<p>momfirst - As I said earlier, I'm a Pitt grad. But I have to agree - I wasn't especially thrilled with Pitt main campus, and it actually influenced me to send my kids to schools with more of a "campus". But it's a great education for those who like urban campuses. Keep in mind that Pitt has a few campuses that offer 4 year degrees, such as Bradford campus, that give you the LAC feeling. It's also possible to start out at one of the smaller campuses, and transfer (which is what I did. I started in Titusville.)</p>
<p>I also want to clarify something related to cptofthehouse's post: Grove City is not Catholic; I believe it has Presbyterian roots. It is also not especially easy to get into. </p>
<p>Concerning Edinboro:
Mid 50 SAT is 900 -1100 -- Can't get much more "average" than that!
It has rolling admission, so can be an early admit, or a last minute addition.
Division II sports; lots of school spirit. (My dad never missed a homecoming game.)
If you visit, they waive the ap fee. If you bring your transcripts, etc, they'll make an admit decision on the spot!</p>
<p>I really do think it's a great option for an average student who might be interested in attending a larger school.</p>
<p>Whoa there, Binx. I guess I was not clear. I know that Grove City is not Catholic. I was trying to compare its religious atmosphere with a known set of colleges. Grove City is a college with religious routes, but unlike some of such schools where the roots are now pretty much underground, the school does still have active reminders and rules regarding religion and behaviour. But it is not what I would categorize as a "bible thumping" school that is over the line for kids and families who do not want that. And yes, it is no longer as easy to get in there, but looking at the stats, its not way up there in selectivity and academic prowress either. It has large number of kids within a certain academic stats zone applying there; and that range is not so high that average would not get you in. It would not be a safety school for this student, but neither would Pitt. York too is getting a lot of apps from middle ground kids, so it would not be a safety either.<br>
Also Penn State has the Behrend campus in the Erie area that is a bit less commuter/suitcase than some of the branches.</p>
<p>It was actually Pitt's campus that made me apply and attend! I think Pitt is sort of a love/hate relationship. You either fall in love and want to go or you really don't care for it and would go nearly anywhere else. At least PA does have the option for students who do want an urban campus.</p>
<p>As for Pitts stats, I fell below the mid 50% range and got in, but that was 7 years ago and standards have been rising consistently year after year.</p>
<p>Edit:</p>
<p>Grove City can be difficult for an average student to get into as well. For a Christian school, look into Messiah College, all the students I know that went there were very happy and it's easier to get into.</p>
<p>Albright is quite generous and might be a good fit. My daughter, who is dead-on average, didn't like it but one of her friends with similar stats liked it very, very much.</p>
<p>I missed that misinformation regarding Grove City. binx is right, it's not that easy to get into and not Catholic. I know two students there - a senior and a junior. One comes from an evangelical Christian background, the other one is a Lutheran. Both were in the top 10% of their classes. I've heard there is a lot of pressure to find a potential spouse but education (and price tag!) is great. </p>
<p>Speaking of the Western PA schools, Allegheny is a fairly rigorous school to get into if you look at their accepted SAT and gpa but they also look beyond the numbers. I think my son was accepted because of his Eagle Scout hook. For students that might be underperforming in HS but want a challenge in college, Allegheny might fit the bill. I think if this school were in the Eastern part of the state it would be much more desireable. They have an interesting requirement where students major in one field and must minor in a different one. </p>
<p>Momfirst, are you looking at PA schools because you think they are less expensive and they are closer? Or are you willing to look out of state if the prices are about the same and the distance is a certain amount? That is, if you live on the east side of the state, some of the colleges on the western side are the same distances as colleges in upstate NY, Maryland and even VA. My son goes to college in SW Virginia - a 6 hour drive. A good friend of his goes to college in Maryland, three hours away.</p>
<p>No, cptofthehouse - I didn't think you misunderstood. I just thought the post was open to misunderstanding. All 3 of my sisters went to Grove City, and one has a son there now. I have several friends who's kids have been rejected. It seems a bit easier to get into if you're male (which is true at many LACs.) It is definitely a more conservative school, which one sister and my nephew find irritating. But all agree it's a great education.</p>
<p>I agree about Pitt being love/hate. Hindsight is 20/20, and I think I could have done more to enjoy myself there - Like major in something I cared about, and live in a dorm - two things whose importance I underestimated at the time. As a result, I didn't develop the sense of community I would have liked in a college. Pitt does have a lot to offer for a variety of students. I love the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral, Heinz Chapel, Schenley Park, etc.</p>
