Penn State-University Park or Virginia Tech for Engineering

<p>Hey. I was accepted by both the universities and I was wondering where I should enroll, because both these universities are pretty similar, I was having a tough time choosing.
Well I intend on majoring in Electrcial engineering and I know Vtech is slightly better than PSU for engineering,but as a school PSU is ranked much higher than Vtech so yeah still pretty confused about which school I should go to. Should I focus on the engineering ranking more than the overall national university rankings?
I want a great college experience along with great academics. I'm into the whole study hard and party hard mentality. So I was wondering if you guys could help me choose which school I should go to.
thanks!</p>

<p>“Vtech is slightly better than PSU for engineering”</p>

<p>Nope both are exactly on the same level for engineering. The answer depends on what state you are from. Choose the closer one.</p>

<p>both would be out of state for me, I’m still having a tough time deciding.</p>

<p>What state do you live in ? I know about OOS but which one is closer from home ?</p>

<p>PSU and VT are very similar colleges. They are the perfect example of peer institutions. Both rural, same stats for entering freshman class etc. Penn State has 38k undergrads but VT has 24k. Penn State is 8556 acres whereas VT is 2600 acres. Bottom line, Penn State has a much bigger campus and student body than Virginia Tech. That’s the only significant difference I can find.</p>

<p>Found some gold info in these threads, read every post.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/45720-vtech-penn-state.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/45720-vtech-penn-state.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/491795-penn-state-vs-virginia-tech.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/491795-penn-state-vs-virginia-tech.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m stuck between Penn State, UD, Fordham, and Loyola for most likely speech pathology. I’m just afraid Penn State may be too big and overwhelming for my first years in college. But it does sound like a great school</p>

<p>Penn State is a big school and it would be very easy to get lost among the mass of students. The trick is to get involved in something ASAP to help you meet people and get involved in campus activities - Greek life, intramural sports, marching/pep band, clubs, arts, volunteer groups, etc. For my son it was the band (and to a smaller degree the honors college) and that really made the difference for him. </p>

<p>Note: this advice goes for any campus, but especially big ones.</p>

<p>Virginia Tech has an excellent reputation for placing their graduates in JOBS!!!</p>

<p>proudmom131 - as does Penn State.</p>

<p>My son’s Engineering program has 100% placement rate every year, with many students receiving multiple job offers.</p>

<p>^Which engineering is that ?</p>

<p>There is no difference at all between these schools on academic level. Both have excellent job placement, many of the same companies recruit at both places. The only big difference is the size. However, I found this info in one of the threads that non of the engineering students at PSU graduate in 4 years. Note: The following statements are neither my opinions nor my experiences as I am not a Penn State student. </p>

<p>“we don’t know a single engineering student who was able to graduate in less than 5 years due to not being able to get into classes.” </p>

<p>"The food is ALOT better. The dorms are ALOT nicer. "(at VT)</p>

<p>“PSU has a gym requirement”</p>

<p>Not sure why that is a problem.</p>

<p>Also, lets not forget Virginia Tech is 3k cheaper than PSU for out of state. I agree on the dorm part because the dorm’s at PSU are extremely small just like Ohio State’s dorms.</p>

<p>I agree - when looking at academics, job placement, school spirit, etc - these 2 schools are very similar. Virginia Tech is a great school, and because it is smaller - some students may be more comfortable there. The somewhat cheaper cost will also appeal to people.</p>

<p>My son is an Architectural Engineering major. Don’t know about the difficulty in getting classes (my son hasn’t had that problem). His degree program is designed as a 5-year program, so we went in knowing that.</p>

<p>And, yes, Penn State has a gym requirement (and an arts requirement). Lots of options available for the gym requirement - from golf to yoga to running and everything in between. My son is taking a 3 hour class this semester that involves 1 hour a week in the classroom and 2 hours a week in the gym working out.</p>

<p>My son has never had an issue getting classes he needs for engineering. There were a few times that he might not have gotten the section he wanted (i.e time, day, etc.) but especially as he’s entered the upper level classes, they are small, often the same students and no problem registering for them. He will easily finish his degree (and a minor) in four years.</p>

<p>As for the PE requirement - it’s very easy to take 2 PE classes over 4 years. Often, the more popular classes do fill up quickly - so S waited until Junior year to begin the requirement so he could get what he wanted with the earlier registration. He’s enjoyed them - and will probably even take an extra!!</p>