Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 00:02     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For a Big 10 school, Penn State has one of the more rural, remote locations. State College, PA is cute but tiny. Compared to Columbus or Ann Arbor or Madison or Bloomington… No wonder Pitt is surging. PSU is a school for football fans only.



I grew up in rural PA, and I always heard that Penn State was located there because it was close to the geographical center of the state. But it has turned out to be the middle of nowhere, as there isn't anything there other than the school and a town that serves it.

What has to be scary financially for Penn State is that the rural/small-town PA where I grew up was always the core of its student body. The state supported three big schools: Penn State, Pitt, and Temple. The Philly kids gravitated to Temple, the western PA kids to Pitt, and everyone in-between Philly and Pittsburgh (the big area that James Carville used to call "Alabama") would try to get into Penn State. It was an overwhelmingly white, small-town crowd, very into football and wrestling.

But that part of PA is what has slid badly over the past generation, and it has even worse days ahead. Other than Lancaster and a few others, most of the small towns and cities have depopulated and the people who are left are struggling, with much poverty and addiction. Fracking has brought a few pockets of new workers, but not really the crowd looking to go to Penn State.

For Penn State, the demographic cliff is worse because it is in a declining state, with its core coming from the most declining part of the declining state. But at the same time, its reputation in the Philly area is mostly as a white very non-diverse school for the middle part of the state. And in the Pittsburgh area, it's just Pitt's rival (with Pitt having some pretty great days TBH). I hadn't seen any of the OOS admissions numbers, but if they are as high as a PP listed, there's a tough road ahead for Penn State.

Bottomline is I would look elsewhere if your child wants the big state school atmosphere. For the good, but not stellar, big state schools, I would definitely look at Indiana, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Pitt, South Carolina (although Virginia Tech and Pitt aren't as rah-rah as the others). For the slightly more competitive ones, maybe Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue (if STEM). For tougher admits, Michigan or UNC. These all seem like better choices than Penn State.


Good summary and college list!


+1
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 23:56     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:With Michigan State, I don't recall alumni and students coming to the defense of the perpetrators. It was universal revulsion.

At Penn State, their football-obsessed alumni spent years defending the perpetrators, especially Joe Paterno the coach who facilitated and protected Sandusky. And it wasn't just a few crazed fans, but was a majority opinion for years among alumni in surveys. That's the troubling legacy at Penn State.

And of course, it is a lackluster school academically.


How is it lacklustre? I’ve heard that for some programs/majors it compares to the ivies and/or is better.


Ummmm, no!

Compares to ivies and is better? What kool aid are you drinking! Not even close ……
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 23:25     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.


Most OOS kids aiming for PSU probably can’t get into those two, especially UVA.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 22:16     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote: When my kid was considering going there I bought up the Sandusky/Paterno scandals and crimes. He had never even heard about it. I was shocked, but kid was only 7 when Sandusky was convicted.

I don't think it is currently a factor when kids are deciding.

The very sad, horrible and very preventable Piazza death gave me a more recent concern


Yes. The Piazza death and how the school handled it was unconscionable.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 22:13     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.

I feel the same way, but Penn State has a major that UMD doesn't. And DC said they wanted to leave MD. We don't have enough for full 4 yrs oos, but they have some money from their grandparent, so they know they will have to use that money (all of it) to help pay for it. We won't be taking out loans.

The other thing is that Penn State has a very strong alumni network. I don't think UMD has as strong a network, and I say this as a parent of a current Terp.

Trying to convince DC to go instate first two years then transfer to Penn State, but I think they want full four years there if they can, which I can understand.

Still financially, I don't think it makes that much sense.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 21:37     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.


No clue. Could it be that UMD is more selective than when you and I and the dinosaurs were applying to colleges? And UVA is UVA always has been selective. So other nearby state flagships have come into the mix for reasons such as schools being few hours driving distance from home, size of student population, program offerings. Do wonder about schools' funding under Orange2.0?
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 21:03     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.


