<p>It took me a lot of effort to narrow down my universities list and majors. Right now, I need to choose between Penn state University Park and University of Miami to study Architectural Engineering. I can get into both universities, and I don't have to worry about the tutition fees. Which of the universities do you prefer? Please support your reply with the academics, city and the weather of either Florida or Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>I WOULD BE VERY THANKFUL FOR ANY REPLY, THANKS A LOT ! :)</p>
<hr>
<p>-International student
-Undergraduate freshman
-Engineering
-From a Hot and dry climate country
-3.55 GPA
-86 TOEFL score</p>
<p>These are two really different schools. If it were me, I would definitely go with the University of Miami. Great school that is up and coming. I’d much rather go to a smaller, private school like U of Miami than an extremely large Penn State.</p>
<p>Weather- Hot and Humid
City - Coral Gables, Florida.</p>
<p>Beach vs no beach
City vs rural</p>
<p>What is your SAT score because 86 TOEFL and 3.55 are kinda low for University of Miami. </p>
<p>I think you should take whichever is cheaper.</p>
<p>“I can get into both Universities” - I don’t know what that means. A 3.5 GPA is not necessarily fantastic for either Miami or PSU, which are both top 50 schools. But I’ll just assume you’d have both to choose from.</p>
<p>Both Miami and PSU are ABET certified, so your engineering education is going to be very similar. Geographically, these schools are very very different. Miami is not really >In< Miami, its in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami. Its close enough though. The school itself is pretty small, even though its located in a very urban and populated region. Its going to be warm year round in Miami, and thats about it. Obviously being close to Miami there’s lots to do in the big city with pro sports teams and the beaches, clubs, etc. </p>
<p>PSU is not that. It starts to get cold in mid October in Pennsylvania (even more so in State College since it’s in the mountains) and doesn’t warm up until around April. The city of State College is about 90 miles from the capital of PA, although thats about it. It’s really in the middle of nowhere. However, its always ranked as one of the best college towns in America. The town was build around the school, so the school is the main focus of everything. Although State College is a small town, there’s still tons to do on and around campus. The mountains nearby give lots of opportunities to outdoorsy types of people. There’s also around 40,000 undergrads at Penn State, which is I believe the 10th largest school by undergrad enrollment in the US.</p>
<p>Miami is technically ranked something like 13 spots higher than PSU in some rankings I think, but thats relatively minimal. What sold me on PSU is the alumni connections. PSU has the largest dues paying alumni association in the world, and the Penn State pride runs strong with them in helping you get a job, and has strong ties throughout the east coast. One in every 70 PA college graduates has a PSU degree, and 1 in every ~730 college graduates in America hold a PSU degree of some sort.</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH ! You really helped.</p>
<p>And btw, i know students who got 3.3 GPA and a toefl of 81 and still got accepted by Miami for the engineering program 
</p>
<p>So my gpa won’t be a problem</p>
<p>Just because you people who got in with a certain GPA does not mean that you’ll be accepted.</p>
<p>I know. Thats why I took extra AP classes and Introduction to calculus 2. I worked really hard on my essays. I volunteered and participated in various activities in the last two years. Community service affected me. So It’s really not about the gpa :)</p>
<p>Good luck on your decisions. However, I think what several people are trying to suggest is that your attitude of certainty is somewhat presumptuous. Your scores and GPA in no way guarantee acceptance, and your attitude not only may set you up for disappointment, but disregards what those of us on CC have seen repeatedly: you cannot always predict acceptances. Anyway, hope you find what you want, though.</p>
<p>When i said i can get into both universities, I didn’t mean my acceptance was guaranteed. I meant that my gpa and test scores approved the university’s requirments. It’s not like I’m going to Harvard or MIT. Anyway, I’m not a native english speaker so emotions can’t be expressed correctly all the time. </p>
<p>Thank you for your advice, I truly appreciate it Maggiedog, ! :)</p>
