I know the feeling. D19 goes to a private school (we get FA) and she has friends going to Brown and Lehigh and Lafayette. I worry about the inevitable comparisons she will make.
I have been following this thread for a while. DS is a freshman at an OOS flagship. Turned down the full tuition Presidential at Temple- just couldn’t see himself there. Did get merit money where he is now equal to half tuition. DD is HS jr- does not have the same super high stats he did. We will be looking at West Chester, maybe a few other PA state schools and maybe a few OOS schools where her stats will help with getting some merit.(We will not get need based aid.) I know several people wth kids at PASSHE schools- they all seem happy, but I am worried that DD won’t really be interested- having been through tours with her brother- she is hoping for “better” choices. sigh…
Can anyone comment on Millersville and East Stroudsburg? My nephew from NJ is considering both. Would very much like to hear your evaluations.
@oldbrookie I think Millersville is overall a stronger school academically than East Stroudsburg. However, which is a better school for a individual student really depends on major. Each PASSHE school has some specialties in which they excel.
@oldbrookie : what are your nephew 's stats and what does he wish to major in?
@MYOS1634 he has a 3.35 uw gpa and a 1210 SAT. He is interested in something along the lines of physical therapy or athletic training. He has a few acceptances in hand including both Millersville and ESU and is waiting on a few other decisions.He likes both and I suspect they may well be among his most economical options. I have no familiarity with these two schools and I was hoping to gain a little insight.
Did he apply to West Chester? I know there a lot of students in athletic training there. I do not believe that any of the PASSHE schools have a straight to DPT physical therapy program, so if that is the goal he would need to go to a separate grad school.
http://www.educationnews.org/career-index/physical-therapy-schools-in-pennsylvania/
Did he apply to Gannon? St Francis has a great PT program. Slippery Rock is mentioned on the above PT list.
East Stroudsburg is very good in the athletic training and exercise science fields, with accredited undergraduate and graduate level programs in both.
For his stats, he’d get a nice scholarship at Slippery Rock, which is better for these subjects than either ESU or Millersville. Also SUNY Cortland would be better for that area of study and very accessible academically.
Seconding Gannon.
A shot in the dark, but are there any decent theater programs with some reputation behind them at any PASSHE schools?
Thank you all! It is my understanding that he has also applied to SUNY Cortland. He and my boy are the same age, have similar stats, and are good friends. Up to them, but my sister and I would not be unhappy to see our kids at the same school. My kid is an athlete so there is that overlay. Thanks again.
I seem to remember that IUP is kinda known for theater. I know they hold auditions for HS applicants.
Interesting…The value of a college degree is increasing according to the Chair of the Federal Reserve…Maybe they want us to take out more loans???
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/business/economy/yellen-tells-college-graduates-that-value-of-a-degree-is-rising.html?ref=todayspaper&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&_r=0
Well, the new administration wants to limit loans (not sure if it’s encompass PLUS and Stafford and to what extent) and perhaps Pell grants. So, rock, meet hard place.
@MYOS1634 … Fascinating! From an middle class, good but not exceptional student/family perspective…This process for a PA resident continues to make less and less sense the further we get into it!!!
There is always a reaction to every action, right? These may cause more private lenders to open new programs, or it may put more pressure on states such as ours to fund higher ed to stay competitive. It may push private colleges to keep costs down. One can only hope for positive outcomes.
As we continue to despair over the cost of college in Pa, here’s what New York is announcing today:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/nyregion/free-tuition-new-york-colleges-plan.html
Good for New Yorkers. In the 'knowledge economy ’ the more educated your residents, the better off the state.
To be fair, nys already has HEOP, EOP, TAP grants to complement federal aid and free tuition for stem majors.
No need for such a giant step in PA:
If Pennsylvania could just go back to 2007 -level per-student funding at state schools, (not even asking for going to former per-student funding for the state-related ones) and could increase state grants to cover full tuition at state and state-related universities for students within specific ranges of high school achievement and income (so, not for all students but, say, 2.7 at PASSHE schools, 3.3 at Temple, 3.7 at Pitt and Penn State + not up to 125k but up to ? 85k income? )
Not sure how much traction it will get. I wish PA would get its act together, but I am not a fan of absolute income cutoffs. You shouldn’t incentivize families to make slightly less than the cutoff without other stipulations but such a potentially large payoff.