<p>My son has narrowed it down to these two schools. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. He was accepted at Delaware for Exercise Science. We have additional visits scheduled for both schools in the near future. We are PA residents but the difference in tuition will not be a factor in his decision. Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi -</p>
<p>My son is faced the with the same/similar decision - however cost is a factor for us- both are out of state but udel is offering merit scholarship. Until Penn State offers a package (pretty sure he will not get anything from them) they are still in the running.</p>
<p>The way I see it - he will get quality education at either place.</p>
<p>Here are the main differences I can see</p>
<p>1- Name recognition (if thats important to you)- Not sure how it is looked at by future employers- but if your child attends grad school - that is the name that stands out (I am told).</p>
<p>2- Football- Is your son a fan? He is sure to have a positive sports experience at both schools if he is - but Penn State is clearly at the next level. If he is not admitted to UP - maybe not much of a factor</p>
<p>3- Distance- are they each close enough that it doesn’t matter?</p>
<p>4- Campus feel - We visited Udel it was beautiful- and everyone seemed happy. We did not visit Penn State (and will not unless we can afford to send him) But when you visit try to get a feel for the students - do they seem happy? are they smiling? can you picture your son happy here.</p>
<p>For us - my son is deciding between udel and SUNY Bing (in-state for us)- and we"ll be taking a second look at both. But if all things were equal I believe my son would choose Penn State - but he is thrilled that the Scholarship has given him udel as an option - and he will likely be an enthusiastic Blue Hen in 2011.</p>
<p>My son is a huge sports fan and I think that is one of the major reasons he is considering Penn State. Another plus for PSU is he already knows lots of people that are currently there and has several friends that will be going next year. Even though we are in PA, Delaware is less than 1 1/2 hrs whereas PSU is almost double the distance. He does plan on going onto either grad school or medical school and who knows where he will end up to continue his education. </p>
<p>When we went to visit UDel over the summer, he just looked so happy walking on the campus and left saying this is where I want to go. I think waiting the extra 3 months (he heard from Penn State back before Christmas that he was accepted to University Park) got him more psyched to go to Penn State - maybe using his excitement as a defensive mechanism in case he didn’t get into Delaware. </p>
<p>Good Luck to your son with his decision making. According to PSU’s website, the financial packages will be available later this month. I don’t think he can go wrong with either school but it’s a huge decision for him to make.</p>
<p>Our sons sound alot alike- BIG football fans…will be a science major- probably bio or chem- maybe premed - but not for sure - looking at the BME program - but it might be too late as he applied undecided</p>
<p>Wherever they land- they will do well- </p>
<p>I’m proud that he worked hard enough to have such good options (I’m sure you are too!)</p>
<p>So far one of his friends got into Bing, one to Delaware - but can’t go (no scholarship)- and 4 more waiting to hear - We’ll see what happens when all the information is in</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK TO YOU TOO- and CONGRATS!!!</p>
<p>My d is also an exercise science major. We are in the exact same boat as you with an added twist. My d’s first choice is umd (accepted, no money), and her second choice is psu (accepted, did not get financial package yet). Now she got in to udel with some merit money.
We are from nj so we are oos for all 3 schools. </p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about the exercise major at udel? </p>
<p>My d wants a “rah, rah” school. She loves sports. I’m not sure if udel fits the bill.</p>
<p>My son also is trying to decide between U. Del, Penn State and some other schools.</p>
<p>One thing to factor in your decision is that the new Governor of PA. hates public education. He has proposed a 50% in state funding for all state and state-related universities. He has said he will veto any proposals to raise revenues. That 50% will probably be slightly reduced by the legislature (maybe to 40%?) , but it will be a continual fight each year to try to obtain basic funding. He has another 3.8 years in office.</p>
<p>The result will be increased tuition (particularly in-state), layoffs, more adjunct instructors, and decreased program offerings.</p>
<p>charlieshm I saw that about the Penn State budget- and as much as I’d like to send my son there and make his dreams come true…its just can’t happen. What other schools is your son looking at?</p>
<p>abmnj1 - Your daughter has some fine choices- and if you are willing and able to spend out of state $$$ for rah rah- Penn State will be a fine choice. But I wouldn’t count on Penn State matching scholarships with udel. Sorry I don’t know anything about exercise science.</p>
<p>But for Dalm65- Penn State is not out of state - so all things are relatively equal (or close to it with scholarship)- Its a tough choice - but I’m pretty sure I know what my son would choose.</p>