<p>Do realize that PSU takes your reported GPA for 2/3rds of their decision for admission. While this chart is not always 100% accurate, it gives a decent indication on where you stand: <a href=“http://admissions.psu.edu/info/counselors/bubble_chart.pdf[/url]”>http://admissions.psu.edu/info/counselors/bubble_chart.pdf</a></p>
<p>As you see, a 3.55 would be on the lower end of the admissions spectrum and isn’t necessarily a safe bet. Also thanks to this years freshman class at PSU being larger than the university wanted/can accommodate, don’t be surprised if its harder to get into PSU this year than it has been in recent years.</p>
<p>Thanks Etuck24,</p>
<p>I do realize that there is a big chance I won’t get accepted. I’m very aware of the fact that I may get rejected. What I meant is to have an assumption of my acceptance. It’s like saying: If I got accepted, which university would you prefer? … If i didnt get accepted, I already have Plan B. </p>
<p>As I said I’m not a native english speaker, So I may write something and mean something else.</p>
<p>Thanks A LOT for the Link of PSU. I really needed that ;)</p>
<p>Another matter that will play into this is whether your family has $55,000/year for your studies or not (and this may have played into your classmate’s decision, too).
By “plan B” do you mean that you know of a school that you’re sure to get into, in your home country? Is your college list just these two universities or are these two merely your two top choices?
PSu has the largest alumni network in the US and its career center is superb. That’d be the major draw in my opinion. There’s a lot of choice for classes and majors, State College is an awesome town with everything you may wish for as a student, and they run buses to NYC, King of Prussia, etc. Its weather may be difficult to get used to, it’s hot and humid in the summer, warm and crisp in the Fall and Spring, and cold, snowy and dry in winter. The school is huge, unless you skip intro classes you’ll be in very large lectures and during your first two years some of your classmates may not be that motivated (although some definitely are).
UMiami is a much smaller school, less well-known nationally, but with good programs especially for your interests. The weather is very hot and humid in the summer, warm to hot in the Fall and Spring, and pleasant in the winter. You’re near beaches 
but also near big cities in Florida. Many of your classmates will like to party or have fun - it’s far from an intellectual hotbed. Its location would definitely be a major draw.</p>
<p>Thank you so much !!</p>
<p>My plan B is the following: going to oklahoma state university because I already got accepted there. And still, I have universities in my home country.
I’m also studying abroad because of my scholarship. Thats why money isn’t a problem.</p>
<p>It’s a tough decision, But you helped a lot !! Thanks</p>
<p>Your gpa may not be a worry at all because int’l students’ transcripts are reevaluated and you are usually competing against only students in the int’l applicant pool. </p>
<p>I’d pick U Miami because there is a higher percentage int’l students and its hard to beat the weather. However, Penn State is more the quintessential US college experience.</p>
<p>Thats a really important info that I really needed !!! Thanks A LOT !!</p>
<p>north v south
rural v city
large v small
inland v coast
controversial football program v … never mind</p>
<p>Because that last point has anything to do with your education.</p>
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</p>
<p>No, not really. It was just a joke.</p>
<p>Hmm, this is a hard choice, but I would probably go with University of Miami.</p>
<p>I’d want Penn State football - but University of Miami also has D-I football and they have better weather and beach access. Plus it’s closer to a big city for internships, whereas Penn State is just in the middle of nowhere (although it’s a very pretty nowhere - I’ve been).</p>
<p>Penn State has it’s pros, though - very very involved and active study body, BIG football, and State College is actually a great small town. I visited for a postdoc I plan to do next year and the small town actually impressed me, as there was more to do there than I thought. Also, their alumni association (as was pointed out) is HUGE HUGE HUGE. I live in New York and go to Columbia, and I know a million people who went to Penn State for undergrad. They are extremely enthusiastic about their school and the connections have helped several of the Penn State alums I know.</p>
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<p>Well I’m glad to know what went on is funny to you</p>