<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I'm(international student) accepted to both schools but have hard times deciding between two.I know PSU ranked so much higher than NU but i don't want to make a decision based on rankings.What do you think? Is PSU much better than NU in this field?</p>
<p>Penn State is more highly ranked, but Boston will probably have a more international flavor.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to make the decision based on rank…What are your criteria then? Lay out what is important to you and people can help you decide.</p>
<p>The most important thing for me is academics and how respectable the degree of the university in the job market and for the grad schools.Location is also important but i will take location into consideration if the schools are same academically.</p>
<p>Well, then by reputation and academics…Penn State it is. I mean, they are the first IE department in the world…they have had time to get really good…and it shows in their ranking and recruiting.</p>
<p>NEU has the advantages of terrific co-op program (everybody is on co-op rotation after the first year or two… most go 5 years and have three 6-month co-ops… but you can do two). Also you’ll find that it is MUCH easier to travel to campus. The public transportation will take you practically to the dorm door. NEU is in the middle of the city, but it is more campus-y than you’d expect. Housing may also be more available than at a state school.</p>
<p>[Industrial</a> / Manufacturing | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-industrial-manufacturing]Industrial”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-industrial-manufacturing)</p>
<p>In the rankings Georgia Tech and University of Michigan ranked higher than Stanford U.Are there people in the USA prefer GT or UM instead of Stanford? (assuming that money is not a problem) or is Penn State really equal to Northwestern in this field?</p>
<p>GT is one of the best engineering schools there is. Yes there are definitely people that prefer GT to Stanford. Stanford is great too, but when you get that high in the rankings…it is really just splitting hairs education wise and your best bet is to pick the environment that suits you best.</p>
<p>So, is preferring NU to PSU for this field a bit foolishness?</p>
<p>No, it’s not foolish. It is a good school and I looked at the curriculum/coop program and I like it a lot better than how my program is set up. The choice is up to you. If you are going for prestige then Penn. If you are going for a more all around environment then you need to just make that decision on your own. Neither school is going put you on a bad path.</p>
<p>??
Initially the OP compares Northeastern (co-op school in Boston), aka NEU, with Penn State (state flagship in State College, PA), aka PSU. In post #7 OP refers to Northwestern (Evanston, IL), aka NU. In post #10, Chucktown refers to Penn (Ivy league school in Philadelphia, PA), aka Penn. </p>
<p>I just want to make sure everyone’s on the same page.</p>
<p>haha, OP was still referring to Northeastern, and I was still referring to PSU as the title of the thread states. He is an international student so I’m sure all of many abbreviations of our US schools is a bit much. i.e. I went to UNC. Now was that University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or University of Northern Colorado, well if this was a thread and I mentioned one of those first…it would keep being that one, regardless of what I called it later.</p>
<p>haha i wish i could get into those schools.By the way is it harder to get into a better grad school from NU? which is less prestigious.</p>
<p>I was referring Northwestern in post #7 because both Northwestern and Penn State ranked as the same in the rankings.</p>
<p>haha, well I stand corrected. Too many acronyms…and I was in the military!</p>
<p>thanks for the answers, they helped me a lot.Chucktown did you see my question in post 13.</p>
<p>I don’t think prestige is going to matter as much as GPA and experience for grad school regardless of the university.</p>
<p>I may think to work in the USA after graduation for a few years and my choice will be definitely west coast.Is Penn State a better choice to find a job in Cal? or As long as i get my grad degree from a Californian school(or a school well knonw nationwide) NU or PSU matter?</p>
<p>Somebody else is going to have to weigh in on that one cause I honestly don’t know. I would think a Cal school would be better for a Cal job, but I also did interview with JPL(based in Cal) and I am in an East Coast school.</p>
<p>Most people will tell you that you shouldn’t really be thinking about graduate school before you’ve picked your undergraduate institution.</p>
<p>Regardless, there’s some advice that applies to basically everyone. Do you want to go for a masters or a PhD? If it’s a masters, prestige won’t make a difference, as admissions are generally less selective. </p>
<p>If you’re applying for a PhD, it could make a difference, particularly in who you get your letters of recommendation from. NEU is a great place to do undergraduate research because most people are focused on co-ops, you can work on your research during co-op if you’re living on campus (good chance of this, many of the employers are in Boston), and you have an extra year to gain experience. That being said, NEU isn’t quite as well know for research, so your recommendations might not get you as far as ones from PSU would.</p>