<p>I want to major in Economics and minor in Communications (just for fun; I believe it'll have interesting classes.) I noticed that UVA didn't offer Communications so that's a bummer. My Forensics teacher is a huge Penn State fan and of course recommended it. </p>
<p>Which one is considered more prestigious or a "better" school?</p>
<p>I'm from VA so UVA was my #1 pick. I saw on a list of top 25 colleges that recruiters prefer and Penn was #1.</p>
<p>I’m a little biased, but I feel like the education I received at UVA was more comprehensive and rewarding than the education many of my friends received at PSU. The classes at Penn State tend to run much larger, which is OK if you don’t mind really big classes with a lot of TA interaction (UVA has this, but to a lesser degree).</p>
<p>I think that the recruiter favorability statistic has a lot to do with the sheer size and loyalty of the alumni network. PSU is significantly larger that UVA, and they do possess a number of very good programs.</p>
<p>Economics at UVA is very strong, and you while UVA does not have a formal “communications” program, you could still take communication-related courses in the depts. of psychology/sociology/anthropology/media studies, etc. </p>
<p>But do <em>I</em> feel that PSU is more prestigious or “better”? No.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that outside of State College there is very little. Harrisburg/Pittsburgh are each about 2-3hrs away, Philly is like 3.5-4ish and NYC is about 4 hrs. At least at UVA you are 2-2.5 hrs from the beach and DC and you have access to better public transit (Amtrak).</p>
<p>Take a look at Media Studies at UVa. :)</p>
<p>Coming from the NY/NJ metropolitan area, UVA is considered the “Harvard of the South”. While Penn State is a great school with a very extensive alumni network, I have never heard anyone speak of it as I have heard them talk about UVa.</p>
<p>
When people say “Penn”, they are talking about University of Pennsylvania. :)</p>
<p>Dean J I think OhMyGoddess meant this ranking:</p>
<p>[Job</a> Recruiters Prefer State Universities Over Ivy League Colleges - WSJ.com](<a href=“Job Recruiters Prefer State Universities Over Ivy League Colleges - WSJ”>Job Recruiters Prefer State Universities Over Ivy League Colleges - WSJ)</p>
<p>
Right…I was just giving them a heads up that people may assume they are confusing two schools if they just use the word “Penn” to talk about the state school. :)</p>
<p>UVA > Penn State any day of the week. UVA is much, much more prestigious. I’ve also seen how helpful UVA Alumni is first hand. Most of the things I’ve heard about Penn State is that it is a huge party school.</p>
<p>If economics is your main focus, then I would say UVa all the way. If you are really interested in communications/forensics related study, then UVa may not be for you. DS is interested in sports broadcasting and knew when he chose UVa over Missouri, PSU, etc., that it would be a challenge to find useful/interesting classes in that area. </p>
<p>Media Studies has a specific sociological/cultural anthropology bent, and they state up front it is not a production-based major. There are also few if any public-speaking classes that are actually offered (as opposed to being listed in the course guide). DS will probably declare a history major . . . .</p>
<p>He otherwise loves his experience at UVa and is getting his practical broadcast experience through internships, etc.</p>
<p>Penn State is a great school. But if you have a chance to go to UVA, particularly for in-state tuition, UVa would be an obvious first choice.</p>
<p>If you take a look at the common data sets of each college, you can see the comparisons on class sizes. Many Penn State classes can be very large. Also, the climate of State College is much less pleasant during the winter than Cville.</p>
<p>I am a Penn State alum and my son is currently at UVa. I really feel you can’t go wrong at either school. Penn State’s communications department is top notch while UVa has a great economics program. The atmospheres are very different but both have great school spirit and pride. If you love college football then of course it’s PSU. I really did not find that Penn State being a rural school is an issue. The “college town” part of State College is actually bigger than the Corner where the students go at UVa. I think at UVa you are probably surrounded by more students who are very smart while Penn State has a mix of all type of achievement levels. It is cold in State College. I think your decision should come down to what environment you feel most comfortable in and then maybe what you really want to study and who offers the best program for you.</p>
<p>UVA all the way! sorry i don’t actually have time today to give you a full out reason of why I prefer UVA but if you would PM me I would be happy to tell you more about the Economics program at UVA.</p>
<p>Most rankings of Econ departments would put PSU one tier above UVa.</p>
<p>I hope people don’t put much emphasis into rankings. However, for whatever it is worth, US News ranks UVa and Penn State’s grad economics programs about even. I don’t know of any ranking of undergrad economics programs.</p>
<p>The first two years of economics courses at UVa are skewed a little because students are competing to get admitted into the Commerce School for their last 2 years. In the last 2 years, there are many fewer people taking economics courses than in the first 2 years. Many people who don’t get accepted into the Commerce School end up as economics majors.</p>
<p>While we’re on the subject of the Commerce school, Charlie, do you have any thoughts about the difficulty of acceptence? Like are people increadibly competitive around eachother so they can secure a spot in the school?</p>
<p>The posted acceptance rate on McIntire’s website makes it seem like acceptance to McIntire isn’t too competitive, but students who do not perform well in the pre-req. courses often decide not to continue with the application process (self-selecting themselves out). When I transferred (I entered as a second year), they told us at orientation that those of us looking to apply to McIntire should plan on a back-up major instead of planning on McIntire.</p>
<p>At UVA, I definitely hope that I will be able to get into McIntire. I feel like many people do bad their first year of college (much like people’s first year of highschool) due to the transition. Fortunatly, for the past four years, I haven’t been effected but I know numerous smart kids who have.</p>
<p>Actually, GPA means remain fairly consistent across 4 years. This won’t be the case for everyone, obviously, but it’s not like there are huge across-the-board improvements.</p>
<p>[UVa</a> - Undergraduate Grade Point Averages](<a href=“http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/data_catalog/institutional/data_digest/acad_gpa.htm]UVa”>http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/data_catalog/institutional/data_digest/acad_gpa.htm)</p>
<p>Look at the: Spring 05 - 1st Year, Spring 06 - 2nd Year, Spring 07 - 3rd Year, Spring 08 - 4th Year as an example.</p>