<p>Allegheny College-small, private liberal arts college
PROS:
Small class sizes can get me closer to the professor and possibly learn more
Study abroad program seems excellent
Athletically I was recruited heavily
They had the best informational presentation; great communication skills
Learning, Writing Center- writing is an important skill
Alumni are tight with the college
National forest- I love the outdoors but I love the big city
Great facilities (no holes in the wall anywhere)
Fast responses from faculty; email replies within 2 days</p>
<p>CONS:
Very Expensive
Not well-known
Nobody goes to athletic events; I HATE THIS
I was warned the girls are not top notch
Too small; no nightlife
Community not real fun; I come from a small town and it is boring
Weather; snows about 100 inches annually
Conservative college; I am very moderate (I need both sides)</p>
<p>OVERALL: This may be a perfect educational environment, or my idea of a social life that would make me die from boredom.</p>
<p>Michigan State University- large, public university
PROS:
Huge variety of classes might help me see what I like
One of the best study abroad programs but can I be selected to go
Jock school- pack the stands, football and basketball stadiums are center of campus
Beautiful campus
Well-known nationally ranked university
Campus is always busying
Top-notch babes on campus
Awesome Greek life
Lots to do on and around campus</p>
<p>CONS:
Won’t play sports there
Huge school; it took them 3 weeks to answer an email
Not a school that stands out from the rest
Teacher Aides teach way too much
Facilities weren’t great
Huge lecture halls would be boring
Michigan economy sucks
I want to experience somewhere new
You’re not going to stand out from the crowd</p>
<p>Overall: It feels like a college and not a high school. There is a lot to do socially but educational you’re not getting anything special.</p>
<p>I would go to Allegheny if: students packed the stands, it cost under $10,000 after scholarships</p>
<p>I would go to Michigan State if: I played sports there, I would learn there</p>
<p>Here are somethings you might want to think about. </p>
<p>Education -- you will get as good an education as you want to get at either school depending upon how much you put into it.</p>
<p>Sports -- Why do you play sports? Is it for the enjoyment of the game or to be in front of a crowd? I played D-II football and started for three years and had a blast and made some lifelong friends. But we didn't play in front of a lot of people. I had offers from D-I schools and might have started but odds are I would have spent most of my time on the bench in front of 100,000 people. My choice was to play.</p>
<p>BTW, which sport(s) do you play? If you go to MSU and play intermurals, nobody but girlfriends (really loyal or really desperate girlfriends) are going to come watch that either.</p>
<p>D-III varsity vs. D-I intermurals, your call.</p>
<p>Social Life -- There is going to be more to do at a big school than a little school. But where does that fit in your hierarchy of what you want? Back to sports for a second, if you're on a varsity team, even at a little school, there will be more social opportunites for you than for the rest of the folks. </p>
<p>Girls -- A target rich environment doesn't guarantee anything. There are great girls everywhere, you just might have to look harder at some places than others.</p>
<p>After graduation -- Few employers are really going to care where you went to school as long as you can produce for them.</p>
<p>If it were me, I'd probably go to Allegheny.</p>
<p>Confused 07: Basically, it might come down to this:</p>
<p>Do you prefer to be the "big fish in a small pond" (Allegheny) or the "small fish in a big pond?" (Michigan State)</p>
<p>Do you have a need to "be someone" on campus (Allegheny), or do you prefer anonymity (MSU)?</p>
<p>Do you prefer to be a spectator (MSU) or participant (Allegheny) in athletics.</p>
<p>In your free time, are you easily content by doing simple things with a small group of friends (Allegheny) OR Does it take a lot for you to feel entertained (Michigan)?</p>
<p>No simple solution, but a good place for you to start.</p>
<p>S. was in your situation last year, a recruited athlete for a D3 LAC or going to a Big 10 U playing club or intramural. He chose the LAC and not only played as a freshman, but started the last few games. He couldn't be happier for many of the reasons listed by the above posters and has never regretted the decision. He figured it would be much easier to transfer to the big U if things didn't work out rather than the reverse, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to play at the collegiate level without first having given it a try. My vote goes to Allegheny.</p>