School spirit. My kid is there and loves it. Very strong in certain programs, including hers.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 20:25     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Penn State lost its luster and prestige over a decade ago and still trying to climb back.


Why?



Sandusky (and Paterno).

After the scandal, the state ramped up its requirements for clearances such as being a parent volunteer. The nickname for this was ‘Sandusky Clearance.”
The university let a top football coach rape young children on campus and in Penn State programs for many years. The state should have shut down the entire place
You feel the same way about Michigan State?


And Michigan and USC.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 20:20     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.


We live in Maryland and my daughter chose Penn State. She did not care for the UMD location and seemed to prefer a college town. Penn State became her top choice bc of the size of the school, school spirit, size of town (larger than Clemson/Harrisonburg) and proximity to home. She preferred it over Virginia Tech and chose it over Wisconsin. Her stats are not high enough for UVA. She felt it was the right fit for her and she is still very happy with her choice after revisiting for admitted students day and attending orientation. I can’t ask for anything better as she’s super excited to move in this August.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 19:32     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For a Big 10 school, Penn State has one of the more rural, remote locations. State College, PA is cute but tiny. Compared to Columbus or Ann Arbor or Madison or Bloomington… No wonder Pitt is surging. PSU is a school for football fans only.



I grew up in rural PA, and I always heard that Penn State was located there because it was close to the geographical center of the state. But it has turned out to be the middle of nowhere, as there isn't anything there other than the school and a town that serves it.

What has to be scary financially for Penn State is that the rural/small-town PA where I grew up was always the core of its student body. The state supported three big schools: Penn State, Pitt, and Temple. The Philly kids gravitated to Temple, the western PA kids to Pitt, and everyone in-between Philly and Pittsburgh (the big area that James Carville used to call "Alabama") would try to get into Penn State. It was an overwhelmingly white, small-town crowd, very into football and wrestling.

But that part of PA is what has slid badly over the past generation, and it has even worse days ahead. Other than Lancaster and a few others, most of the small towns and cities have depopulated and the people who are left are struggling, with much poverty and addiction. Fracking has brought a few pockets of new workers, but not really the crowd looking to go to Penn State.

For Penn State, the demographic cliff is worse because it is in a declining state, with its core coming from the most declining part of the declining state. But at the same time, its reputation in the Philly area is mostly as a white very non-diverse school for the middle part of the state. And in the Pittsburgh area, it's just Pitt's rival (with Pitt having some pretty great days TBH). I hadn't seen any of the OOS admissions numbers, but if they are as high as a PP listed, there's a tough road ahead for Penn State.

Bottomline is I would look elsewhere if your child wants the big state school atmosphere. For the good, but not stellar, big state schools, I would definitely look at Indiana, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Pitt, South Carolina (although Virginia Tech and Pitt aren't as rah-rah as the others). For the slightly more competitive ones, maybe Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue (if STEM). For tougher admits, Michigan or UNC. These all seem like better choices than Penn State.


Good summary and college list!
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 19:27     Subject: Penn State
it's a school in a state that has Philly on the east, Pitt on west and a whole lotta Alabama in the middle. -said someone
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 19:26     Subject: Penn State
Here’s my question about Penn State for DMV families… why would you want your child to go there instead of UVA or UMD? Yes, College Park is a construction site and has never been pretty, but they are all three good schools with fun athletics and amazing academics. Why pay to go to another state’s flagship? My DH wants my son to apply there and I cannot get him to articulate why it would be better than our home university! Not dissing it- honestly curious. If you can afford it, why did you choose it? Just to get away from the area? Is it really the Happy Valley? What makes it the special place?.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 18:50     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How is the honors program/college?


It's highly regarded. Kind of tough to get in. We live in a pretty decent school district, and the kids who get into Schreyer are generally top 10% of the class, and very highly motivated.

