3" in DC went to Penn State for the joint BS-MD program. Mostly free ride and will be a doctor in 5-6 years. Pretty awesome.

And both UMD and PSU are fantastic options. I really hate it when people come on to sites like this and denigrate any school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two lumbering mediocre schools.

This is not helpful nor adds to thread, actually it's pretty rude. Shame on you.

By the rankings,they are mediocre schools.

#59 (UMD) and #63 (Penn State) out of 400 ranked schools on USNWR and out of the 4,000 schools in the US. Hardly mediocre. OP, they are both great schools. I’d pick whichever feels right when you’re there.

+1 as far as I am concerned they are both highly ranked. Elitism is not pretty. Nephew is at Penn State with a 4.0 in computer science is a freaking whiz. And the smartest kids I know from my kids public high school go to Maryland—I am talking perfect stats and teenage business owners. Calling UMD and Penn State mediocre is just nasty.

This.

Let’s be real: unless your kid gets into a top 5 Ivy with scholarship money, it makes sense to go to your in-state flagship—particularly if it’s a well known flagship.

It makes no sense to spend significantly more to go OOS or private for another school higher in the rankings. None.

When it comes to deciding between PSU and UMCP, Maryland’s programs are better known and have better connections for internships in the DMV. Plus: location. Happy Valley isn’t near anything. Having said that, it’s the better choice for Pennsylvanians.

My take on pennsylvania publics vs other publics:

Pitt=UVA
Penn State=UMD
Temple=UDelaware

I don’t think there’s a significant difference between UMD and Penn State

I'm a PSU alum and if I lived in PA I'd absolutely recommend my kids apply there. I don't think Penn State is worth it as an out of state student unless you are applying to very specific programs that aren't available at many schools.

PSU (like most state schools) is huge and students have varied experiences there. I was in the honors college and had smart/dorky friends and we didn't care about greek life or football. If a kid falls in that realm I'd feel fine about them going there. If a kid is deadset on rushing, I would be more concerned because I think they've done an abysmal job at handling hazing and binge drinking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two lumbering mediocre schools.

This is not helpful nor adds to thread, actually it's pretty rude. Shame on you.

By the rankings,they are mediocre schools.

#59 (UMD) and #63 (Penn State) out of 400 ranked schools on USNWR and out of the 4,000 schools in the US. Hardly mediocre. OP, they are both great schools. I’d pick whichever feels right when you’re there.

+1 as far as I am concerned they are both highly ranked. Elitism is not pretty. Nephew is at Penn State with a 4.0 in computer science is a freaking whiz. And the smartest kids I know from my kids public high school go to Maryland—I am talking perfect stats and teenage business owners. Calling UMD and Penn State mediocre is just nasty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two lumbering mediocre schools.

This is not helpful nor adds to thread, actually it's pretty rude. Shame on you.

NP. Oh, stop with the “shame on you”! So tired of this ridiculous, worthless phrase.

Alright you lumbering lunks, PSU is not for everyone, but all this posturing is useless. PSU has facilities in things like nanoscience/chemistry and turf development that other universities don’t have. Investigate what’s there for your kid.