<p>abmnj1:</p>
<p>Exercise Science is a very highly rated major at UD. Many graduates with this major go on to obtain graduate degrees in Physical Therapy. The Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy at UD is ranked #4 in the country. I assume that Exercise Science majors would receive a lot of teaching from faculty members in the Phycical Therapy Dept.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your D. In its own way UD is also a “rah-rah” school. Sport activities are very big on the campus.</p>
<p>dalm65
I have a ties to both schools- daughter is a senior at PSU and I am a UDel alum. Here are my thoughts as to why PSU wins:</p>
<p>school spirits-they love their school
more selective admissions
Happy Valley is not a myth
Thon-amazing experience
On campus recruiting-my daughter and most of her friends have jobs lined up already (well paying)
strong alumni support for lifelong networking</p>
<p>That being said, my son who is a junior in high school will be applying to UDel. He won’t apply to PSU because he feels it is too big for him. He hopes to get into an honors program and join the marching band. He thinks the Blue band at PSU would be too hard to make and his grades are not competitive enough for PSU honors.</p>
<p>Looks like exercise science program at PSU is highly regarded as well:
[Top</a> 10 Universities for Exercise Science | eHow.com](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/list_5877072_top-10-universities-exercise-science.html]Top”>http://www.ehow.com/list_5877072_top-10-universities-exercise-science.html)</p>
<p>If this decision is coming down to finances, case closed…all three are great choices but if you are talking about more than a $5,000/year difference for any of the posters here, none of the choices are more superior than the others…</p>
<p>If $$ is not in the picture, go for fit and, depending on major, job placement and alumni networking (not relevant for exercise sci obviously)…</p>
<p>There was a PA. Senate hearing today on Penn State and Pitt’s budget, and many state senators (including Republicans) said they would make sure the budget cut would be less drastic than 50%. However, even a 30% cut would be extremely painful. </p>
<p>Yes, Penn State may be more selective for admission initially to U. Park, but after 2 years, anyone at a branch is allowed to go to U. Park. It is not hard to get admitted to a branch, partially because they are twice as expensive as the state-owned universities. I wonder how that affects quality at U. Park.</p>
<p>My D also had a difficult choice she was accepted at Pitt and PSU. Some of the attractions for her of PSU the rural setting, cute college town, beautiful (in her view) campus, school spirit and the feeling that it would provide the “ultimate” college experience. That, and most of the people that she asked for advice urged her to go to Penn State. There is no doubt that many people respect Penn State though most of the reasons given were not educational. For someone interested in exercise science I can see the appeal of the big sports scene at PSU. However, I’m not sure how easy it actually is for students to buy tickets to the football games since a lot of alumni fill the stadium for games.</p>
<p>With all these the things the PSU has going for it, she saw the following disadvantages- huge school is a bit impersonal and intimidating; academic options seemed to lack flexibility for undecided students ( it is difficult to transfer into certain schools and entrance to major requirements are rigid); the thought that the “party scene” might but fun at first but get old after a couple years; and a feeling that PSU attracted a certain type of student and did not have much diversity. At PSU she felt she would be more of a number or face in the crowd. Pitt (which is a similar size to U Del) offered a smaller feel, more flexible academic program, diversity, a city atmosphere that would provide more varied options for entertainment and more prospects for part time jobs and internships. Also, after two visits to each campus, she really felt she “fit” more at Pitt and could establish her own identity there as she grows into an adult. In addition, there are buses each weekend between Pitt and Penn State so she is likely to be able to spend weekends there from time to time and experience the PSU party/athletic scene as a visitor.</p>
<p>So after all the advice and recommendations to attend PSU, she ultimately decided Pitt was the place for her. </p>
<p>One thing I would advise is to have your son take a look at the academic program for the exercise major at both schools. You can look at the range of classes offered, gen ed/distribution requirements, and recommended course sequences. When you visit, he can arrange to visit a class or two in his major to see what the teaching is like. At PSU, there is an online course catalog that you can search. For large classes, no one will notice you don’t belong there. For smaller classes, you can email the teacher first to arrange a visit.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son in his decision!</p>
<p>Since I started looking at colleges PSU was my number one. I loved everything about it, and I knew it’s where I wanted to go. However, when I visited UDel it was certainly way up there too.</p>
