<p>So I got into both Penn State Uni Park and SUNY News Paltz. As a New York resident, a SUNY school would be extremely cheap for me. Still, my dad is strongly insisting that I go to Penn State because of its famous reputation. After visiting both New Paltz and PS UP, I have to admit that I'm in love with New Paltz. The feeling of the classes and outside town really resonated with me. I'm trying to convince my parents to let me go to NP because it'd me SO MUCH cheaper, but my dad says I won't get a good job if I go to a SUNY. At the moment, my dad days if I really really love NP I can go, but I feel like he will try to force me to go to Penn State when it gets close to May 1. What should I do?</p>
<p>First of all, no one can force you to go to college. You’re 18, and you’re capable of living independently. You might not like doing so, but that’s another issue. Going to New Paltz is clearly what you want to do. So take some time and prepare for your father a powerpoint of all the advantages that New Paltz has over PSU from your point of view. Address his concerns about getting a job by asking the admissions office at New Paltz for data on graduating senior employment after 6 months and 1 year and then compare that to Penn State. He might be surprised by what you find. On the other hand, you might be appaltzed (I couldn’t resist) by what you find about your choice. The more you and dad know about these schools, the better decision you and your family can make. </p>
<p>Thank you for your genuine response. You have given me some great ideas to make my college choice. 
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<p>New Paltz is also one of my top choices! Keep fighting for what you want :)</p>
<p>There is a huge difference in the size of the two schools and if you feel you’d be more successful at the mid-size school that should be a factor you can bring up with your dad</p>
<p>I have a bunch of friends who went to New Paltz. All of them gainfully employed or in graduate school. My best friend went to New Paltz, got a master’s degree from Columbia and is currently working as a speech-language pathologist.</p>
<p>I agree with you - I’ve gone up to New Paltz with my friends to visit and the surrounding town and campus are really pretty. I get the sense that it has an intimate feel; people seemed to know each other and my friends were all super-involved because it was a medium-sized campus with more opportunities to sort of be a big fish, if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>Also, some of you all’s parents are baffling me. Do they think everyone coming out of the SUNYs is unemployed?</p>
<p>Congrats 
My brother is going to New Paltz this Fall. There’s definitely a huuge difference in the culture of the two schools. You’d have a very different time at each of them. What’s your major? Look into the different internship opportunities at NP to show your dad in addition to the awards/rankings. I know it made Kiplinger’s of list 25 Best College Values, USNWR ranked it the 6th best public regional university in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, 2nd in “Top 50 Affordable Colleges With High Returns” by Affordable Colleges Online, Newsweek’s #1 Hottest Small State School a few years ago… to be fair, rankings don’t mean <em>that</em> much, but a pattern would be good to show your dad along with the genuine benefits/reputation of the school.</p>