<p>Hi. I am currently a senior in high school and I am having trouble deciding where to go to school next year. I have been accepted to several b.arch programs; however I've had to limit my choices down to Penn State and NJIT for financial reasons. If I decide to attend Penn State I will most likely graduate with more than 40,000 in debt. Whereas if I attend NJIT I will graduate debt free and have many opportunities to study abroad. I am looking to get the best education I can afford. Does anyone know if there is a huge difference in the quality of the programs between NJIT and Penn State? Penn State is obviously a better school for architecture, but how much? Would the debt be worth it? Is NJIT really that bad? Is it the school that makes the person or the person that makes the school? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>Just to be clear, are we talking about Penn State University Park or a branch campus?</p>
<p>University Park</p>
<p>I am a high school senior as well and dont have too much job experience, so I am not sure I can truly understand what $40,000 of debt really is. However, I do know someone that is just about to complete his 5 years at NJIT architecture. He absolutely HATES it, although he loves the profession. Honestly, he said nothing good about it. He told me a story about how the arch program was up for re-accreditation and realized one of the professors didnt have enough students failing, so he randomly failed five students with good grades and they couldn’t fight it. I can’t get proof on that, but that is what he said. He made it sound like NJIT didnt really care about its students in the program at all. However, I have not heard the other side of the story, so I cannot say. Also, the dean of the arch program offered to give me a personal tour when I went to an arch-only college fair in Boston. So I can’t tell.</p>
<p>IMHO, I would go to Penn State because of the stories I heard from my friend. The arch-program alone should not decide the school, but for arch students, I think it is a major part of the decision. I guess it all depends on how difficult a $40,000 really is for an architect to pay off after college, which may be difficult in these times.</p>
<p>I know I didnt give a very clear-cut answer, but I hope my information helps!</p>
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<p>newprov29,
Tell us about the arch fair.</p>