<p>No insult to me, I am a UConn grad. But I did live in New York for a number of years, and am aware that a number of the SUNY campuses are quite good. Also that there are a number of outstanding public engineering schools in the Northeast, including UConn. Also, in defense of branch campuses–for a variety of reasons, I did not live at home but attended a branch of UConn for my first 3 semesters. It was great–much smaller classes than at the main branch (e.g., intro classes with 25 students vs. the 200+ at the main campus), I knew all of my professors (almost impossible at the main campus), much easier for me to work (not a lot around UConn at the time where one could find a job). When I went to the main campus, I was taking all upperclass classes that were relatively small. Feel like I had the best of both worlds from an academic perspective, would not change it.</p>
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<p>My D1 who started at a PSU branch campus (she insisted on living at home–wanted no part of the party scene at UP) was also accepted at U. of Wisconsin-Madison. Yup. She chose PSU branch over Wisconsin-Madison and University Park. Her decision had nothing to do with money–I was willing to pay (she didn’t qualify for financial aid). On her first day of class she met a HS valedictorian who chose the PSU branch over UP and a bunch of privates.</p>
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MOWC, are we missing a “negative” here? Like a “not” before the “normally”?</p>
<p>Yes- good catch. I guess I was trying to be less “negative”! :)</p>
<p>Plainsman- Did that high school val have one of those 1400 out of 2400 SAT scores?</p>
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<p>Actually that HS Val was accepted at UP but decided to start at a branch because she wanted to continue living at home and enjoying the life she knew for two more years. You’re entitled to your own opinion but it sounds elitist. You’re saying the first two years of education at a PSU branch is a worthless experience? Or is not a good college experience? That’s crazy. A good college experience is defined by each individual student, not by you or me. Does it bother you so much that half of PSU’s grads, or almost half, started somewhere other than UP but have the exact same degree as your niece? I think it is a terrific system. I’m not originally from PA. I knew nothing about their 2+2 system until I moved here. I think it’s fantastic. </p>
<p>My D2 was accepted outright to UP but declined. She also declined Cornell and some other privates and is now at Oberlin. She might’ve gone to UP had her sister not been there (sibling rivalry, I guess). PSU is an outstanding university system. I think it’s the best state university system in the country becomes of its consistency in educating students across some 20 campuses and giving almost all of them the opportunity to graduate with a degree from University Park, if they choose to do so. That’s terrific. It doesn’t matter where you start and transferring is automatic and done for you, unless your major is a competitive program like business or engineering, which require a certain GPA from your first two years to be considered. </p>
<p>I hate what most states do: UC-Berkley, UC-Davis, UC-Los Angeles, UC-San Diego, U of Minnesota-Minneapolis, U of Minnesota-Morris, U of Wisconsin-Madison/LaCrosse/etc./etc./etc, Illinois-Chicago Circle, Illinois-Urbana Champaign. They are really separate universities.</p>
<p>My only complaint about PSU, regardless of campus, is that I think it is expensive for in-state students compared to other flagship publics. Oberlin costs 54K per year. With her merit scholarship, I’m paying the same thing for my D2 to attend Oberlin as it would’ve cost me to send her to PSU-University Park. PSU didn’t offer merit or any other kind of financial aid, based on FAFSA</p>
<p>If you want to live at home, then obviously the branch campus is an option. I always question when kids want to live at home when it isn’t for financial reasons, but you and I have had this discussion before when you dismissed every university in the country as a poor option for your daughter who didn’t want a party school, a conservative school or one more than a few hours from home. </p>
<p>It still doesn’t make sense to me for an out of state student to start at a Penn State branch campus.</p>
<p>Look at the stats for the branch campuses. It’s not a matter of being elitist. It’s a matter of hoping one’s classmates can read and write. I have no concern about my niece’s degree. I’m glad she graduated and I’m glad she got a job!</p>
<p>If you are a less than stellar student from New York, with scores that will get you into SUNY-Buffalo, you will probably get into PSU-Altoona. If you go to Buffalo, you’ll spend four years with students who may or may not read or write. If you go to Altoona and work hard, you can eventually move to UP, where most of the students can read and write.</p>
<p>1moremom–another attack on SUNY! Go look at collegeboard–SUNY Buffalo’s SAT scores are only about 10 to 20 points below those of PSU-UP. I am pretty confident that the great majority of students at SUNY Buffalo can read and write. It and the other SUNY main campuses (Albany, Binghamton, Stony Brook) are very good schools and a great in state option for lots of very smart kids from NY.</p>