Yes, seven campuses are closing. They are so rural, and so small, that I predict only a modest impact on admissions to Main Campus. A lot of those kids simply won't go to college -- their parents are already telling them it's a waste of money. And a lot more will probably go to one of the bigger satellite campuses -- Altoona, Erie/Behrend, etc.

Penn State is never going to die, but it is certainly in flux since Sandusky times. Pitt became the hot admit among the three state-supported schools (Pitt, Penn State, Temple). But it is still an enormously popular choice, with tremendous alumni support.


The main campus has seen some significant expansion in the last decade. The branch campuses being closed comprised roughly 5% of the student body, so I understand the mathematics. That's going to be a huge blow to the towns hosting those remote campuses.

As for the main campus experience, the town would like to pretend it's independent of PSU. That's never going to be the case though. The town exists mostly to cater to the students and their parents. Due to the smaller size, it's mostly walkable. I didn't have a car when I went there and rarely rode the bus.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 18:41     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Penn State lost its luster and prestige over a decade ago and still trying to climb back.


Why?



Sandusky (and Paterno).

After the scandal, the state ramped up its requirements for clearances such as being a parent volunteer. The nickname for this was ‘Sandusky Clearance.”



And you think any of the kids who are there now have any idea who Sandusky or Paterno were? You're dating yourself, PP.




The poster questioned why PSU was on the decline and this was a factual answer as to part of the why. But it certainly was in the back of our minds when looking at colleges. Of all the schools DC considered, they actually offered the most merit but DC ultimately decided against PSU for reasons unrelated to Sandusky. And yes, we told them about the scandal bc it’s an important part of PSU to know about and for anyone seriously considering the school can’t imagine this does not come up in their research. We knew they would not choose it and basically made them apply as a true safety. So while the students may not care, some of us parents do as well agree that some PSU supporters want to pretend like it never occurred. Some PSU administrators and coaches chose football and money over innocent and vulnerable children and their parents. PERIOD. That said we know many wonderful students and families who chose PSU and the scandal is having less impact but it will always be a stain in their history. And most schools have a stain, just some are more egregious and public.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 18:37     Subject: Penn State
Anonymous wrote:For a Big 10 school, Penn State has one of the more rural, remote locations. State College, PA is cute but tiny. Compared to Columbus or Ann Arbor or Madison or Bloomington… No wonder Pitt is surging. PSU is a school for football fans only.



I grew up in rural PA, and I always heard that Penn State was located there because it was close to the geographical center of the state. But it has turned out to be the middle of nowhere, as there isn't anything there other than the school and a town that serves it.

What has to be scary financially for Penn State is that the rural/small-town PA where I grew up was always the core of its student body. The state supported three big schools: Penn State, Pitt, and Temple. The Philly kids gravitated to Temple, the western PA kids to Pitt, and everyone in-between Philly and Pittsburgh (the big area that James Carville used to call "Alabama") would try to get into Penn State. It was an overwhelmingly white, small-town crowd, very into football and wrestling.

But that part of PA is what has slid badly over the past generation, and it has even worse days ahead. Other than Lancaster and a few others, most of the small towns and cities have depopulated and the people who are left are struggling, with much poverty and addiction. Fracking has brought a few pockets of new workers, but not really the crowd looking to go to Penn State.

For Penn State, the demographic cliff is worse because it is in a declining state, with its core coming from the most declining part of the declining state. But at the same time, its reputation in the Philly area is mostly as a white very non-diverse school for the middle part of the state. And in the Pittsburgh area, it's just Pitt's rival (with Pitt having some pretty great days TBH). I hadn't seen any of the OOS admissions numbers, but if they are as high as a PP listed, there's a tough road ahead for Penn State.

Bottomline is I would look elsewhere if your child wants the big state school atmosphere. For the good, but not stellar, big state schools, I would definitely look at Indiana, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Pitt, South Carolina (although Virginia Tech and Pitt aren't as rah-rah as the others). For the slightly more competitive ones, maybe Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue (if STEM). For tougher admits, Michigan or UNC. These all seem like better choices than Penn State.