Stony Brook, University of Delaware or Penn State (Main Campus) for Psychology?

College Search & Selection
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Hello. Nearly all of my decisions are in and I’ve narrowed it down to SUNY-Stony Brook, University of Delaware, and Penn State- Main campus. I’ve been accepted to all three as a Psych major but I know that may change. I’m am out of state for all three schools. Cost is not an issue.

Having a really difficult time deciding because each school checks different boxes. Penn State’s alumni network and career services are top notch and State College is a cool college town. They also seem to have a lot of clubs and internship opportunities. But the campus and student body are HUGE and the students I saw on campus just didn’t look happy.

I prefer the aesthetic of UD’s campus and it’s college town. UD also has a strong focus on study abroad which I am very interested in and some great scholar programs.

Stony Brook is pretty isolated but the campus is very peaceful. Of the three schools, it seemed the most focused on academics. But it’s the furthest from my current home in Virginia. Love the freshman college “themes” and the focus on arts.

Any feedback or opinions would be much appreciated. Money is not an issue and I realize in state may be cheaper but I’m ready to leave Virginia, so just not a factor.

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As the above suggests, Stony Brook is notable for having attracted an increasingly academic student body across recent decades: Of Competitive Colleges that Have Increased in Selectivity, These May Have Increased the Most.

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If research is important, PSU is only AAU school of the three, also has the advantage of the Big 10 consortium other two cannot match

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Regarding student research, Stony Brook is the only school from the OP’s choices listed by U.S. News for its opportunities for undergraduate research/creative projects: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/search?schoolType=undergrad-research-programs&_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc.

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Stony Brook has been a member of the AAU for 2.1 decades.

https://www.aau.edu/sites/default/files/AAU-Files/Who-We-Are/AAU-Member-List-Updated-2021.pdf

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Thank you for this. I thought I had seen all the lists where my schools ranked well, but I hadn’t seen this one. I’m surprised PSU is on this list. They also spoke a great deal about their research opportunities.

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Thank you. I’ve never heard of the AAU. Just read all about it. Very prestigious.

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Thanks. I appreciate the update information.

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I apologize; …not sure why I did not realize this, particularly as a NY native.
It is somewhat surprising given the scale of their research compared to most other schools on the list (total expenditures) Other schools such as Syracuse and Nebraska ( only 1 of 14 Big 10 school not AAU) lost membership when research levels dropped. SB is a great school.

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No worries. It’s all great information. I would not have known what it was if you hadn’t mentioned it!