<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>Currently deciding PSU v. Drexel v. Babson </p>
<p>Probably going to do some type of major in Finance or Marketing.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts?</p>
<p>I have already visited all 3. My thoughts are that Drexel has a pretty good co-op program and PSU has a massive alumni-base and is the most recognized out of all three of these schools...which IMO is extremely important in the business world.</p>
<p>Babson does have the advantage of being a highly specialized school and does have an extremely good job placement rate (I believe 95%+). </p>
<p>How does Drexel's co-op program (going to do a 5 year/3 co-op) fare against PSU's undergraduate business programs? Kinda confused on this one. My thoughts are that Drexel is that Drexel has smaller class sizes (a plus) compared to PSU and has a great co-op program but PSU has an undergraduate business program that is actually ranked.</p>
<p>I would appreciate help from anyone who has any experience in any of these programs in general.</p>
<p>I don't really care about the social scene at any of the colleges...Education is always #1 in my book...although Babson is kind of empty when I visited it... :( </p>
<p>I do prefer a busier campus.</p>
<p>Think about the rankings of the business schools itself. Penn state is consistently ranked among the top 25 undergrad business schools and is rated 100% for job placements and always ranked 1 by job recruiters. Also the alumni is tremendous since they say every 1 of 107 college graduates are from penn state (something like that. Not sure what the exact number is). Sure Drexel has a good co op program but I’m not even sure if it’s recognized as a good business school. And their trimester schedule makes everything awful</p>
<p>And at Babson you meet all the same majors as you. And idk about you but I’d wanna meet other majors. They also refer to the dead social life there as the Babson bubble and at penn state there’s a large sense of community and involvement and that might be the thing for you. I would recommend visiting if you haven’t already to see what type of campus you prefer since penn state is isolated but has a very large and beautiful campus versus drexel’s city campus. Keep in mind that Drexel is ranked the worst campus though and is far more expensive than penn state</p>
<p>What do you think about the classroom sizes? </p>
<p>By far Babson has the smallest classroom sizes and PSU has the biggest…few hundred students in a classroom is mindboggling.</p>
<p>A class is only as big as you make it seem. If you sit at the back, there are more students in front of you making it seem larger and more difficult to get the professor to know you. If you sit in the front everyone’s behind you. In any college class you have to make an effort to talk to your teacher and make sure they know your name. The classes are definitely bigger at penn state but it’s what you make out of it that counts or affects you. You should definitely try and visit the school and maybe see a sample classroom?</p>
<p>hello exa- you should think about where you plan to work after completing your degree. If you plan to work in Boston, go with Babson; if you plan to work in the Philly area, Drexel. And if you think you want to go somewhere else, consider Penn State for more national recognition.</p>
<p>Also- consider whether you prefer an urban (Drexel, Babson) or rural location (Penn State).</p>
<p>Is cost a factor?</p>
<p>I don’t think Drexel’s proximity would trump PSU’s better reputation in the Philly area. It is just not that well regarded.</p>
<p>I’ll have to respectfully disagree with 1moremom about Drexel’s reputation in Philly. As someone who lives and works in Philly and I can say with certainty that Drexel is very well regarded here! Students at Drexel are smart and studious, and they come out with a degree plus experience which makes them very marketable. Oftentimes, coop experience leads directly to a job offer at the coop employer.</p>
<p>That is not to take anything away from PSU- which obviously is a great school as well.</p>
<p>you might try posting this topic on a wider forum such as “College Search” or “Parents” if you want to get more diverse opinions. :)</p>
<p>I’m not saying Drexel is not well regarded, just that it is not held in higher regard than PSU in the Philadelphia area. (There are probably more PSU grads in Philly than Drexel grads, Drexel being a smaller school with more than half the students from OOS.)</p>
<p>1moremom- I was reacting to the statement you made about Drexel “It is just not that well regarded.” Thanks for clarifying! Drexel’s reputation is very up and coming. </p>
<p>exa- I don’t know much about Babson but the area around Drexel is very vibrant! There is lots to do in Philadelphia. The Drexel campus adjoins University of Pennsylvania, so University City is like one huge college town! There are plenty of things to do beside going to parties, in case partying is not a big thing for you.</p>
<p>Maybe I should have used a semi-colon. ;)</p>
<p>Easy, PSU. Better reputation, better college life. However, be aware that marketing is a restricted major and even though you were accepted into Smeal you will actually have to apply to the marketing major in your sophomore year.</p>
<p>@stealthposter</p>
<p>I’m curious. I have researched different majors and a lot would rather choose finance over marketing. Why is it a restricted major? </p>
<p>I visited Drexel and I did actually love the campus. In comparison to Babson, (regardless of location), which degree do you guys think carries more weight?</p>
<p>exa- I’d caution you from choosing a college based on minimal differences in perceived reuptation- as I said before- reputation of Drexel will be greater in Philly, Babson greater in Boston, because they are not as nationally known at Penn State.</p>
<p>stealthposter brings up another point to consider regarding PSU. PSU’s entrance to major requirements have been discussed several times on this forum- I think if you search the forum you’ll find them. Here is a link to info. [Entrance</a> to Major Requirements 2013 — Smeal Undergraduate Student Exchange](<a href=“http://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/academics-advising/get-into-a-smeal-major/entrance-to-major-2013]Entrance”>http://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/academics-advising/get-into-a-smeal-major/entrance-to-major-2013) Basically it means that you have to complete a series of entrance to major required courses with minimum GPA as specified. Finance is one of the most selective majors. If you don’t make it into the desired major, you either have to choose a different major or transfer to a different school.</p>
<p>Drexel does not have this system- if you are accepted for Finance major you stay in that major.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the advice.</p>
<p>@pamom59</p>
<p>Well I am asking this on behalf of my parents…cause I’m trying to see if a 5 year 3 co-op program is as credible as a PSU or Babson degree. They want to know. </p>
<p>I mean you can probably tell it’s not an easy decision…lol 
TBH I’ll probably be fine wherever I go I just like the idea of the 3 co-op program more. Don’t like that it’s right across the street from Penn though lol.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d go with the program that you think suits you best. If you ask people on the Penn State forum which is the best choice among these schools, most people are going to say Penn State, because most people on this board are either students who are planning to attend Penn State or parents of current or former students.</p>
<p>If you want to find out more about Drexel’s coop program, call Drexel’s career center or have your parents do so. Here is a link to info [Co-op</a> Opportunities | Undergraduate Admissions | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/coop/]Co-op”>Cooperative Education)</p>
<p>How about PSU vs. Babson?</p>
<p>I can’t really help you with your major, but I was in the same exact position. Brother and sister went to UPenn for marketing and math. Drexel started looking more and more attractive when I visited and when I got involved I noticed the huge co-op program. I got accepted, however, PSU’s alumni set up countless internship and co-op opportunities. It’s just as good and is sometimes ranked as better. I committed to PSU and I couldn 't be more happy with my decision. Good luck!</p>