@MYOS1634, not disagreeing with your take at all–this is a tough decision, no doubt, for the OP–but would you put West Chester University in the same category as East Stroudsburg? We visited WC (another PASSHE school for those not familiar with all of them) with my Class of 2014 son when we were in search of affordable safety schools, and while everyone we met was very nice, and we suspected my son might attract some serious merit money there, we were rather underwhelmed overall. And yet I know a lot of smart kids who go there and are quite happy (and graduates who have done well).
@Decisions1996, are these your only two choices? And what is your chosen field of study? My son never even applied to West Chester because they didn’t have engineering. He ended up taking a full scholarship at another state flagship rather than go full pay to Penn State, but we were prepared to pay for Penn State if he felt it was a better all-around match. He just felt that other school was a better fit for him and, for us, it felt like a better overall value. The school he’s now attending is not as highly ranked as Penn State, but it’s not in a completely different class (like the PASSHE schools) and he can still transfer to Penn State later if he changes his mind down the road.
If money is a serious concern, then I would agree with @twoinanddone that it doesn’t hurt to give ES a try and transfer later if it isn’t meeting your needs. No school is worth taking on a boatload of debt for; however, if it’s the difference between taking Stafford loans or not for a STEM degree, and Penn State fits you to a T, I’d head to State College and never look back.
IMHO, full tuition at Temple would be hard to turn down for Penn State; full tuition at East Stroudsburg isn’t nearly as enticing for a top student. Which doesn’t mean you can’t excel there and be a BMOC academically. So before you make a decision, make sure you’re comparing the two schools’ offerings very carefully.