<p>I was not offered admission to Fall 2011 at University Park. I was offered an alternate campus OR I could do a two week summer program (which costs alot extra) and then I could attend Fall 2011. I was accepted to University of Delaware WITH a scholarship. </p>
<p>Now, both of these schools are competitive to get in to, and it was my understanding that University of Delaware was even more difficult (and the understanding of guidance counselors at my school) .</p>
<p>I am sure it was my profile as a whole student (EC’s, essay, recommendations etc…) that got me in to UDel. In my opinion a school that looks at the whole student instead of just two numbers to admit you into a college is the school I would rather be at. Penn State is a great school, I’m not saying anything bad about it, but I think University of Delaware has a more personal level with their students, which is extremely important.</p>
<p>Yes, my impression is that Penn State admissions is much more numbers-driven.</p>
<p>Yes, I’ve noticed that too about Penn State - the students all talk about how much they love it, but the reasons they give typically don’t involve academics.</p>
<p>to abmnj1:
Hello,
I am a senior in high school and was accepted to PSU, UMD, UD, and other schools as well. These three were all at the top of my list, and i visited all of them, loving each one when I was there. I am also planning on majoring in exercise science with the intention of going on to med school afterwards. I was at UD last weekend for the Distinguished Scholar Weekend and I loved every minute of it. The campus is absolutley beautiful. Everyone i talked to had nothing but good things to say about the school and loved to talk about how they loved it there. I am also looking for a school with a lot of rah-rah as i love the whole sports scene, and I know that I will get this at UD. In addition, i was able to talk to two professors in the exercise science department while i was there and the opportunities they described were amazing. Most kids in this program succesfully go on to PT or Med school, and there is a med scholars program to set you on track for med school. They have a physical therapy lab right on campus as well as a cadaver lab which many schools do not offer. I was also just impressed with the professors i general, and how helpful they were and how much they care about my eduacation within 2 minutes of meeting me.
Before all of this, I liked UD a lot, but I was still unsure if I wanted to choose to attend UD over PSU and UMD. The scholarship I recieved from UD (and the lack thereof from UMD and PSU) is helping my decison, but even without this factor, I absolutely loved UD and am pretty sure that I will be attending in the fall!!!
I hope that helps!</p>
<p>Academics:
Both about equal; check to see how they rank in terms of your son’s major.</p>
<p>Honors college:
Penn State’s is very prestigious and hard to get into, but Delaware’s is also good.</p>
<p>Scholarships:
Penn State has virtually none. UD has some that are worth a lot, but they are VERY hard to get, and you basically need to be in the honors college if you want to even be considered for a scholarship.</p>
<p>Tuition:
Both expensive OOS. PSU is more expensive in-state than Delaware.</p>
<p>Dorms:
Same</p>
<p>Off-campus:
Locally, State College is a quintessential college town. Outside of that, it’s in the absolute middle of nowhere. Locally, Newark is an adorable college town with tons of restaurants and stores. But Newark has some really tough neighborhoods that are pretty close. Kids have brought knives to Newark High School, and the crime rate at UD is 7 times that of UPenn.</p>
<p>Local job opportunities:
Penn State is in the middle of nowhere, so there really isn’t anywhere to go for internships. UD has lots of places nearby, especially chemical/biotechnical companies like DuPont, Goretex, and AstraZeneca.</p>
<p>Alumni connections:
Penn State has the world’s largest alumni network. UD’s isn’t as good, but it’s very good on a local scale.</p>
<p>School spirit:
Penn State has legendary school spirit and an amazing football team. UD’s is also very good, and its football team is great for its division. But UD pales in comparison to Penn State.</p>
<p>Prestige:
Penn State is widely known. UD is a great school (I’d put it on the same tier as UVA) but is not very well known, so people don’t know how good it is.</p>
<p>In state/OOS:
Penn State is mostly in-state. Over half of UD is OOS. Delaware is a very small, weird, close-knit state, so chance are, the 40% of students that are Delawareans already will know each other, or at least have many mutual friends and things in common.</p>
<p>Exercise science:
I know people majoring in Exercise Science at both schools. Delaware has a great program and so does PSU.</p>
<p>There seems to be a very strong consensus in the PA. Legislature that they are not going to approve the Governor’s proposed 50% funding cut for Penn State and state colleges. However, there will still be cuts in programs and higher tuition.</p>
<p>U. Park is now over 25% out of state.</p>
<p>We’re looking forward to Decision Day on Saturday. Last week, we visited Penn State for an accepted students day and was very impressed with their program and campus. Hopefully after Saturday, my son can make a decision though it might be a hard one. Time is running out!!</p>