Choosing a college in PA

<p>so im a senior in Philadelphia and im looking at colleges that i might attend and its so stressful trying to find the perfect school for me. I wanted to make a list of 10 schools by october so i can start looking up the requirements. Can any of you guys recommend some good 4 year colleges in PA? Ivy league schools are out of the question</p>

<p>There are at least 80 four year colleges/universities in PA, not counting the branch campuses of Penn State and Pitt. Any way to narrow down the list?</p>

<p>I’m interested in business and technology, I’m looking for a residential college and a campus were the students are welcoming and there’s always something to do . I want to have a fun college experience while having a serious education. My GPA is 3.5</p>

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<p>What are your SAT scores? Maybe Pitt? Is money a concern? Villanova?</p>

<p>I got a 440 on math 430 on reading and writing but I was checking out U Pitt and Im not interested in Villanova. money is somewhat of an issue but having a good future doesn’t come cheap so ill take care of that</p>

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<p>I think you should take a look at the state colleges in PA [Welcome</a> to the PA State System of Higher Education](<a href=“Home | PA State System of Higher Education”>Home | PA State System of Higher Education) and perhaps Lincoln. I think Mercyhurst, Lycoming, Gannon, and DeSales might be options also. Do you plan on taking the SAT again? I think you’d have a much better shot if you could get closer to 480 on each section. Definitely check out Gwynedd-Mercy. Your scores are already in range for them. Juniata is test optional. You’d have to submit 2 graded essays instead of SATs.</p>

<p>Consider some test optional schools. Perhaps U of Scranton, Muhlenberg…
[SAT/ACT</a> Optional 4-Year Universities | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state]SAT/ACT”>http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state)</p>

<p>@reeinz thanks ill check out Lincoln, Juanita, lycoming and the state schools I don’t really want to go to a catholic college but thanks for the suggestions</p>

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<p>@happy1 thanks ill check that list out,
So there’s no chance for me to get into Penn state main or upitt with my scores</p>

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<p>Doubtful… and there won’t be much, if any, money aside from PHEAA.</p>

<p>Can you retest or take the ACT? The October ACT registration ends this week (without a late fee). I’d recommend signing up for it and studying for it. It might open up a lot more options for you.</p>

<p>Otherwise, yes, check out the state school system (Penn St and Pitt are state related, not true state schools). Many students go to the state schools and are perfectly happy. They also cost less.</p>

<p>you might want to look at u of toledo or youngstown state over in ohio! lots of great schools in pa, but unless you do something about the sat I do not know. (and, I never try to guess what ad. offices may or may not do)</p>

<p>Most of the state schools are pretty far from cities, but they have lots of activities. My daughter loved Mansfield, but that would be a huge cultural shock coming from Philly since it’s in the middle of nowhere. Kutztown is a big party school but has good academics. </p>

<p>Marywood and Kings are Catholic but very welcoming to nonCatholics. DeSales sent our kid a letter on how to convert even before she applied… The privates have better financial aid than the states, so apply to a couple and see if they are affordable.</p>

<p>Im retaking the SAT in november so hopefully i do better im just not a good test taker. I heard the state schools are good so i’ll check them out and a lot of private schools are great too and SAT optional so ill look into those more too. At my school most kids go to kultztown so i dont want to attend there lol. What state schools/private would you recommend for technology or business?</p>

<p>It is easy to get into a Penn State branch. You then are guaranteed transfer to U. Park if you successfully complete 2 years. Many people avoid the Penn State branches, however, because they have limited or no housing and because they are more expensive than the state-owned universities.</p>

<p>Pitt also has 3 branch campuses in western PA., some of which have on-campus housing. You might look at their guaranteed transfer policies to the main campus.</p>

<p>Unless you can bring up your scores, I think direct admittance to the main campuses of Pitt or Penn State will be a problem. Some people do better on the ACT than the SAT - everyone should take both.</p>

<p>If you want an affordable four year on-campus experience, then the state-owned universities (Millersville, Kutztown, etc) are your best bet. However, most of the state owned universities have not emphasized technological fields. Shippensburg U. is one that emphasizes business. </p>

<p>You might also look at Penn College of Technology in Williamsport. It is affiliated with Penn State. They have adjacent housing that is privately managed.</p>

<p>If you are seriously interested in the technological fields, I would take a good look at the community colleges. They often offer a good range, and they are a fraction of the price of for-profit technological schools.</p>

<p>Thanks, I’m going to look into more sat optional colleges and check out more private schools because they do offer a generous amount of need based aid but my back up plan will be to go to a state school </p>

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