If you were me, which school would you go to? PSU vs. PURDUE

I am an international from South Korea so I don’t have to think about the OOS or IS tuitions. I have to pay the full tuition anyway.

So far I got into Purdue, PSU, UNLV for hospitality management. But since I am an international student, it’s hard to get a job at the hotels in LV. So UNLV is no longer in my choice.

I heard both Purdue and PSU provide one of the best hospitality programs in the US.

I set my mind to go to Purdue, but now I am debating because so many people say PSU is better than Purdue. The biggest reason why I chose Purdue was that they have more options for housing. I personally can’t share a room with somebody so I was gonna get an apartment. And Purdue is the only school that allows me to stay off-campus.

But I feel like it can’t be the only reason to go to Purdue if PSU really is a better school. Which school should I go? This is stressing me out so bad. Can you please help me to make a right decision? I need your opinion. Thank you

Are you aware that Penn State is a very isolated campus? It is in a small town that is 100 miles from the nearest decent sized city, and that is Harrisburg. Philadelphia is another 100 miles beyond that.

Yes now i am living in Philadelphia and I am very aware that Penn State is in the middle of nowhere. But I heard that Purdue is not much different

Well, both universities are basically their own cities and are surrounded by rural counties. From a touristy point of view from state college in 4-5 hours you can get to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, and DC. From West Lafayette, Cincinnati, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville.
But students mostly spend most of their time on campus and in the college town (West Lafayette, State College).

Would you be a freshman? It’d be soooo lonely to live off campus.

Is the reason why you can’t share a room medical? Psychological?
Would you be okay with a suite?

Can hospitality students practice and work on campus - is there a hotel or restaurant where they can work? As an international student that’s of the foremost importance since you’re not allowed to work off campus.

Yes it’s a psychological problem. I have insomnia. I have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and even if I can fall asleep, I always wake up too early in the morning. Since I wake up too early in the morning, it can be a problem for my roommate as well. I might be okay with a suite, but with that money, I can easily find an appartment in West Lafayette.

Have you tried to take melatonin? Not college-related, but it’s helped me with insomnia for years.

Im taking the medicines that my doctor prescribed!! But i’ll definitely try it thank you :x

Seconding trying melatonin. No side effects.
That being said, since you have a medical reason, you can get a single on campus. It’d be much less lonely for you - so much happens in the dorms. You can join a living learning community, or a substance free dorm.
You can in fact contact disability services, explain you have severe insomnia, and were considering asking to live off campus because of your debilitating sleep cycles, but you were told there may be a single somewhere on campus, perhaps in a quiet hall, where you could stay. Ask whether this applies or whether you ought to seek out an off campus place. Also ask the process for registering with their services.
You can then compare each campus’ response.

Purdue has singles available on campus and also has apartments available that are on campus but considered apart of dorms (usually reserved for upperclassmen but I personally know of others with medical disabilities that have been placed here) Another reason to think about choosing one of the on campus options is for the meal plan. If you live off campus you can’t get a meal plan at Purdue, you can still eat at the dining halls but its much more expensive.

Both schools are great schools, for your major they are ranked fairly equally. I don’t think you can make a wrong choice in that regard. I think the choice will be more about fit.
As has already been said they are both in more rural areas. Interesting perspective, I have a D at Purdue my other D went on college visits this summer (has already been to Purdue because of sibling) but went to Penn State and even though its in a rural area she felt it was too big. It definetly is more spread out than Purdue. Also Penn State has about 99,000 students enrolled vs Purdue which has about 41,000. So the class sizes may be bigger at Penn State if that matters to you.
Make a list of things other than your major that you are looking for in campus life this may help. Things like dining options, Greek life, etc.
And if you have any Purdue specific questions let me know. Best of luck

PSU main campus has about 46,000 undergrads. The rest of the students are spread across the state at branch campuses.

Edit: fixed number as per https://admissions.psu.edu/pennstate/campuses/?campusCode=UP

Why would it be harder to get a job in Las Vegas than in Pennsylvania or Indiana? I’m no expert in hospitality management, but when someone asks what schools have the best programs in hospitality management, I think of UNLV and Cornell.

^ that’s because hospitality students need experience during their studies and if UNLV doesn’t have a program whereby international students can be placed off campus by special permission (to be checked with the Dept/1-credit internships are usually possible if the international student office handles that) or, mostly in on campus positions (again, presence of an on campus restaurant or hotel must be checked), then they’re not allowed to work ie., have the required experience. So, there might be all the hotels and restaurants in the world nearby, if international students can’t work there the hotels aren’t of use to their studies and experience.
That being said, OP should check whether UNLV may have 1-credit internship agreements with local establishments.

  1. See if you can get a single dorm room…let them know you need it for medical purposes and have a doctor’s note.
  2. You cannot go wrong at either of these Universities…they are both fantasic. Both programs are in the top 11.
    3)… Do you enjoy Football? Would you like to? Go to PSU

International Students
International students must see the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) before working, to verify eligibility for off-campus employment and obtain a work permit. A separate work permit must be obtained for each job experience. Note that once hours have been completed, it will not be possible to obtain a work permit for additional job opportunities. International students must be enrolled in an in-person class during the semester they will be completing their work experience hours.
https://www.unlv.edu/hospitality/bbcsc/work-experience