Why is Penn State "better" than Mich State?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I’m curious. A lot of CC posters state, without hesitation, that Penn State is better (“much better”, by some accounts) than Michigan State. Why? I know USN&WR rates PSU in the top 50 while MSU (ridiculously imho) rates only 74. I seriously question this (both why PSU is in the Top 50 and MSU is not). Is this what is motivating such rationale? </p>

<p>Here’s a couple things I know to be true:</p>

<ul>
<li> MSU & PSU are both the 1st and 2nd land grant colleges – those colleges founded as ag & mechanical arts schools to extend academic and commercial opportunities to the farming and industrial classes of the mid-19th Century. MSU was and is known as the “pioneer land grant college”</li>
<li> MSU has a larger library than PSU (even counting State College and the entire network of 30+ regional PSU colleges serving nearly 100,000 students).</li>
<li> PSU’s Schreyer Honors College, founded in the late 1980s, is less than half as old as MSU’s and not nearly as prestigious</li>
<li> PSU has no undergraduate residential program that approaches either MSU’s James Madison or Lyman Briggs, either in terms of continuity of academic program or rigor </li>
<li> MSU’s produced more Rhodes Scholars in the last 40 years than PSU (and, don’t forget, MSU shares it’s smaller (than PA) state with little known school called the University of Michigan</li>
<li> MSU has a very underrated music school (which really is top 10 caliber) featuring the world’s oldest (1944) music therapy program and top Jazz Studies program featuring (as director/teachers) many band members who played with Grammy/Pulitzer winner Wynton Marsalis</li>
<li> I’ve heard many times that arts and humanities at Penn State are “weak” and “need shoring up”, but I never hear that about MSU; to the contrary (and this post reflects it) MSU one of the most well-rounded of the nation’s land grant schools, which tend to be technical, rigid and conservative (the MSU community, again to the contrary, is known for being progressive and liberal); MSU’s creative writing program (housing the oldest undergrad-run lit mags and sponsoring the EL Film Festival, which is now, the largest in Michigan and one of the nation’s best) and having graduated scores and scores of famous literary figures over the years; can PSU make this claim?</li>
<li> Founded in 1857, MSU has one of the oldest and largest natural science museum networks in addition to the oldest collegiate botanical garden complexes, entomological collections (bugs), herbarium, etc. It also has quirky famous museum collections like the largest comic book and comic art collections, the largest historic veterinary book collection and the largest voice (recordings) library in the world. There is also the Kresge Art Museum, which is very good. The only PSU museums I know of is its mineral museum and the Palmer Art Museum, the later of which is good, but not nearly as old, developed or large, collections-wise, as MSU’s</li>
<li> Penn State has an edge over MSU in engineering (a slight edge, imho), but Penn State can’t touch MSU in, not only what I’ve mentioned above, but in such areas as: journalism, education, hotel/hospitality mgt, poli sci, study abroad, nuclear physics (and, really, physics in general, for that matter), … there are others.</li>
<li> [I could go on, but my fingers are getting tired…]</li>
</ul>

<p>Is the real rational for the “Penn State is much better than Michigan State” rationale (as I think is the case for USN&WR – which many are suspicious of anyway, including schools who do well) because of PSU’s higher admission standards, alone? If that’s the case, I think it is bogus, particularly if you juxtapose the 2 schools. Penn State, as a flagship state institution, essentially Pennsylvania all to itself (Pitt, a fine school, is somewhat a competitor, but Pitt is more a commuter/regional school drawing kids largely from around Pittsburgh, whereas PSU draws kids from all over the State), and the Commonwealth of Penna is bigger than Michigan. Not to mention the fact that MSU must compete for students with large U-M, which happens to be one of the most popular and famous State Us in the nation….</p>

<p>Sorry for the length, but I’m curious -- I’d esp like to hear from some who attend, attended or simply know a lot about both schools, particularly PSU.</p>

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<p>I think you need to look at why PSU is good rather than why MSU is better than it. I know this is a pretty short reply to your lengthy one but it seems some of your reasons are a bit biased.</p>

<p>Should colleges be based off how good their libraries and museums are? Or how old their buildings are or how many Rhodes scholars there are? These things are irrelevant to many students unless they are downright horrible (your library holding only 20 books and in an old shack).</p>

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<p>We have JOEPA!! and Zeno's, and the Diner, and the 'Thon, and Brothers Pizza, and the 'Skeller and ....</p>

<p>Seriously, though...based on the extent of your post I would suggest there is nothing anyone could say that would change your bias. If MSU makes you happy, go there, work hard, have fun and good luck...Go Big Ten!</p>