I think many posters had kids that will be starting college this fall, and I’ve wondered where they applied and where they will be going.
Care to update?
I miss the older thread and would also like to hear updates from others. My D17 finished her sophomore year at West Chester. She’s going to France (Grenoble) in September for a semester abroad. My S17 will be transferring to Shippensburg in August if he does well enough in his 3 summer courses at HACC.
I miss the old thread as well. I never understood why they locked it down. Was useful. My rising senior is interested in Bloom. IUP is interested in her for soccer but she can’t get past the lunch table talk. Too bad. She is looking at Bloom, Kent State, John Carroll and WVU. Older sis is at Cleveland State. Would really enjoy hearing from others.
Well I know there were more than 3 of us on the old thread! Maybe they aren’t here anymore or with the college search over, don’t visit as often.
@kidzncatz My D18 finished freshman year at West Chester and is annoyed she missed the Dean’s list, but Calc II apparently kicked her butt and that was with tutoring; she is definitely being challenged there. She also thought she would do a semester abroad, but she hasn’t looked into it and she needs to find out the costs before we go down that road. I was willing to pay for the older two but they weren’t interested. ?? Good luck to your son on the summer courses so he can transfer in August.
@bester1 From what I remember, I think you felt Bloom would be a good choice for your younger daughter, glad to see it is still under consideration. My friend’s son is there and in their medical imaging program, also having a tough time, but is otherwise happy there. I also remember your older one at Cleveland State, as we looked at that w/ D18. Hope she is happy there as well.
Maybe a few from the old post will update here as well, before it disappears off the main page or gets closed.
I never posted on the old thread, but I did read it, and found it very helpful. So many thanks, to all of you, for the enlightening discussion! My daughter just finished her freshman year at West Chester. A slightly rocky start, but she settled in spring semester, and is very attached to the school now. She entered undeclared but has since found a major and career path she’s excited about. It’s a little unconventional, so I just hope that she’ll continue to find what she needs there.
@laralei …She does like Bloom. She is going to look at West Chester. Luvs John Carroll but did not like Baldwin Wallace(I really liked it). Likes Kent State for the size and campus feel, and WVU because it is close to home, large and lots of big time sports but at the same time she does not like Slippery Rock because it is close to home(I think it has more to do with lunch time table talk than anything). She hated Gannon, and felt like PSU Behrend was just a branch.
The class that just graduated is sending many,many kids to Pitt and Duquesne. Very few to state schools. I know one that will attend Edinboro to play football. Such a shame as Clarion is a sweet deal if you ever visit. Nobody on our side of the state has ever heard of Bloomsburg University. Even though it generally rates higher than Bowling Green State University in Ohio…they all know Bowling Green yet any knowledge of Bloom U is scarce at best.
I would like to hear about West Chester and the experience from all. It is 5 hours away from us and I think it is a great school but I would prefer something closer. Worth the drive? Please let me know what yinz think? LOL.
I miss the old thread as well.
My S had a great year at IUP, loved his classes and made several good friends, they were always busy and stayed away from the partying.
He and several of his classmates were excited about attending IUP. I don’t know what others said. Some other friends are doing 2+2 with PSU branch and then main.
I was glad that it wasn’t that far away and I could attend most concerts.
Please tell us more about the IUP experience. I hear many great things and I know they provide many opportunities.
He is a music major and had a really good time, even though it was tough juggling classes and lessons and rehearsals.
Did you visit with your D? Maybe if one of her friends would visit with her, she would give it a chance? What is she interested in studying?
She enjoys biology. IUP has 120 majors so it allows students to keep their options open. Thanks for the suggestion about the friend.
@bester1 Neither of my kids attends West Chester, but some of their friends do (or recently graduated) and all seem to be quite happy there. A number of students from our HS (which is walking distance to WCU) start elsewhere and transfer into WCU after a year or two, but I’ve never heard of one transferring out.
The campus is fairly compact, a mix of building styles but overall fairly attractive. The Borough of West Chester is a lot of fun for those of legal drinking age (the bars do strictly card) but also pleasant to walk around in for younger students. Lots of parties in nearby campus houses. The police are strict about public drunkenness (have heard of several kids being cited) but seem not to bother kids if they are not being a nuisance to their neighbors. Parking can be a problem for those renting off campus houses. There are a lot of local kids so some students do go home on weekends; but I’ve heard of some who leave on Saturday morning to go home and work, do laundry, etc., and then they’re back at 9PM Saturday night to have fun.
Philadelphia is a little over an hour away by train. The nearest station is about a 10 minute drive from campus (I think there are buses that run that route). From the Center City train station, you can take the subway to the sports complexes for the Phillies, Eagles (hard to get tickets), 76ers, Flyers, and concerts. And of course there’s lots to do right in Center City, some of it free.
Education major is especially strong. A neighbor’s kid is starting there in the fall for early ed. Her older brother goes to Dartmouth and I suspect parents have ability to pay quite a bit more than what WCU will cost; but it was the daughter’s choice and her parents seem quite happy with it. One of D’s friends just graduated after spending half a semester student teaching in the Bahamas. She has a special ed focus (not sure if that’s it’s own major or just her interest) and was offered jobs in at least two local districts. OTOH, S has two good friends there who are business majors and they also seem happy. It’s definitely worth a visit.
