Hi, guys. I am in a bit of a predicament at the moment. With the May 1st deadline just around the corner, I am having an extremely difficult time deciding between these two colleges. First off, I live 10 minutes away from Rutgers. My mom went to Rutgers, my brother is currently there, and I know exactly what to expect if I attended Rutgers next fall. I am fully aware that it is a great school, and the education quality is almost identical to Penn State. I would be close to home, and I would save my parents some money, not to mention many of my good friends are going to Rutgers. The thing is, I’ve always envisioned something different for me as a college student. For me personally, the city-like feel to Rutgers and split campus structure really isn’t my cup of tea. I have always been a fan of big, beautiful campuses with green grass and students jogging around. I am visiting Penn State tomorrow, and I know I am going to like it. I have heard nothing but great reviews, whether it’s the memories at Beaver stadium or the education quality in general. I wouldn’t mind being close to home, but I also feel that going away to Penn State (4 hours away) would give me the opportunity to spread my wings and obtain the complete college experience. I am most likely majoring in Economics (both in the School of Liberal Arts). My question for you is, (money aside) what school would you choose? It would be helpful if you included some pros and cons.
Thank you so much, Matt.
For you I’d say Penn State
Being in a similar situation as you (my dad went to Rutgers and I live 30 min away), I chose Penn State, and I couldn’t be happier 
Penn State is over 50k for an out of state student. Is it really worth it?
I understand completely that Rutgers isn’t the rolling grassy campus, but Rutgers is really a great school and you will be saving money by going there. There isn’t that much difference academically between the two schools so it’s not that worth it to trek all the way down to University Park.
Go to Rutgers and live on Cook Douglass.
For some reason, Penn State’s intermediate economics courses are not calculus-based, unless you take the “honors” version. Rutgers’ intermediate economics courses are calculus-based, although they are not as math-heavy as those at some other schools. If you intend to go on to economics PhD study, you want to take the most math-heavy economics courses and more advanced math and statistics courses.
http://bulletins.psu.edu/undergrad/courses/E/ECON/
http://economics.rutgers.edu/undergraduate/courses-and-syllabi/course-descriptions
Since Rutgers is probably a lot less expensive and is somewhat more math-based in its economics department, it seems like the obvious choice from a cost and academic standpoint.
Not sure @mbbiancamano14 wants to get a PHD in economics though.
Cost matters: what’s your parents’ budget? Can you afford to go to Penn State without any loan (beside the $5,500 you get in federal loans?) If not, then Rutgers is a fine choice. If you can afford it: you say you visited Penn State, what did you think? What are your parents saying?
@mbbiancamano14 Im curious to know what did you end up choosing?