<p>S has difficulties making his decision. Honors college + professorial assistanship at MSU vs. Schreyer's at PSU University Park. Although accepted at PSU UP he may have to start at a local campus due to financial reasons. Our local campus is 3 times smaller than his HS and the profile of students is considerably lower than at UP. He would probably be the only Schreyer's student there. In two years he would move to UP. Is it worth possibly spending two years at an institution with limited resources and in an enviroment he does not feel comfortable in for the "prize" of last two years at UP.
MSU is offering a research job with a professor in his freshman year.</p>
<p>If the events (totally out of our control) stack into our favor during summer months he could attend UP from the start. </p>
<p>If you have any experience with these honors programs / starting at a local campus please share your thoughts.</p>
<p>I don't know to much about the two schools; but please try this site out:
<a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a>. Search for the school and see what comments is left just to see the good and the bad about both school. Beware, though one should have a very critical eye in reading to comments too.</p>
<p>PSU Schreyer Honors College is very very good...I dont know anything about MSU, but I would imagine Schreyer is higher ranked than MSU's honors college</p>
<p>My vote is for MSU. Penn State is a great school but if he would only be on main campus for two years, it's not worth it. I've visited a couple of the branch campuses and the smaller ones are real suitcase schools on weekends. Michigan State with a research job and the honors college? Sounds like a wonderful opportunity - and I live in PA. IMHO, I think <a href="http://www.collegedirt.com%5B/url%5D">www.collegedirt.com</a> is a good comparison website, less bashing then studentsreview.</p>
<p>I have a freshman son at Schreyers although he is at UP. It was the right choice for him. We have a friend who graduated Schreyers/Smeal and has a very, very good job in NYC and can afford to live in the city on his own. Kids from Schreyers are in at all the top grad schools...100% acceptance rate even med school.Obviously they can/do compete with the best.
My freshman son will be doing paid REU internship this summer, knows his advisor well and has no problem getting any class he wants. I think my son wants the opportunity to live/work/intern in mid atlantic so this was right choice for the long run. His mom is happy:)</p>
<p>My one question would be how many honors courses are offered at satellite campuses and chances of getting to UP earlier. Personal contact w/Dean might help in this regard</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your comments. We used studentsreview and college dirt websites to narrow down his choices. He e-mailed a list of Qs to Schreyers and if no reply comes tommorow I will give them a phone call. Not much more time left. Unfortunately, my experience with contacting colleges via phone was dissapointing. I received contradictory responses to the same Qs at couple of colleges.
We visited our local campus today but could not get a deffinite answer whether he would have to stay there for a minimum of two, three or four semesters. They claim to offer same benefits to Schreyers scholars as UP does. His intended major is chemical engineering. Obviously they don't have research labs here. Do Schreyers engineering majors in the first two years have classes, labs, etc. that are taken at facilities available only at UP?</p>
<p>Seriously, call Dr. Bradey head of Schreyers. He is a students prof, if you know what I mean. Have your son call him. This will make a huge difference. Leave a message. he will call back. Call him. Call him. Call him. Ask him all his questions and state all your concerns. My sons advisor calls him within 20 minutes on average with a call back. I have to go but I'll write more later.</p>
<p>Some engineering majors are moved to UP after the first year.</p>
<p>Is the difference in $ between UP and the satellite campus that big? I think that attending Schreyer at UP can make a big difference. They have special orientations and programs and opportunities to bond with the other scholars as a group. Dean Brady is great. The honors program makes the most difference in the first two years ( after that, upper level classes are already small). Perhaps it makes sense to take a small loan to cover the cost?
I don't know much about MSU honors - but Schreyer does offer fantastic opportunities. Good luck!</p>
<p>MSU would seem the wiser choice since your S will not have to wait 2 years at a PSU branch for 2 years waiting to get into PSU Univ. Park -- yes, the resources at the PSU branch would be very limited compared to University Park... And even then, there's no guarantee you'd even maintain the grades to get into UP -- suppose S gets depressed during the wait and his grades slip. I'm sure at Schreyer, there's a tough GPA one must maintain in order to stay in -- as there is at MSU... If S goes to MSU, on the other hand, as you indicated, he'd work in a professorial assistance-ship right off the bat; not waste 2 years. That kind of relationship, with a nationally known senior faculty member who probably will have S assisting with ground-breaking research (where S may even get published-- that's not unusual -- or at the very least, national/international commendation) is the kind of priceless experience reserved to the Harvards, Yales or handful of elite small private universities.</p>
<p>I'd advise him, strongly, to go with MSU</p>
<p>"PSU Schreyer Honors College is very, very good...I don’t know anything about MSU, but I would imagine Schreyer is higher ranked than MSU's honors college"</p>
<p>ckmets13, you're wrong. Schreyer was founded in the 80s where MSU was founded in 1956; it is one of the oldest and most respected honors programs, particularly at a large state university. Schreyer's a nice program, but most any knowledgeable academic would rate MSU's Honors College (note: it is indeed a college with it's own separate dean) higher than PSU. </p>
<p>So waiting for the supposed “prize” after 2 years at the branch is doubly not worth it for, in MSU, you’d be getting those 2 bonus years at the better program to begin with… that should make things easier for you/him…</p>