<p>First of all, I'd like to do engineering. Penn State and Drexel University both have great engineering programs, so I don't know which one I should lean towards more. Besides the environment/size/etc., are there any things that set PSU or Drexel ahead in the engineering program?</p>
<p>PSU is higher ranked and cheaper. Only reason to ever go to Drexel is if you have the money and desire to live in Philly.</p>
<p>MAF5000 notes,"PSU is higher ranked and cheaper. Only reason to ever go to Drexel is if you have the money and desire to live in Philly."</p>
<p>Response: IMO, NOT TOTALLY TRUE! My son attended Penn State, and we looked at Drexel for our daughter. Thus, I do have some knowledge of both schools.</p>
<p>First, Drexel has a few majors that are much stronger than that found at Penn State such as Visual Communication and New Media programs. Also, according to Studentsreview.com, Penn State's business school and communication programs aren't good. There may be other programs that are better as well. I just am not familiar with all the Drexel programs. I should note that I am NOT knocking Penn State, which also has some very strong. well- rated programs and is cheaper.</p>
<p>Secondly, Drexel has a very strong coop program,which they are known for. Penn State does not have a formal coop program,but they do have some internships and coops; just not as much or as formalized as that of Drexel. If having a coop in your field is important, Drexel definitely has an advantage here.</p>
<p>Third: Penn State is a large state university with the accompanying problems of large state universities such as heavy partying atmosphere, long lines, uncaring administrator types and some HUGE classes taught by TAs. Private schools tend to cater more to the students' needs with administration problems and counseling. However, this may or may not be true of Drexel. I, frankly, don't know. However, I do know that kids at Drexel are more serious and less party oriented than their Penn State counterparts.Thus, there is less distractions, and also less to do in Drexel than in Penn State.</p>
<p>I do want to discuss the huge class problems. There are classes where you will have 400+ students at a time plus more TAs teaching at Penn State than that of Drexel. Be advised of this. </p>
<p>Fourth: Penn State has some controlled majors. For example, you need a 3.3 for the business school etc. This could be a major dissappointment. Here you get accepted into the school and find out down the road that you can't major in the major of your choice! Go to:<a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a> and check out Penn State's negative comments.</p>
<p>Penn State clearly has more school spirit with their sports teams and much more to do other than study. In fact, the distractions could be too much.</p>
<p>Bottom Line: Although I believe more kids like Penn State better than students at Drexel like Drexel, You need to visit the schools and check out the programs that you might like. Find out if your major is a competitive "controlled' major, which might prevent you from majoring in it at Penn State. Also, you need to check out the atmosphere of each school. The key is fit. You need to see what fits best with your interests and personality.</p>
<p>It is repulsive to read a post full of so many stereotypes. First of all, Z5sharp is asking abot ENGINEERING and PSU has a top ranked engineering program. Drexel has a good one too. As a CURRENT student at Penn State, I can assure you that not every one of 42,000 students is a huge partier that never goes to class or anything. As a BUSINESS student I can assure you that PSU has a great business program. It is considered one of the top 20 in the country at the ugrad level. We have a brand new state of the art building and the majority of the business majors, especially supply chain management, are very well ranked. Also, no lectures are taught by TA's. Every large class has a real professor. How dare you make so many assumptions about a University that you know little about. I live right next to Philadelphia and know many kids that go to Drexel. It is a good school but is not considered a better school than PSU in terms of ENGINEERING. Drexel also has a great Co-op program. If you can afford to go to Drexel and live expensively in Philadelphia, then there is nothing wrong with attending this university. I do not have the money to go to Drexel and I am deeply offended by your post and blatant disregard for the university I attend that also happens to be ranked by US News as one of the top 50 universities in the country.</p>
<p>MAF5000, first take a deep beadth and relax. I started off by saying:</p>
<p>IMO= In My opinion</p>
<p>Secondly, these are comments that I got from both my son and from several CURRENT students at Penn State. Just check out <a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a>. I certainly don't know that these statements made my students are or are not true since I never personally attended Penn State. I am only stating what other students have said!</p>
<p>Thirdly, I never, ever said that Drexel is better school than Penn State. In fact, I noted: "I am NOT knocking Penn State, which also has some very strong. well- rated programs and is cheaper" AND "Although I believe more kids like Penn State better than students at Drexel like Drexel,"</p>
<p>I also noted that it depends on each major and each concentration. Although I also believe that PSU is overall better than that of Drexel, I don't believe that all majors or even every concentration in engineering at Penn State is necessarily better than that of Drexel, which is why I stated,"You need to visit the schools and check out the programs that you might like. Find out if your major is a competitive "controlled' major, which might prevent you from majoring in it at Penn State. Also, you need to check out the atmosphere of each school"</p>
