<p>I have a bit of a dilemma at this point. I can most likely get into U.P. but I really dislike the fact that I have to dorm the first year. I don't mind dorming if I could have access to my own room but I'm really not used to sharing the same room with others. However it seems my only alternative to avoiding that would be to apply for a branch campus that does not have this requirement. So my question is, is the quality of the education in the branch campuses that much worse than the ones at U.P.? If I do go for a branch campus, I would just make use of the 2+2 plan so that I can transfer back to U.P. during my junior year. However, I've heard from others that the transition is difficult and that it would be a lot harder to fit in. Does anyone have any opinions on this matter?</p>
<p>Attending a branch campus has real limits if you want to do undergrat research as most of the research faculty are housed at UP. Also, not all classes are offered at the branch campuses and it may prevent you from obtaining all the credits needed for minors/dual majors.</p>
<p>Seems kinda silly thought that you would perfer a branch over UP just because of the room sharing with dorms. It isn't all that bad. I never shared a room prior to Penn State and found it an easy transition. Plus, PSU UP only requires it for just the first year, its a way to make friends and ease the transition to on your own college life. I would say that plan worked. Of course, after freshmen year you can easily move to an off-campus appt.</p>
<p>I'm applying for the College of Communications so the limits on undergrad research shouldn't really affect me much (unless you're referring to a different type of research). As for the classes, I was under the impression that for the first two years, most students would be taking the exact same set of general classes that are required before they can choose a major in the end of sophomore year. Don't you only start focusing on the majors/minors after two years at Penn State? By then I would've transferred to U.P. already. </p>
<p>I know it seems a bit silly, but it just seems like such a hassle to me to have to share a room and all. I've always been an only child so I'm really big on my own privacy so I don't really like the idea of having someone else around my personal belongings constantly.</p>
<p>Flames, Learning to live with a roommate can be an important part of the growing you do in college. My boys always had their own rooms growing up. One went to school and ended up sharing a tiny room in a six person suite; the other moved into a double at PSU. Both kids had to deal with minor problems (e.g. a suite-mate so messy with food they had mice, different sleeping schedules), but they learned to compromise or dealt with issues some other way. They are more flexible and perhaps more resilient as a result. Also, if you hope to take your Communications degree to the big city someday, it is quite possible you'll be dealing with roommates. At least at PSU you and your roommate would have some things in common since you'll be going through the college transition together and you'd have help with roommate problems (your RA) if you needed it.</p>
<p>"Is University Park really that much better than the branch campuses?"</p>
<p>Yes, it is. Are you sure you can get into UP? I think it's a little premature to worry about weighing the experience before you even hear back from/apply to University Park. It's has gotten pretty tough to get into UP. I would definitely recommend to UP over a branch campus if you are able to get accepted.</p>
<p>Everyone does not take the same classes the first two years. Yea there are the gen chem and bio classes for science majors etc but you have so much more flexibility with what classes you can schedule at UP. As a first year student at UP, I have taken and plan on taking specific courses that will be applied to my planned minors.</p>
<p>If you define "better" as having more stuff on campus, more choices for courses, etc., then "yes." But otherwise, it's all personal preference. Some kids hate being on a huge campus set in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>My D1 is a soph at Lehigh Valley (only 6 miles from our house) and is already balking at going to UP in the fall. She's going to change her major to prevent it. She has a classmate who was 4.0 in HS and valedictorian. This girl was admitted to UP as freshman but turned it down to go to Lehigh Valley. After thinking about it, she decided she didn't want the ordeal of dealing with UP's big anonymous campus in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>It's individual taste.</p>
<p>I really have to disagree with everyone's idea that you are anonymous at PSU UP. Although the intro courses are huge in numbers (Gen chem with 300, Gen Bio with 500+) I found that if the student takes the initiative and goes up and introduces themself to the prof and/or TAs, the whole "Im just a #" thing goes out the window. At the end of my first semester at UP, both my Chem and Bio prof as well as a couple TAs knew my name. Now, my chem previous chem prof sends me emails of interesting things she has found in my major area. </p>
<p>And then there are the classes you take in your major. I am a Food Science major and if the prof diddn't know you prior to the class, he did after the first few days. </p>
<p>Now, I realize that not all HS seniors have this kind of initiative entering college and maybe a branch campus would be better for them to get into college mode before entering UP.</p>
<p>cwryan1 -</p>
<p>As an honors college student, didn't you have access to smaller intro classes in chemistry and biology? Many honors programs do offer this as a matter of course (and as an enticement to well-qualified students choosing among several good offers), with some requiring students to pass an entrance exam to enter an honors section.</p>
<p>There are options to take honors Chem and Bio sections. I did not opt for them, rather I went with the general level ones. Both teach the same material. The honors classes tend to be more discussion based rather than lecture. </p>
<p>The honors sections of science classes have about 30-40 students compared to 300-500 in the general sections. Currently I am taking an Honors Cinema Art class with 15 people in it, compared to the 300+ in the reg. section. Both cover the same material but the honors class gets perks like a take-home mid-term and a paper in place of a final exam.</p>
<p>lol PSU UPs huge classes are HUGELY overstated. Some intro classes are bad, but even then you still can get plenty of attention from the Professors as those classes often have very little ppl actually go to office hours.Im a non honors student in Comp Sci (Junior). Last semester Id say my avg class size was around 30-40 tops this year its even less (you notice this when you get into 400 lvl classes.) UP is great in my opinion. I was talking to a fellow comp sci student who started out at Abington(?) and he said that he definately had wished that he would have started at UP as he just feel like he would have been more settled in by his senior year (hes graduating.)</p>
<p>Ultimately it depends on your pref. of size I suppose. However, please don't assume that you are just another anonymous student up here ;).</p>
<p>I'll keep it simple... yes, UP is much better than the branch campuses</p>