Alright so here’s the thing. First off, please do not rip me for choosing between Penn State and Rutgers I know they’re rivals its just how the cards played out. Anyway, I’m a typical jersey boy living in a small little town. And I hear of this great school in Pennsylvania with great engineering and football and my eyes light up. And of course my parents want me to apply to Rutgers since its you know, like right there. But yeah I’m having trouble deciding whether i should choose Rutgers which actually has a decent campus and I got a really good amount of money from, or Penn state which is a dream come true for me but I still haven’t received my financial aid (I made a stupid mistake on my application lol). I’m 90% sure I want to go to Penn state but I’m not sure if I want to live the next 29 years in student debt
PSU is in the boonies. Rutgers is within sneezing distance of the biggest city in the US, considered the cultural and sports capital of the US by many.
But it sounds like debt may be your main concern, so I wouldn’t worry about it until you get your FA package.
(if you are from a “small little town in Jersey” and have not taken advantage of living near NYC and/or Philly before, I guess PSU is a non-issue for location)
As state universities go, Penn State is expensive even at in-state rates.
Its average debt at graduation is the highest of the public colleges ranked by Kiplinger’s
(http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php).
So don’t be surprised if, after you get your FA decision, Penn State turns out to be much more expensive than Rutgers.
If it’s better football you want, I bet you could buy quite a few tickets to NFL games for the difference.
Student debt = $5,500 for your freshman year. That’s all you’re legally allowed to take on (after the 2008 loan/financial crisis, things have gotten stricter). So, if you can’t afford to attend Penn State with a part time job/work study + parents’contribution, then it’s Rutgers. Note that Penn State is notoriously bad with financial aid, even for in-state students, let alone for OOS applicants, so don’t expect anything from them.
What’s your parents’ budget? If it’s below 35K, you should start the process of gving up Penn State and embracing Rutgers (go visit, buy a tee shirt, join the Facebook Page…)
What do you want to do after graduation and how much will the cost gap be? I know folks who have done very well out of both schools (both are as you know big name schools and are well respected).
Rutgers with a scholarship sounds like a fantastic deal off the bat though. Penn state would have to be only slightly more expensive in my opinion for it to be worth it.
Thanks guys. I really appreciated these answers. I really don’t want to pry myself from the idea of Penn state but I feel like its a pipe dream at this point. I still haven’t received my financial aid yet but from what I read it doesn’t seem like I’m getting any money from Penn State.