Hello!
I’ve been recently admitted to PennState main campus and University of Rochester for computer science.
I’m having a hard time deciding with college to go to because there are clearly some pros/cons for both colleges.
For PennState, I know there will be more opportunities related to job / hiring along after graduation and higher CS undergraduate ranking.
But Rochester has a clear advantage for smaller class size, better academic setting, and stronger interest-centered curriculum.
What are your opinions?
Are you a freshman? Decision day was May 1, no?
@bodangles I already put in the deposit for PennState before I got accepted to U Rochester (I’ve received the acceptance letter about a week before the deposit deadline). I and my parents couldn’t decide what to do, so we decided to put in the deposit for U Rochester to buy some time. And yes, I will be a freshman next fall.
…Okay, well, don’t tell either of the schools that, since that’s frowned upon.
Anyway. Is cost an issue? Have you visited both?
@bodangles Cost is a consideration but not the priority. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to either of them and I don’t think it will be easy for me to do so…
I’ll leave it to you to compare the prices since I don’t know what kind of aid you got. Don’t take any extra loans if you can help it. Personally I’d probably just go with whichever is cheaper – you won’t get paid more for going to one school over the other.
I’m a ChemE sophomore at Penn State UP. It’s a big campus in a college town, State College, located in central Pennsylvania – a rural-suburban area, but the university is so large that there’s always something going on. Football is big. Partying also big. Beautiful campus with all four seasons, including what is usually a bitterly cold winter but was fairly mild this year. We don’t get as much snow as some other places. The food is great, dorms pretty average as far as dorms go. The alumni network is huge and supposedly many employers respect the school greatly.
@bodangles thanks for the advice. I think I should definitely try to visit both schools.
What ranking did you see that had Penn State higher than Rochester for CS? I just saw that US News has Penn State at #29 and Rochester at #52. But that’s a ranking of graduate programs. In any case, neither of these are real top schools for CS, but they’re both quite good, and I don’t think that’s a significant difference in ranking. Penn State probably benefits from the size factor. I’d also think the job possibiltiies out of Rochester would be just fine. They probably have some info on their website, either for the CS department or the career services office, about job placement for grads. I think Rochester is generally better overall (e.g., the grades/test scores of incoming students).
I think the main differences are that Penn State is a very large public university, and Rochester is a mid-sized private school (which encompasses a lot of factors). Their locations are fairly different too. Weather/climate might be a factor (Rochester gets a lot of snow). You have to determine which of them is a better fit for you. If there’s a cost difference, that could be an important factor as well. If you can visit, that might be beneficial, although perhaps that’s not possible given the time/constraints.
FWIW, I don’t have any personal knowlege of either of these schools, but from what I’ve heard and read, I have a very positive impression of Rochester. Perhaps not an “elite” school, it’s still very good, in a lot of areas. Being a mid-sized research university, it has some of the benefits of the smaller schools and the larger schools. Although subject to personal taste and preference, I’ve heard that their campus is very nice.
It sounds a bit like you have a preference for Rochester, but are concerned that you think it’s not as highly ranked or as good for job placement. I would say those aren’t issues (and that in general Rochester is ranked higher). And that you should go more by fit and cost.
These two schools have VERY different cultures and I think you would need to visit to see what is better for you. I don’t think of these two schools as necessarily both being on a student’s list because they are so different. Penn State is a big school with big sports and a very rah-rah atmosphere. Since it is a state school, the majority of students will be from PA. The U of R is a much smaller private school with a very intellectual vibe and draws students from the northeast. Penn State is very much a “college town” experience. The U of R’s campus is a lovely classical campus on the edge of a mid-size city. Both have their positives and I can’t speak to the CS element, but there is definitely a difference in the experience at each. If you want a smaller, more intellectually-focused student body, U of R would be the choice. U of R is also a highly respected and highly ranked school even if it not known nationally the way Penn State is. If you want a big school experience, will lots of name recognition in the general public, then Penn State would obviously be the choice.
The excellent University of Rochester is indistinguishable in many ways from some of the most selective private universities in the country. (UR itself is very selective. By the standardized scoring of its students, UR ranks 60th in the nation; for comparison, PSU places 219th.) Computer science would be excellent at both of your options. (USNWR does not rank undergraduate CS programs.)
Good reason to go there. Plenty of job opportunities with a UofR degree.
How much does it cost to go to each school? How much will your parents be paying for each school? And, how much in loans?
Is paying for either school a hardship for you or your parents?
If affordable UR would be my choice.
If you can’t visit, at least read about the schools…get your hands on the Fiske Guide (my favorite), Insiders Guide and/or Princeton Review and look up the two schools. The books are likely in your guidance office, the library, or a local bookstore. You should do some due diligence to try and pick the school that is the best fit for you.