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 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.

Anonymous wrote:I went to Va Tech as an undergrad and Penn State as a graduate student. Both campuses are rural, but I found Penn State to be annoyingly desolate. Its closest city is Altoona (35 minutes plus away), which is severely deficient in any culture. At Penn State your outlet would be whatever exists in State College. Trust me over the course of four or five years it gets boring quickly. The local population consists of hillbilly folk and I believe Bellefonte or a town near it is known for its incestuous activity. Really there is a research group that is studying (or did studied) this bizarre phenomenon. I preferred Va Tech for its smaller student population, its beautiful campus, and its proximity to other universities

And what city is close to VA Tech? Roanoke? Puhleeze.

PSU is 2.5 hrs to Pittsburgh, 3 hours to Philly, and 3.5 to New York City.

It takes more than 4 hours to get to DC from Tech and that involves taking 81 and 66, which means it normally takes much longer.

Blacksburg wins the "hillbilly" battle hands down, if that is your criteria.

Anonymous wrote:In VA, Va tech, in PA, Penn State. Depends on the course of study if you are out of state.

In VA, Va tech...maybe? For all other states, Penn State. Not even a close call.

I went to Va Tech as an undergrad and Penn State as a graduate student. Both campuses are rural, but I found Penn State to be annoyingly desolate. Its closest city is Altoona (35 minutes plus away), which is severely deficient in any culture. At Penn State your outlet would be whatever exists in State College. Trust me over the course of four or five years it gets boring quickly. The local population consists of hillbilly folk and I believe Bellefonte or a town near it is known for its incestuous activity. Really there is a research group that is studying (or did studied) this bizarre phenomenon. I preferred Va Tech for its smaller student population, its beautiful campus, and its proximity to other universities

In VA, Va tech, in PA, Penn State. Depends on the course of study if you are out of state.

Anonymous wrote:Neither school has a strong national academic reputation, although Penn State -- because of its strong sports programs -- is certainly much better known. I wouldn't pay for either of these schools out of state (when there are far better and more impressive state choices, like Michigan, UVA, etc.), but if I lived in Pennsylvania, I'd choose PSU, and if I lived in Virginia I'd choose VA Tech.

I'd also let instate tuition decide between these two schools (and DD will probably go to Tech next year). And I personally cannot get beyond the S scandal for PSU to be an option. That aside, PSU is ranked by USNWR at #37 and Tech is #70-something plus? Say what you will about USNWR rankings but it's hard to see that and say these two schools are "comparable" in national academic reputation.

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.

Neither school has a strong national academic reputation, although Penn State -- because of its strong sports programs -- is certainly much better known. I wouldn't pay for either of these schools out of state (when there are far better and more impressive state choices, like Michigan, UVA, etc.), but if I lived in Pennsylvania, I'd choose PSU, and if I lived in Virginia I'd choose VA Tech.

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.

So you folks are doing tit for tat which school is the most heinous? Kids, please!

Anonymous wrote:Too many kids being killed in VA Tech. Sorry...

Too many kids being raped at Penn State. Sorry...

Trolling the notorious Va Tech booster is just too much fun to resist.

Anonymous wrote:

Some children never grow up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Tech has the best animal husbandry program in the state. When it comes to learning goat breeding, Tech is the clear choice, it puts that fancy Penn State to shame.

LOL!

Hee Haw!