<p>I am a biology major but will probably switch to computer science next year. I also plan on applying to med school. Here is my situation(I am oos for both schools btw):</p>
<p>Penn State: have been here since the spring and so far am not amazed with the facilities/atmosphere. I am also paying full tuition as an int student, haven’t found a niche on campus, and don’t really fit in with the people on my hall. Professors are ok, but most classesrooms are outdated and old, although the new buildings are quite impressive.</p>
<p>Ohio State: i would get a $6 thousand scholarship for being an int, which is not much but helps a lot since my family has a low income. Because of my act score, I might be able to get in the honors program, which is important since the honors program at psu is very selective and I am not doing my best to begin with. Also, osu has a more diverse student body and seems to have more resources.</p>
<p>So, can anyone comment if transferring to ohio is worth it? I know the atmosphere of most big ten schools will be the same, but are the dorms there decent? What about the classrooms–do they look modern? One thing I wasn’t delighted about psu is that some of my classrooms do not seem like a improvement at all over those in hs (considering that I went to a public hs in queens,ny, that is somewhat frustrating at a 30k tuition). Also, how are the libraries and study lounges on campus? Are they quiet, with new computers and stuff?</p>
<p>Alternatively, I guess I could go to a SUNY, but i might be too late to be admitted for this fall.</p>
<p>I'm not there so I cant give you too much insight, but go wherever you feel you can get the best education and have the better time. I'd encourage taking plenty of college visits to both.</p>
<p>But anyways, tOSU is the best and everyone else sucks.</p>
<p>Not all big ten atmospheres are the same. Come here to visit for yourself to get a feel of what it's like, or read other posts about atmosphere. OSU is quite different in my opinion.</p>
<p>Dorms are very good compared with other schools. I am living off-campus next year because housing was extremely competitive and I didn't get into any of the buildings with full kitchens (my roommates and I are all vegetarian, so we want to be able to cook - though OSU does try to accomodate this). But my experience in Lincoln Tower (one of four honors dorms) has been good, so dorms are definitely acceptable.</p>
<p>Since you are a NY resident, why aren't you considering a transfer to Binghamton, Buffalo or Stony Brook? They are all good colleges where your expenses will be a fraction of any OSS alternative.</p>
<p>I really do not think that there is any advantage to you for a transfer to OSU other than the $6000 scholarship. If your gpa is less than 3.4(?) you will probably not qualify for the Honors program.</p>
<p>Yes, I am actually trying to transfer to a suny as we speak, let's just hope that they accept me since I made the decision to transfer later than usual. I wanted to tranfer to osu because it is a better school and has more resources than a suny. The campus and facilities are also much better, not to talk about the school spirit. That would be the advantage of going there over a suny. Compared to penn state, osu seems to be more academically moticated and have better dorms and classrooms, and the $6,000 scholarship is very decisive also. I actually turned down my acceptance there last spring , and don't have any college credits/gpa until the end of the spring semester, so hopefully they will take me. Even if I don't get into the honors programs, it migt be worth it sinc I am not happy at psu.</p>
<p>Valean, can you describe the dorms and dorms a little more in depth? Like, how are the desks in the rooms and are the typical classrooms well preserved? like I said, what frustrates me the most her is that some of the classrooms are worse than those I had in high school.</p>
<p>Btw, don't you only eat salads? what is there to cook?</p>
<p>We visited Ohio U and it got dropped from my kids's list of finalists last week. We decided to drive through OSU on the way home. It was too late to do a tour, but my kid was very impressed. A major difference between the two schools is that OSU is urban and PSU is not. My kid seems to like the hustle and bustle of cities. Some people prefer a more suburban or rural campus.</p>
<p>Problems with PSU are lack of housing, too many kids in the same major (lack of any personal attention, also in biosciences major), too many stories from coworkers and friends about their kids taking 5-6 years to get out of PSU, and an emphasis on drinking (I don't care how many parents deny it on the PSU board, heavy alcohol use at PSU has been verified by kids from our school who go there along with every college review book by students for students. I have another kid who will be at State College next year who just read PSU's own on-line article about the numbers of students at PSU who were hospitalized this past year for alcohol poisoning.) While kids drink at every college, PSU's drinking issues appear to be part of the basic package. We picked up some OSU newspapers while driving around, and OSU appears to have a lot going on, and a genuine emphasis on academics. My kid got $6600, so it looks like the cost might be close to Pitt or PSU even as a nonresident. </p>
<p>SUNY Buffalo is still on my kid's list of finalists. It has a science orientation (plus my kid got into the honors program with a good scholarship.) SUNY gave my older kid who was an average student money too -- they are very generous with aid. It may not offer as much as OSU (although it does have good speaker programs and its library resources are great), but it does give VALUE --which leaves more money for grad school. Pitt is also still on my kid's list of finalists because of its neuroscience major and opportunities for internships, undergrad research and volunteering at all of the hospitals adjoining the campus. </p>
<p>Anyway, as between OSU and PSU, I understand your choice of OSU...but I wouldn't rule out the SUNY schools too quickly if you can still apply to one. Whether you transfer may depend on whether all of your PSU credits will go with you, and whether you make great friends at PSU by the end of the year. My older kid ultimately did decide to transfer to pursue a particular major at PSU since PSU had a good, established program and all of his credits were transferable, but there is no question that it's stressful. Ultimately, if you're already changing majors and you're only one year into college, this is the time to make your move if you're really unhappy with PSU.</p>
