Hi all!
I have a question related to the different campuses at Penn State. They all seem to have different acceptance rate and some are more prestigious that others. Why so? You still get Penn State Diploma… You can get into Schreyers on any campus (and I guess it is easier for certain campuses?)… I understand that the Main Campus is bigger and certain majors are only being offered there. But what if your major is offered at one of the small campuses as well? What would be the benefit of going to a more prestigious campus? Asking because one of the smaller campuses is close to our home. But it is not as prestigious as the main campus.
The regional campuses are primarily or exclusively commuter campuses. They do not provide the same “college experience” that you would get at University Park. The regional campuses are less selective and classroom discussion etc. would not be as challenging or demanding as at UP. Research opportunities would be limited at the regionals if that is something that you are interested in. And as with all regional campuses the university provides them with fewer resources than are available at the main campus.
@2018Summer2018 every campus has a slightly different atmosphere. I’m not an expert at all of them, but some are closer to a DIII school (Altoona), while others are more like commuter colleges with limited dorms and fewer student activities. Some have recently added/upgraded dorms (Brandywine, Abington), but it is a smaller percentage of students that stay on campus.
There are many great reasons to start at a commonwealth (ie. branch) campus. Cost is a main driver. (tuition is cheaper and many kids can opt to live at home to save money). There are also kids that don’t have the stats to get into UP as a freshman and honestly, the smaller environment of a commonwealth is a better fit for them to start at. Classes are smaller. I won’t get into the debate if they are easier or not, I will let you research that. According to Penn State, more than 50% of their graduates start at a commonwealth campus, so it is not insignificant.
You can get into Schreyer at any branch, however, admissions is done by their central Admissions staff. The criteria are not any different than UP campus.
Not every campus has a 4 year degree program, not every degree can be done at a branch, you have to dig deeper to look into that. There are also some degrees that are only at commonwealth campuses, if there is something specfic you are interested in, I would encourage you to poke around the academic side or talk to someone on campus.
good luck.
@lucyvanpelt
so, the admission to Schreyer program has nothing to do with the branch a student is applying to?
Thank you for your detailed replies!
@2018Summer2018 My understanding is that Schreyer is a Penn State thing and central Schreyer staff do all admissions. I interpret that as everyone meets the same standards. I would encourage you to call Schreyer offices and ask that exact question - they are the definitive answer. good luck
Thank you!
Take a quick read through this thread…
@STEM2017
thank you for the helpful link!