The time is quickly approaching for me to choose between these three schools. I applied to Pitt & Temple early in the school year and was accepted to both. When choosing which colleges to apply to, I really wanted to be in a city, hence why I picked those two. In mid-April, however, I had a slight change of heart and wanted more of a college atmosphere, so I applied to Penn State. I was definitely not expecting to get in, being that Penn State operates on rolling admissions and the later you apply the less likely you are to be accepted. I just heard back yesterday, saying that I was accepted for Summer 2015 (which I would rather not do, but oh well). Now I just have to choose. My majors are political science & history. In your opinions, what school would you pick in terms of atmosphere, learning environment, local surroundings, etc. etc. Any information would be helpful :)))
Forgot to mention that money is not an issue
Have you visited the campuses? My final choice came down to Penn State or Pitt, and I found them very different just in terms of how open / green the campuses felt to me. I decided that I preferred PSU’s more park-like campus instead of Pitt’s, which felt very much like a part of the city. Depends on what you’re looking for!
You’ll have to visit and get a feel about what type of campus you REALLY want. Pitt and Temple are in the middle of big cities and PSU is all by itself with grassy hills and Nittany Lion statues.
I’ve visited them all, and that’s why I’m having such a hard time deciding. They all have things I like and dislike about them… Temple is in one of the largest cities on the east coast which is a huge benefit, but it’s also kind of dirty and doesn’t have a great campus atmosphere. Penn State, on the other hand, is basically the opposite and I can’t decide which I like more. Pitt is a mixture of the two-- in a relatively big city but I still feel like I’m on a college campus
Kinda dirty LOL. Then it doesn’t seem like you were comfortable at Temple. The safety is also a possible factor for Temple. Then it sounds like it’s between Pitt or PSU…
Hahaha… I think you’re right
At both Pitt and PSU, you would receive a quality education. It’s simply down to whether you want that city campus or that bucolic-idyllic sort of feel. I personally liked the grassy-hills type of campus over a city, but that’s just my personal preference. Everyone is different. You can find plenty of things to do on either type of campus. The grassy campus…it’s just more of a suburban vibe. You’re not walking down concrete sidewalks, dashing across streets and stoplights to go into corner stores; but you can still have fun there. Pitt and University Park are different places completely and very far from each other…did you have a certain preference in mind?
Would you rather be closer to Ohio or more in Pennsylvania?
My tie breaker was that you can always live in a city but the best time to enjoy a college town is when you’re a college student. In addition, you definitely enjoy the city more when you’re out of college and are making money!
Of course, this is purely personal and there are other points in favor in living in a big city.
I’ve always considered myself a big city person, because I like constantly having new things to see, places to go, and people to meet. However, like myos1634 said, the best time to enjoy a college town is when you’re a college student and a city afterward.