<p>My son is deciding between Colgate, Penn State, GWU and Villanova. He is particularly good in the Sciences (and is thinking Engineering) and maybe less so in Languages. Penn State and Villanova seem to be noted for their engineering schools, yet Colgate is a smaller place likely with an emphasis on teaching (I think he is concerned about too much focus being placed on him, rather than being able to be an in-the-back-of-the-class kind of guy. GWU is good and in a fun town. </p>
<p>Coming from PA, I chose Colgate for the better academic reputation and the feel of the school. Penn St just seemed gigantic to me. Colgate is pretty strong in the sciences, but there is no engineering without being in a 3-2 program, which seems like too much of a hassle to me.</p>
<p>definitely not GWU for engineering.
Colgate doesnt even have an engineering major.
between Penn State and Villanova, I would go to Penn State if you can handle the huge campus.</p>
<p>If he doesnt want to do engineering, definitely Colgate.</p>
<p>GW's engineering is a small school within the university, so students get a lot of attention from the faculty. The faculty-student ration for GW is 8-1. GW also boasts a large female engineering population. DC, in general, has a lot of internship/research opportunity in any field. Engineering students have opportunities to work with government contractors or AOL, just to name a few.</p>
<p>GW engineering definitely has strengths, so I suggest taking a deeper look.</p>
<p>Thank you for the comments. Maybe I shouldn't have limited the interest to "engineering." My S also has an interest in hard sciences, e.g., physics. I heard that Colgate does have some pretty gooh hard science programs, true?</p>
<p>Colgate is rediculously isolated, unlike the other three schools. If campus life and location is important to him (if he's the type of person who would want to get off campus once in a while), Colgate might prove to be a bit boring.</p>
<p>I know Penn State has a highly respected engineering program, and anyone I know who entered it is/was very happy and successful there.</p>
<p>I've never been to any of these schools, and don't know much about any of them, but as a general rule of thumb, the school with the best academic reputation (in this case Colgate, I think) will have a more qualified student body. This is desireable in terms of class discussions, study partners, project partners, and FRIENDS etc.</p>
<p>Colgate would seem to be the winner to me in that group. Colgate and Villanova are not in the same ballpark, in my opinion. I loved the Colgate campus and there is tons to do every weekend. It does get cold, though.</p>
<p>Colgate- small and isolated LAC big emphasis on sports, drinking, and frats. however, has the best 'name' of the 4 schools, top notch academics, and incredibly strong sense of community, and strong alumni networks. one of my personal favorites.</p>
<p>Penn State- HUGE state school- huge emphasis on football/tailgates/frats/partying. preppy/jocks. academically sound for a large state university. one of the largest alumni networks in the country (due to the size of the student population)</p>
<p>GWU- very little athletic reputation (except for mens bbball), verrrry spread out throughout DC, but DC is a fantastic college town with so many internship opportunities. has a reputation of wealthy preppy students. not much sense of community/school spirit because of lack of campus and size.</p>
<p>Villanova- medium sized catholic school, mostly white students from the northeast. great mens bball! lots of drinking and frats, secluded but close enough to philly.</p>
<p>Colgate is by far the strongest school academically among these choices. Yes, it is strong in science (an enormous amount of $$ is going into a new science center on campus currently under construction); math is also strong.</p>
<p>GW is not spread out throughout DC. It's concentrated on a 5x6 city blocks. Students are never taking public transportation to get to class - the campus is extremely walkable. To get from one side of campus to the other takes about 15 minutes. We do have the Mt. Vernon Campus, but the shuttle only takes 7-8 minutes, but the majority of classes are located on the downtown Foggy Bottom Campus. The basketball season and the major events on campus (fall fest, spring fling, etc) do a great job fostering a sense of GW community. I would recommend touring GW to get a true sense of our unique campus.</p>
<p>If he got into Colgate - it seems like he might get into Schreyer Honors at Penn State. I think the honors program can go a long way toward making PSU feel a bit smaller. If he didn't apply, he could try for junior year. My son's friend is going to PSU for engineering - they have a great reputation and the graduates do well. Schreyer is an added bonus for those who can get in.</p>