Michigan State vs. Penn State

Hi, I am a senior who needs some outside opinions on where I should go to school next year. I am going to be a psych major, at both schools. I got into Michigan State a couple months ago and I was quite excited considering I loved the campus. To my own surprise, recently I got accepted to the UP campus at Penn State. After going to both accepted students days, I am very conflicted. PSU seems like the more elite school, and I don’t know how this recent scandal will affect MSU. But I also really liked the MSU campus and dorm rooms. I am curious if you guys have any opinions.

Also, it may be worth noting that I was accepted into the Summer Program at PSU. Thanks!

Is either of them in-state for you? If so, I would choose that school, because paying a lot more to attend the other wouldn’t be worth it.

If they are close in terms of cost, use what you read and the gut reaction from your visits.

I wouldn’t put much stock in rankings. Both are Big Ten schools with plenty of quality programs.

@prezbucky They are both out of state for me. Thanks for the advice!

Correct me if I am wrong, but your thinking is that they would both give me a similar education? PSU is more selective but that does not necessarily correlate to better programs.

So just checking – if they’re both out of state, your family is okay with paying $47k/year (plus however much summer session costs) for PSU and $54k/year for MSU?

As for scandals, PSU has also had its share – Sandusky, and the more recent Piazza case. So maybe that aspect kind of balances out.

If both are truly affordable, I’d go with the one you like better overall. My choice came down to Pitt or Penn State and I liked Penn State’s campus better. It sounds like you may have a preference for MSU’s campus / dorms.

I think PSU might be a little stronger overall, but both would present similar quality. You’re not going to exhaust the academic resources of either school.

Look at the majors you might be interested in – the professors, the courses offered, the graduation requirements, the difficulty of getting into those majors, etc. That info should be available on each school’s web site.

Can your parents afford 47-55k from income and savings or would they need to take on loans for you?
Don’t you have instate universities that would provide essentially the same environment at lower cost and thus be a better value?

@MYOS1634 I am so lucky that I have a college fund that could pay for both MSU and PSU with minimal loans. I live in New York so the SUNY system would be the more affordable option. I applied and got accepted to both UB and Suny Albany. I just never really fell in love with those schools the way I did with PSU and MSU.

@bodangles Thanks for the advice! I also applied to Pitt and got differed. I had a 3.2 and an 1100. They got back to me so early that I was fortunately able to improve my SAT to an 1180 before finishing applying to PSU and MSU.

If you can pay full price, then PSU at 47K is a better value than MSU at 54K. In my opinion compare Binghamton and PSU carefully, too.
Wrt PSU, MSU: both have well-defined programs with many specialties. Look at the degree structures, all tracks, BA v.BS.
http://psych.la.psu.edu/undergraduate
https://psychology.msu.edu/students/undergrad/psychology-degree-1-2
https://www.binghamton.edu/psychology/undergraduate/index.html

@juillet has a PHD in Psychology from Columbia, knows a lot about different programs, and now works in the tech industry and therefore has a good overview of the field as both as academic and a career professional in the private sector, s/he’ll be able to give you more precise advice.

@MYOS1634 Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it. I also received acceptances from UB, SUNY Albany, and Cincinnati. In your opinion, are any of these schools something I should consider?

Did you get Honors at U Cincinnati? Co-op?

I love Big Ten universities. Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana & even that misplaced Ivy–Northwestern.

You have two solid choices, great choices in fact, based on your numbers. Go to whichever one makes you happy. (Not intended to be a pun.)

Curious as to whether the Big 10 has an exchange whereby a student at one can spend a year at another.

@MYOS1634 I don’t believe so

@Publisher Thank you! I am most likely headed to Happy Valley, but we shall see.

Sounds smile the best deal for you is PSU, but do look into the details of each undergraduate program. There can be significant difference. In addition, pay close attention to what @juillet has to say.

These are all good schools, but not elite, and not worth $47,000 to $54,000 per year by any objective measure. Whether the out-of-state schools are worth it to you is a different matter. Penn State is probably a lot closer to home than MSU. Check drive times; it’s nice to be within 4 or 5 hours of home.

@BasicOhioParent These schools may not be known for being selective or elite, but PSU and MSU have highly ranked psych programs.