<p>momofwildchild–as I said in an earlier post, I went to a UConn branch for 3 semesters and I think I read and write reasonably well. I graduated with highest honors from UConn, was accepted at several top 20 law schools, graduated with highest honors from law school, obtained a prestigious clerkship with a federal judge, worked at one of the top ten law firms in the country on Wall Street, was made a partner at my current firm faster than any lawyer ever has been, and am the youngest person ever to serve on the executive committee of my current firm. My wife also went to a branch campus, graduated with highest honors, and has graduate degrees from NYU and Columbia, I believe that she reads and writes pretty well. Again, both of us managed to do OK notwithstanding that we attended a branch campus. I found more people to be genuinely engaged in their academics at the branch I went to than at the main campus, where the primary focus seemed to be how drunk one could get on Thursday through Sat nights. Just like Plainsman’s D, people end up at branches for lots of reasons, whether financial, family situation, other.</p>
<p>A lot of ignorance on this board.</p>
<p>nepop- Are we talking about CT? Uh- no. We are talking about the PA branch system and I know quite a bit about it. LOOK AT THE STATS! A little defensive, maybe?</p>
<p>I was afraid you would take it that way. I was not attacking SUNY; I was referring back to MOWC’s rude comment about “hoping one’s classmates can read and write.” The only reason SUNY came up in the first place is that the majority of the OOS students at PSU are from New York state. I picked Buffalo because their mid range SAT scores are almost identical to PSU-Altoona’s. I was trying to make the point that, if a kid didn’t get into PSU-UP; they were probably going to be attending another school with students having similar academic stats (be it PSU-Altoona or Buffalo), who in MOWC’s thinking, may or may not be able to read and write.</p>
<p>Ya know, the thing about me is that I say what I mean and don’t go back and say “Oh, I was afraid you would take it that way!” Is that some form of passive-aggressiveness? If you want to insult the NY state schools (which you are doing) go ahead and do it and don’t act shocked that someone sees your remarks for what they are!</p>
<p>I am not insulting them; I am throwing them in with PSU-Altoona, which I have been defending as a reasonable option for some students.</p>
<p>Thank You. The information we are receiving is a great help!</p>
<p>Stats look good for PSU-UP, apply early. UNC is a reach, original essay and maybe a retake SAT would help.</p>
<p>Lots of students from our area (in-state) apply only to PSU. It is a simple application, and I would get it out ASAP since they do rolling admissions. Your D might also want to give Schreyer a try - it is a reach and unpredictable, but she would have a shot at it, and if she gets in there are some nice perks. If she is at all serious about attending PSU, she should also get her housing deposit in well before May 1. Unless she gets into Schreyer (honors housing is guaranteed), she could end up in` temporary housing if she waits too long. (The PSU board would have more on this.)</p>
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I hate what most states do: UC-Berkley, UC-Davis, UC-Los Angeles, UC-San Diego, U of Minnesota-Minneapolis, U of Minnesota-Morris, U of Wisconsin-Madison/LaCrosse/etc./etc./etc, Illinois-Chicago Circle, Illinois-Urbana Champaign. They are really separate universities.*</p>
<p>Actually…I like what other states do… I think each university should be a stand alone university. UCLA has its own teams/sports. Berkeley has its own team/sports…etc…etc…</p>
<p>It would be silly for the UCs to have one “main” campus (Berkeley) with only one team name/sports…and the other schools some kind of sub-school of UCB.</p>
<p>I understand WHY Penn State does what it does, but I’m glad that many other states don’t do that.</p>
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<p>OMG, I can’t believe you said that! So, a HS kid with a 2.9 GPA probably can’t read or write? I guess only National Merit Scholars deserve a college education? And where is your evidence that the kids who started at branch campuses and were automatically transferred junior year to University Park, into the same classrooms with kids who started at UP as frosh, became miserable failures and flunked out because “they couldn’t read or write?”</p>
<p>My God. You’ve insulted probably the biggest university alumni association in America.</p>
<p>Yup. As of July 1, 2010 513,149 total alumni worldwide.:)</p>
<p>[At</a> a Glance — Penn State Alumni Association](<a href=“http://alumni.psu.edu/about_us/at-a-glance]At”>http://alumni.psu.edu/about_us/at-a-glance)</p>
<p>We are…Penn State. Go Lions!</p>
<p>brought to you by a proud parent of a recent alumni who is at one of the top graduate schools in his major in the world!</p>
<p>But can he read and write?</p>