For biology she could also look at Allegheny, Lycoming, Seton Hill and St Vincent college.
In addition to Clarion, Slippery Rock and Lock Haven.
My impression is that most of the PASSHE schools can provide a good education and comfortable student experience.
And the academics will be comparable to private schools with similar selectivity.
I found nothing lacking walking around on SRU or IUP campus.
High school will soon be a distant memory and each classmate will ultimately have to attend where their family can afford to send them, or where they were accepted.
For what it is worth…quite a few PASSHE schools designated as “Colleges of Distinction”.
https://collegesofdistinction.com/colleges/school-search/?state=PA&access=
@bester1 We’re about 5 hours from West Chester, too. If you like driving, going one way in a day isn’t bad, and the roundtrip is long, but do-able. We usually stay overnight when we go out there – there is a ton of stuff to do in the area, so we have extra time to take D, and sometimes friends, on outings, and they appreciate getting away from campus for a bit. My personal opinion – and D’s too, after consulting her – is that 5-6 hours would be our limit for convenience. Close enough to get there and back in a day by driving, if necessary. My daughter would like the option of being able to come home whenever she wanted to, but she likes the school very much, so for her it’s worth the trade off. One nice thing we discovered is that she’s a 15-minute Uber/Lyft ride to Exton, where she can catch a train to Lancaster, and change there to Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian to Pgh. About 8 hours, altogether, and very reasonable, cost-wise. There is a campus bus that gets you to the train station, but it’s on a set schedule which doesn’t sync with the train D has to catch, hence the Uber. It would work well for getting into Philly, though.
I also agree with @LuckyCharms913’s review above. The school is large enough, but not overwhelming, and between the campus and the town there is a lot going on. The area is beautiful. The education so far seems pretty standard state-university fare – that’s not meant to be disparaging, as I am myself the happy product of several state universities – it’s just that it’s early days yet, what with gen ed requirements and figuring out a major. One thing I haven’t made my mind up about is the housing situation – the school has both university-owned ‘traditional’ housing (i.e., 1960s cinder block rooms with communal bathrooms); and contracted ‘affiliated’ housing (posher, newer buildings with suite-style living, at a heftier price). D did traditional her first year, and she’s switching to affiliated for her sophomore year. I’ll have a better sense of whether the affiliated housing is worth the extra $ once she’s into the next semester. Overall, though, D is happy there, and I’m very pleased with it as well.
Nice to come back and see a few posts and updates. 
@bester1 You might find this interesting for your DD. Not biology, but still nice to see improvements.
https://wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2019/04.25groundbreaking.aspx
The 5 hour drive doesn’t seem too bad. When driving down to Bama for my son, I usually did 12 hours the first day, in 4 hour increments, so 5 hours should be a breeze! 
It really is at the limit of a one day trip though, but could be done if necessary.
@anachron My D18 stayed in traditional first year and will again for sophomore year, that $4000 savings was something not to pass up, IMO She will be moving out of Killinger which I think has the worst reputation, but I didn’t think it was all that bad. She did admit it was weird w/ the public showers, but was glad she didn’t have to clean the bathroom…big plus in her book. Also, I believe once they leave traditional housing they can never choose it again.
There is actually a second option over traditional without going to affiliated. It is the South Campus Apartment Complex. It’s about $500 more a year than the traditional style, so not too bad and definitely cheaper than affiliated. I know a lot of kids go for affiliated, but it is a nice midway option, but you are right, the housing situation is somewhat precarious.
I will also add that I have been very pleased w/ D’s advising at the school. She has met w/ her advisor a few times, and has gone over classes and options. My son basically only met to have his schedule approved, although to be fair, he had a very clear flow chart, and had tested out of his gen eds, so not too many choices to make. I hope D18 can retain her present advisor for the foreseeable future.
PASSHE seeks $505 million funding in state budget
https://www.indianagazette.com/news/passhe-seeks-million-funding-in-state-budget/article_a7d41a26-86d6-11e9-8a3c-a79be8f64273.html
I just wanted to let you know that I spent about 24 hours in West Chester . Fantastic experience. Beautiful school and town and great tour. Did a soccer camp and it was also a great experience. I was in Slippery Rock for that open house on Saturday. Pretty campus, wonderful presentation. Great option but WCU had more to offer with the location(although SRU is an easy drive to Pittsburgh).
In the past I have visited Bloomsburg as well. When I hear the PASSHE criticism it makes me wonder…for B students that can’t pay alot of college or elect to have little debt…these schools provide a very, very solid opportunity.
Heck…I don’t even know why I said “B” student…really for any student. I must admit I am even influenced by the college snobbery thing. Any student, provided they have the major desired has an opportunity to get a solid, lower cost 4 year experience, online option or other life enhancement experience. PASSHE needs to promote better and stop being bullied by the legislature as well as others.
We liked SRU too and although we didn’t visit WCU I’m sure it’s great.
But IUP provided a great music program closer to home.
I for one don’t understand the attitude that private is somehow better.
I think the students should visit and get information from the departments they are interested in.
My daughter plays lacrosse and she ended up going up to school in Ohio but she looked at Slippery Rock, IUP and Bloomsburg because all of those coaches were interested in her – they all were very nice, even the Shippensburg coach was calling her. We didn’t ‘see’ that one.