<p>Hi, lately I've been considering Penn State at University Park more and more due to its comparatively low price as well as high ranking in engineering, which is what I plan on majoring in. Has anybody on these forums attended Penn State for engineering? If so, did you you like/dislike it and please give some details about your experience.</p>
<p>Well I’m currently attending Penn State for CS…(forgoing many arguments on this post)…which is in the College of Engineering. My experience has been great.
Ive been heavily involved in one of the engineering orgs on campus (president this past year)
After getting an internship my freshman year, I found it very easy to find internships my Sophomore and Junior summers (I’m going to be a senior this upcoming year) In other words the job offers for the engineers here do not seem to be lacking and the employers definitely seem to respect the degree.
Most of my classes have been ok (none of the actual major classes have been big at all, but I hated physics personally :P.)
Also one thing I found that I really like about PSU in choosing it is the social scene. I visited other science schools and chose Penn State because of the sports scene (I love Penn State football, got my tix this morning actually!) and the ability to basically find any type of group here because there are just so many people. You can go out and party if you want to, if not theres late night with a free movie and cheap food and there are sooooo many clubs/Orgs.</p>
<p>Ive also been able to hold a semi-decent GPA (was a bit hard with a research/job/org/girlfriend) time-management would be the key I suppose.</p>
<p>Overall I’ve had a good experience thus far. I have found others who haven’t quite had the same experience. I would strongly suggest visiting the school if you can.</p>
<p>S is a rising senior at PSU majoring in ME. He is very happy he decided to attend PSU and is quite satisfied with the ME courses he has taken so far and the professors who taught them. Like CH121S, he very much disliked (hated) physics, particularly the way the department constructed its tests. On the other hand, he has nothing but good things to say about the engineering department, its faculty, and opportunities. (The physics department is part of science, not engineering).</p>
<p>Sounds like a great school! Considering its about 1/2 the price of Drexel University, it seems the be the smarter choice.</p>
<p>DS visited both schools last summer, so not the same first-hand experience other posters have. Have a few thoughts to add, though.</p>
<p>LOTS of differences between Penn State and Drexel. When it comes to engineering education, though, you’d be fine at either school. Drexel really emphasizes co-op, although it’s available at PSU. That would be the main educational advantage I see for Drexel if you want that. You can also expect smaller classes for the most part in your first couple of years.</p>
<p>Penn State has the advantage of many more offerings outside of engineering, either for electives or if you decide to change majors. It also has a huge alumni network, which could come into play when job hunting in the future.</p>
<p>Socially, the differences are even greater. One is in a city (with all the associated plusses and minuses), while the other is isolated. One has a relatively weak “college experience”, in my opinion, while the other is extensive. One is huge, while the other is medium-sized. You really have to know what you want from your college years to make this choice, and then factor in the costs. There may be other schools which combine elements of each in a way which is better than either of them. I stronly second the suggestion to visit any school you’re planning to spend four(+) years of your life at.</p>
<p>I would also like to inquire about the dorm status at Penn State. One of my friends who has been there numerous times told me that they are really crappy. Is this true?</p>
<p>Yep Dorms pretty much suck…at least Freshman dorms generally do. I would say tho Freshman dorms are the most fun as you’re surrounded by many other freshmen ;).</p>