<p>as long as I can afford it I'd say I'm commited to go to Allegheny. I could always transfer if things didnt work out or I could go to graduate school at a Big Ten school. I just wanted to experience the feeling of a university; I felt a small school would feel too much like high school. My concern with the money issue is that I can go to a school like MSU (tuition <$14,000) for 4 years and not have any debt but going to a private school (tuition >$25,000) would put me in debt. It be nice to walk into a career without worrying about that kind of stuff. Thanks for the replys.</p>
<p>im not sure of my major. Nothing in the sciences or foreign language. I was thinking of advertising at MSU or mass communications/media studies at Allegheny. I love history and if there were actually jobs for it I'd think about it, but I'm content with that being a hobby.</p>
<p>Hubby and graduated from Allegheny back in the dark ages. We never had a had hard time finding stuff to do on campus and I imagine that there are still a lot of things to do there if you are willing to try some new things. Neither of us ever had any difficulty getting into grad school or getting jobs. </p>
<p>No one can really say which is the right school for you. We both loved it there and remain emotionally close to the school. Some of our closest friends are people who attended Allegheny with us. However, it is certainly not the right school for everyone. </p>
<p>Have you gotten your FA package from Allegheny? If not, you might not end up paying as much as you think you will.</p>
<p>Since you aren't compeltely decided on a major, MSU might be good because it gives you more options. I would say that if you get an athletic scholarship you should go to Allegheny though, but if not, MSU. Too bad MSU always loses to UofM, GO BLUE!</p>
<p>I have not got my financial aid package from Allegheny yet but after going over some numbers, I am still unsure of my decision. I'm a 3.75, 29 ACT student with the usual extra curricular; I am in no way some brainiac scientist or writing genius. At the current rate of tuition~ $35,000, if I got the premium merit of $15,000 then I am still staring at $20K a YEAR. The government will pitch in around $3,000 so now I'm at $17K. I don't want my parents, myself, or my future family to have to worry about >$68K of debt, when I can go to a public school and pay around $10K (affordable without debt in my situation), which would thrust me into the world with no prior attachments. I truthfully have no idea what I want to do so worry about debt doesn't seem like a fun situation.</p>
<p>Confused, I'd say your assessment is pretty good. It's really hard to pick one over the other because their so different -- it's up to you to decide what you want. Both are quality schools and both are similarly underrated w/in their own sphere. Here's a couple things I want to correct plus things you need to think about:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Allegheny IS well known in many academic circles. Allegheny has lots of tradition, famous alumni (U.S. Pres. Wm McKinley; muckraker: Ida Tarbell, etc) and is one of the oldest colleges west of the Allegheny mountains.</p></li>
<li><p>Allegheny has an outstanding senior project/thesis program which everybody must take -- essentially, it's comparable to what many grad students take.</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan State has MANY outstanding facilities.</p></li>
<li><p>MSU has a number of small residential colleges (James Madison (poli sci, prelaw, int'l studies), Lyman Briggs (science, pre med), and the new liberal arts Res Coll/Arts Humanities RCAH, opening this fall. All 3 require frosh to live in the dorm with classrooms, labs (where students take 1/2 of classes) and faculty offices giving a small college atmosphere; an intense one, at that. You get much of these qualities in the Honors College, as well...</p></li>
</ul>
<p>-- MSU does have a lot of programs many people don't know about: music, poli sci, creative writing, film, etc...</p>
<ul>
<li>MSU, in addition to the great study abroad you mentioned, has a lot of international students, too.</li>
</ul>
<p>nice post quincy, if you aren't reaaaaaaaallllyy sure on what you want to study... MSU might be for you because you have so much to chose from in every single way.</p>
<p>well we just got our FAFSA information back. Looks like the government won't be any help as they expect my family to afford $21,000 for college. Saying that is an extreme would be an understatment, thats outrages!</p>