<p>^great input, thank you. If I can still be considered for the fall at osu, it would be great. If I can't, I guess I will go to suny even though I am not very impressed with their campus or resources. What I don't want is to stay here at psu paying full tuition if I can get the same education for less, even if it is only 6K less.</p>
<p>Dstark -- My kid doesn't have a strong preference for urban or rural, large school or medium size (but did eliminate small schools). UCONN was the only school that my kid would have chosen if money was no object. UCONN's nonresident cost was too high. Other than that, the major and cost are the two factors that are most impt. Finding a field of study and picking the best school for that major seems like the most important criteria of all! The major: It's not about having fun for four years and then having my kid discover that the fun major won't lead to a career. I'm a pretty old parent who has spent 30+ years in a professional setting. Unfortunately, I've met a good number of people who have had big regrets that they didn't use the opportunities in college to graduate with something that would lead to a decent job. My kid was working at a bookstore with a coffee shop (only high school kid working there) and discovered that every other employee was a college graduate working several minimum wage jobs to get by -- most still living with their parents. My kid has a finite amount of money, and needs to use it to maximum advantage. As far as money goes, I'm going to try to pay for undergrad so that my kid can get out of college with no loans...and then ring up the debt in grad school as needed. With 2 in college at the same time and a terminally ill spouse, this is a major undertaking. And as we know, life can throw all kinds of stuff at you so this isn't a guaranteed deal. I work with someone who owes $80,000 in student loans, not to mention his wife's debt. They are struggling, to say the least. Paying attention to debt and whether you will be able to afford to pay back the loans is a reasonable assessment and an appropriate criteria for weighing schools.</p>
<p>If you forget cost and the major though, the problem is that I don't see enough of a real difference between OSU and Pitt to recommend either school. That's why I keep looking for info on these sites from all the great posters, so I can carry it to my kid with a "Have you considered.........?????" The more info the better, and I hope my kid ultimately can figure out which school offers the best experience (for the same or less money, of course! LOL).</p>
<p>Neonzeus, you obviously have bigger issues than choosing a college. I'm sorry to read about your terminally ill spouse.</p>
<p>"My kid was working at a bookstore with a coffee shop (only high school kid working there) and discovered that every other employee was a college graduate working several minimum wage jobs to get by -- most still living with their parents."</p>
<p>That's not quite what I would like to hear. I don't want a boomerang kid and I don't want my college graduate kid to just get by with minimum wage jobs.</p>
<p>I don't blame you for wanting to stay away from loans. You're doing the right thing.</p>
<p>"If you forget cost and the major though, the problem is that I don't see enough of a real difference between OSU and Pitt to recommend either school. That's why I keep looking for info on these sites from all the great posters, so I can carry it to my kid with a "Have you considered.........?????""</p>
<p>Me too. </p>
<p>You answered my question. OSU is 9,000 a year cheaper than Pitt for my son.</p>
<p>I grew up in Pittsburgh and I'm pretty familiar with Oakland and the Pitt "campus". And that's pretty much the difference in my opinion. Ohio State has a campus. Pitt doesn't. Pitt's campus is Oakland. The University is everywhere and nowhere. It might be a great environment for kids who want to be immersed in the city experience (I guess like NYU on a small scale). But if a kid wants more of a college campus experience (granted, a humongous one) with the benefits of an urban setting. OSU is the place. </p>
<p>We looked at Carnegie Mellon (until the financial realities finally burned the fog from our glassy eyes) and I thought that the CMU campus was rather like OSU in miniature (although CMU was a bit "prettier") - with a distinct college campus nestled within a city. OSU is like that, but on a much larger scale.</p>
<p>We lived in Columbus for years and never really paid much attention to OSU (the kids were small then). We would skirt the edges of campus from time to time but never explored it. It just seemed huge from the outside. But surprisingly, once you actually explore the campus, it feels surprisingly comfortable. It doesn't feel nearly as big once you are within it's boundaries. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. At least it is for us.</p>
<p>My son is enrolled in Honors at OSU for Fall. He's hoping for the NMF scholarship (full in-state tuition plus $4500) and he's happy as a clam. This from a kid who has gone to small Catholic schools with the same 15 kids his entire life and will graduate in a senior class of 35, in a town of 35,000 in Norman Rockwell, Ohio. But he wants a large school environment, in a city, with a diverse student body and a wide array of academic possibilities.</p>
<p>Btw, I would still appreciate help from anyone who can elaborate on my original questions (seeing as this discussion has turned to pitt vs. osu for some reason).</p>
<p>How are the classrooms and facilities at osu, are they well kept and modern?</p>
<p>frasi, we went into a couple of buildings at OSU that were really run-down looking, and the classroom that our tour guide took us into was very shabby. We were surprised that they would not show off their best.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the campus itself (lawns) are well maintained, lots of construction (signs of $$ being spent) and an unbelievable theatre and physical fitness center.</p>
<p>Oh well, the campus is huuuuuge, so the 2 buildings mean nothing i guess. In the 2 buildings, as well as the classroom that we saw, paint was peeling, floor tiles were missing. Also the classroom had worn out furniture. I understand that kids will do damage to furniture. Overall, the campus was quite impressive. We did see some very nice buildings, student center, library, fitness center, There is money being spent, which is always a good sign. I would go there in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>When we entering into Columbus, there was a HS band competition going on, and we felt very welcomed by all the big bands playing as they crossed the main drag, even though we were stuck in 1 hour of traffic.</p>