<p>I think Pitt is a great school for kids who want a city school. With two women's colleges nearby, CMU right there, and Duquesne a short distance away, the Oakland area of Pittsburgh is a veritable collegetown. But Pitt and Penn State are both pricey, in my opinion, for state schools. And average kids do not get full aid. Pennsylvania has so many choices for middle stats kids at a reasonable price, however, that the OP can find many options here.</p>
<p>MY first choice is PA State schools....we saved money in the TAP program so a State school would definitely get us the most bang for the buck! That said, I don't want the cost to be the only criteria.</p>
<p>Momfirst, if that is true, you may consider doing what many of us did and tell our kids that we would pay up to a certain cost and then it would be up to our student to take out loans or get merit aid for the difference. That means that you look at colleges that your kids would like to attend with the caveat regarding the bottom line, but not just the bottom line. So, if you are looking at Millersville, look also at York and Elizabethtown. If you are looking at IUP, check out Allegheny. My son is very happy at Roanoke in VA and we're not paying more then a few thousand over the sticker price of Millersville, per year. </p>
<p>But instead of going to school with mostly other Pennsylvanians, he is going to a college where 50% of the students are from outside of VA, there are no more then 25 students in a class, his advisor has 13 students and they meet 6 times during the first semester, etc, etc. Frankly, we didn't look at any colleges that cost over $33,000 that didn't have a reputation for good merit aid and our kids knew our financial situation.</p>
<p>You guys are lucky that Pennsylvania has so many good state colleges. I think that your kid should definitely check out Indiana University (of Pennsylvania), but all of the other suggestions are good also. I would suggest making up a travel schedule to see which one your kid falls in love with. So many schools, so little time... but you are definitely in the right state.</p>
<p>Thanks for the IUP stats. IUP is actually one of the schools that we have on our list to re-visit. We did a quick sweep of some schools last summer just to get a feel of some different kinds of campuses. I hadn't been able to locate the stats you provided. </p>
<p>What is frustrating is that our HS seems to not encourage the State schools. The kids tend to turn their noses up when they are mentioned as good options. I want to tell the Guidance Counselors that, perhaps, they should pay a tuition bill or two before they help make lists of schools for the kids to look at.</p>
<p>I will definitely also take a look at some of the smaller private schools mentioned.</p>
<p>Another little known, but really nice school in my city is Nazareth College. It has a really pretty, very liberal artsy feeling campus. Kids are happy there too. They also give out good merit money, and are less expensive to start out with than many other schools. Might be an option for a kid who wants a nice, exclusive feeling campus with small classes etc.
<a href="http://www.naz.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.naz.edu/</a></p>
<p>By the way, the Premium online edition of US News college report is well worth the $15 subscription. A lot of information, pretty well organized.</p>
<p>I hear ya momfirst. The kids are so inundated with PENN STATE info that I don't even think most of them realize what schools are available in our state system. I was surprised when I started looking and saw how many options we have here! Of course , even if the g/c offered these schools up to the students, I think that many will turn their nose up at anything other than Penn State ( which is not state school tuition range!! ) My own decided to go OOS (but she did find a good situation so I am not complaining). She had something like 80 kids in her graduating class go to Penn State and she wanted to be different LOL
Good luck !</p>
<p>^ The only problem with that site (post #34) is they don't break out merit money in the financial aid data (fairly crucial imo) and the information is one year older than US News. But, hey, it's free! :)</p>
<p>Kathiep, we are very interested in Roanoke. I may be hitting you up for info. A young man from my sons' school is there now, and he loves it. Did not know it had that many out of staters. Am looking at Mary Washington and James Madison in VA as well. URichmnd was on our list, but it has skyrocketed in price since I last looked at it many years ago when it was a bargain.<br>
If you go to a private school, they do tend to push the privates. The Catholic schools are heavy with the Catholic colleges, and it makes sense that Penn State is the big daddy of the public schools in Pa. Pitt seems to make all of the lists, maybe because of their generous merit aid for kids who make certain set points in stats. I like Duquesne too, and know a kid here who chose it over Fordham a few years ago because the former gave him some merit money.</p>
<p>Any time cpt! We just saw it for the first time last April after son was accepted and we got the finaid offer. Really pretty campus, nice town within walking distance, even has an airport 15 minutes away. Academics are great so far and a cool May session that can include international travel.</p>
<p>momfirst
And anybody else who might be interested. Schools my D got significant merit offers from but not in PA area - in New England. Assumption College, Roger Williams University, St. Joseph's College Maine. Some merit money but not as significant Stonehill, St. Anselm, Sacred Heart. Most of them are small catholic colleges ... I don't know why but that's the way it worked out!</p>
<p>Catholic schools that are not well known can hold a treasure trove of opportunties for students. Providence and Fairfield, however, are becoming more selective and have their specialty targets for merit money.</p>