<p>Hi, I'm a high school senior who applied to multiple schools. These schools include: UC Berkeley, U of Michigan, Case Western Reserve, Penn State University Park, Villanova, U of Richmond, and SUNY Binghamton.</p>
<p>The reason the thread is titled "Penn State vs. other schools" is because I get a massive tuition discount if I go to Penn State. My father is an employee there, and apparently there is a discount of 75% for employee's kids.</p>
<p>In the scenario that I have to choose between the schools listed above, which one should I go to? I'm sure the quality of education at Berkeley and Michigan are better than PSU, and I'm not sure about the others. However, I dont live in Cali or Michigan (I'm in New York). Is a Berkeley or Michigan education worth possibly $100,000 more?</p>
<p>Its possible I get financial aid because my parents don't make that much money, but my dad remarried so if you factor in my step mom's income I may not get financial aid.</p>
<p>PSU is in the top 50 universities in the nation according to the US News Rankings, and a member of the American Association of Universities, along with 61 other leading research universities. Really, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the schools in that group. They’re all well respected, productive, and on the leading edge of research in one area of another. Their company includes the Ivy Leagues as well as Berkley and Michigan, which you pointed out. All the schools on your list are great, but if you have an opportunity for such a discount at Penn State, it might be wise to go there. Make sure you’re okay with going to a huge school though, but I have feeling you are since you applied to a lot of big schools.</p>
<p>Though, if you’re going to Pennsylvania anyway, I’d go with the cream of the public school crop in the state and go to U Pitt muahahah.</p>
<p>Penn State has a great reputation on the East Coast. If you stay on the East Coast, it is usually in no way less prestigious than Berkeley or U of M.</p>
<p>However, Cal and U of M have international reputations.</p>
<p>As a PSU grad I must say your education depends on you more than anything else. Every college you mention will challenge you, how you respond to the challenges is up to you not the school. </p>
<p>With that said, I feel much depends on your major. Look closely at your specific major requirements at the different colleges. Also look at how they are placing graduates. Some national firms only recruit from a few select schools. </p>
<p>As an example, the CEO of KPMG, one of the big 4 accounting firms, just visited Penn State and said it was KPMG’s leading source for new talent in the 2011-2012 hiring cycle. He is also visiting U of Texas and Miami U (Ohio) They don’t recruit at any of the Ivy League schools or Stanford.</p>
<p>Have you calculated the net price after applying any financial aid and scholarships (including the discount from your father’s employment) at each school (either through actual financial aid and scholarship offers, or the net price calculator if you have not gotten them yet)?</p>
<p>It is rather unlikely the Berkeley and Michigan will be worth $100,000 more, especially if it means that much additional debt. (Also, such factors like major and course selection can affect which school is “better”.)</p>
<p>@OP - you could know that the rankings of other schools might be higher than PSU, but not that the quality of education is better. None of those alternatives you listed are at a level that could possibly justify $100K loans instead of a 75% discount. If we’re talking Harvard or MIT vs. PSU, then maybe the answer is different.</p>
<p>If you really want an alternative to PSU, did you look for schools where you might get a big merit scholarship? That doesn’t seem likely at Michigan or Berkeley, could be possible at Case or the others.</p>
<p>BTW, are you sure that your step-mom’s income would be considered in financial aid evaluations?</p>
<p>What major do you have in mind? I wouldn’t pay 100K extra for any of the schools listed (or any school for that matter), but some of those you list could possibly be more in line financially pending what you get for a financial package. In that case, it helps to know what you plan on majoring in. If engineering, I’d stick with PSU (unless Bio-medical, then I’d suggest Case). If something more liberal artish I’d go U Richmond.</p>
<p>A possible reason is too low a yield rate when competing against investment banking and management consulting companies that recruit there. Lack of actual accounting majors at some of them is another possible reason. Small size at some of them also makes them less attractive.</p>
<p>The question was mostly rhetorical, and meant for others to understand that the presence or absence of certain classes of employers is not a proxy for the quality of schools. A number of employers look at their next hires at colleges where they stand a better chance to land numerous students to fill their lower paying positions. As an example, a large defense contractor in Fort Worth might spend more time recruiting at UTEP than a UT-Austin. </p>
<p>The same applies to employers that look to replace their quickly vanishing classes of recruits for the lower positions in tax, accounting, and audit. </p>
<p>You cannot blame them as it makes perfect sense for a bridesmaid to be a bride by casting a wider and less selective net. </p>
<p>On the other hand, with the last five years of economic shambles for graduating students, the graduates of the most selective schools might become a bit more enamored with those “low” entry jobs, as they offer better options than serving hot cocaa with a green apron to those same guys who did “settle” for a fluff business degree at one of the academic factories. </p>
<p>All in all, the question about spending $100,000 one does not have yields the same answer. And that is to grab that degree at the most affordable net cost.</p>
<p>However, I just checked the most recent Wharton (U of Penn) undergraduate placement survey and it is correct that very few accounting grads from Wharton ended up in public accounting:</p>