<p>Moreover, having controlled majors, in my opinion, is very misleading. Here students get admitted to the university and then told that they aren't good enough for a particular major! How disheartening is that?</p>
<p>Yes, most of the big classes are taught by professors,but even Penn State acknowledges that they use a number of TAs in teaching.</p>
<p>You seem to complain about my stereo typing or at least by other students stereo typing Penn State as a party school. Here is what Princeton Review ranks varous factors about Penn State ( not me):</p>
<p>1.#9 in country in "lots of beer"
2. #14 in country in "lots of hard liquor"
3. #13 in country in "party school"
4.#2 in country in "Jock school"</p>
<p>Again, I think that Penn State is a very fine school and some very fine academics without question! However, I stand my the statements that I said above.</p>
<p>First, let me thank you both for your information. I have visited Penn State earlier this summer and recently visited Drexel, so as far as where my "fit" is, I think Penn State is what I'd most enjoy. I also live not too far from the city Philadelphia, so it would be more convenient to go to Drexel, however, the city factor and the small campus really have a lot to do with my decision. I like the whole rural environment, large campus and small city right near campus (what's that city called?). I was just trying to clarify which school had the stronger engineering program. Right away, Drexel does not offer my preferred major, aeronautical engineering, even though it's only a few miles from a major Boeing plant in Philadelphia. This I do not understand, as it would be supported by co-op from Boeing. Mechanical engineering is my second choice, which is offered by both schools. There's also the fact that Drexel is easier to get into than Penn State (grades, SAT scores, size restrictions).</p>
<p>Yes, I know I need to relax, haha. There is something about Penn State that warps all of its students and alumni into being obsessed with the school. I will not deny that it is a big party school. I guess I just got offended when you started negatively talking about the business school. I am really really involved with the business school, so I kind of lost it. However, Drexel is also a party school. Most of the kids go to Penn and other Philadelphia colleges to party and many kids have fake IDs for the bar. It is impossible to get away with a fake idea at PSU.... All I am saying is just because Princeton Review ranks PSU as a party school (along with most large Public Universities) does not mean that all 42,000 students are raging alcoholics that do nothing but party. There are going to be very similiar kids at both schools that only party. It all comes down to your personal and academic preferences when deciding between schools like PSU and Drexel.</p>
<p>I would thing the physical environments are about as opposite as you could get (urban vs. rural).</p>
<p>PSU is a bubble. It is very rural but does not feel that way. There is a big downtown and tons of people that live in the area around in. It feels like a suburb of Philly stuck in the middle of PA if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>I do agree maf... I live in a town that looks like the downtown area (much bigger of course) so I should feel right at home if I go to PSU. I've visited and toured the campus. I couldn't be happier! Well, actually, it'd be nice if they had an accelerated degree program for engineering... but that's ok. :)</p>
<p>If you liked the "fit" and are seriously interested in aero then PSU is the obvious choice. The department is ranked twelfth in the country and is small enough that the faculty get to know the students. If you get in touch with department some one would be happy to meet with you. Also, if you have the stats you can also consider the honors college, which might give you the best of both worlds. The town is State College. :)</p>
<p>Did you just say a city. Pa is philly and the pitt with cornfields in between my bro. Way easier to find a job after Drexel even if you go to grad school. After college you are 50% more likely to get a job offer having attended drexel than other schools. Personally I wanted to study biomed and I could have easily gotten in to penn state main but i didnt even bother applying. There are so many more opportunities in the city along with the co-op 5yr plan at drexel. Yeah you can coast by being a nobody at penn state or you can get unique experience to place on any resume that will get you a job in the future. So with the co-op program I don’t see how you can say you are better prepared through a better program at penn state.</p>
<p>Ummm…You do know that you’re replying to a six-year-old thread?</p>
<p>Ummm…does he know that penn state has amazing internship/coop and that something like 85%-90% get a job straight out of school.</p>
<p>Well, I can tell you this, having Attended Penn State, and visited Drexel, the internship programs are not actually similar. At Drexel, and schools like RIT, the internship program/CO-OP is required, and the school actually sets it up for you.</p>
<p>Unforunately, at Penn State, things like that aren’t handed to you. That said, Penn State’s Alumni Network and Career Services Center give students ample opportunity to find an internship or job after college.</p>
<p>Also, this is a six-year-old thread…just sayin</p>