What are the pros and cons of Michigan State vs. Penn State. I am out of state for both so it is expensive either way.
Have you been accepted to both?
I would make a spreadsheet and include info like:
Net Cost
Number of Undergraduates
Faculty Student Ratio
%of students that live on campus
How big is the department for your major? If you are majoring in something that only has a couple of professors, that does not bode well.
Housing- do they offer all 4 years? freshman only?
Urban/rural/suburban
Is this a commuter school? (do students go home on weekends)
Surrounding area - what is the nearby town/amenities like?
Transportation - how would you get home
AP Credits - can you get credit for AP tests you have taken
Male/Female ration
Greek life - what % of students are in greek life
Parking
Diversity
Safety
Sports
Jobs - what happens to seniors after they graduate
Internships - depending on your major, is it easy to get internships?
…and whatever makes sense for you
You might not care about, say, greek life. but if 50% of the kids are in greek life and you don’t want to be, that is something to know. Or you may want a big time sports scene or you might not want one. (although in your case both have great sports!!) Grade them from 1-5 as they make sense to you.
Then look at each of them and see which makes sense for you
A tool to help is https://colleges.niche.com/compare/default.aspx?&tab=tab-rankings
From Colleges.niche:
Penn State
Pros
-School spirit
-Facilities
-College town
Cons
-Location
-Winters
-Lack of diversity
-Party school
Michigan State
Pros
-Gorgeous walking trails
-Friendly students
-School spirit
-Close to downtown
-Bars & nightlife
Cons
-Tuition hikes
-Walking long distances to class
-Little entertainment for those under 21
If you go to MSU no one will ever bring up Jerry Sandusky.
Haha this made my day
Despite the similarity in names, Penn State is Pennsylvania ‘s flagship whereas Michigan State isn’t, and in a sad testimonial to Americans’ short attention span when it comes to crimes vs. Generation-long sports rivalry, you’re much more likely to hear about UMuchigan as a Michigan State student, than about Sandusky as a Penn State student.
But both reasons are equally invalid when it comes to choosing a college.
Why two expensive oos public universities? What’s your parents’budget? Where else yave you been admitted?
Both universities are good but without your criteria as well as your other choices we can’t tell you which onebis the best for you.
Forget the spreadsheets; just go visit them. You will like one better.