IUP vs. Penn State and Pitt

[rdbdirect]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

That's the inherent problem with any of the state colleges (the fourteen in the system, not PSU or Pitt) is that all of them have about 90% PA student population, and the majority at all of them live within two hours of the college they attend. The kids in our area that end up happiest seem to go to colleges further away- makes it much harder to go home and they're forced to find things to do on weekends.

I agree some towns are much more college friendly then others. West Chester comes to mind as a good one. State College has to be the quissential College town. My daughter, who ended up attending a tiny college out of state, even applied to PSU because the whole college and town was just so captivating. Fortunately, she came to her senses and realized that she needed small classes and a bit friendlier environment. But it would be so much fun to attend a football game there!

rbdirect, Have you considered a smaller private college?

My daughter applied to and was accepted at several smaller private schools such as Elizabethtown, Moravia and Marist as well as larger schools such as Ithaca and Hofstra. I agree that a small private school has a more geographically diverse student body which has a tendency to "stay put". She was concerned that if she decided to change majors...as the vast majority of students do once or twice during their collegiate careers... the schools didn't offer the breadth of opportunities that a larger school offers. IUP seemed to be the ideal model...highly rated school...many opportunities for a change in course.

One thing is that she LOVES the school and the quality of the teachers...just the social opportunities go wanting.

[rdbdirect]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

FWIW, IUP is NOT a small school; I think it has 14,000 students or something like that.

I suspect many people leave on weekends because although IUP is a relatively large school and Indiana is a decent-sized town (and a nice town too), the area doesn't quite have the mass of activities some college students are looking for. The town certainly isn't as oriented towards the university as State College is (though few towns anywhere are).

I agree that IUP is not a small school but it seems small as the number of kids on campus are in the minority and there are many commuters. The town is a nice town but the college offers few social events like concerts by "known" artists. I believe when she hears from friends at other schools who attend a big name concert or show, she feels left out . I attended a smaller state school in New York (Oswego) in the seventies with only 6000 or so students but we had very popular bands visit such as Jim Croce, Loggins and Messina, Seatrain, Jethro Tull...(remember the times) and you felt as though Oswego was in the center of the universe...not a small state school on the edge of a lake.

[ShannonMilligan]

Just so you know, you CAN get a small class size at Penn State...there are several options for this:
1. go to a branch school, like Altoona (I went there for a few semesters) or any of the others. I also went to Abington and had small classes. Maybe 30 to a class. The only problem is that the branches don't offer that downtown, college feel.
2. if you go to main campus, actually take a look at how many will be in the class. In my English class I think there were only about 25 students and that was at 8am. I took an American History at 6pm, and again not many students. In the summer I took A LOT of classes where they were small in size...Maybe 30 or less. You just have to be selective. I needed extra help in math, so I took it in the summer...there were only 5 student in that class! (they should have cancelled the class, but more had signed up and then dropped) Same goes for my sociology class...about 20 students there. Actually, the most I ever had in a class was baout 100 and that was for environmental science and I didn't mind it. Just look at the roster...it should tell you how many spots are lef tto fill it. If it doesn't, call the Guidance office and ask!

[Katarina Witt]

The downside that I have heard concerning Pitt is that its a city school and some people can't make that adjustment. Friends of our kids who wanted that atmosphere enjoyed Pitt and did well there.

I went to Pitt way back in the 60s, when it was still very much a commuter college. I was there the first year it was state-related, prior to that it was a private school and didn't attract many people from outside the Pgh area, save a few from New Jersey. The dorm/apt kids had lots of things to do on campus. It is very definitely a city school. My DH, who went to college in Pasedena, Cali, saw the campus and said it looked very urban to him. However, like colleges everywhere, it's a college campus first.

I agree that the small, private residential college is a good thing, but my second daughter didn't like that atmosphere and transferred to the University of Colorado, which has a similar atmosphere to Penn State. She loves it! A large state U. works best for some kids.

[Rtom45]

If your daughter doesn't think theres much to do at IUP, she shouldn't consider transferring to Elizabethtown. My wife grew up in Etown, and her parents had a home there until they passed. My daughtter lived in their home until 2 years ago. My point is, we've spent lots of time in Etown. The College is pretty quiet all the time - think of IUP on weekends. It is close to Lancaster and Harrisburg and thats where you have to go to find any excitement.

[rdbdirect]

Originally Posted by Rtom45

If your daughter doesn't think theres much to do at IUP, she shouldn't consider transferring to Elizabethtown. My wife grew up in Etown, and her parents had a home there until they passed. My daughtter lived in their home until 2 years ago. My point is, we've spent lots of time in Etown. The College is pretty quiet all the time - think of IUP on weekends. It is close to Lancaster and Harrisburg and thats where you have to go to find any excitement.

Thanks for your message. I agree about E-Town. Nice campus, good school but too quiet. We visited E-Town and were very excited about the academics but unless you join every club on campus...or more importantly play sports...you'd be bored to death. That's not to say that it's not a great school. I just believe there needs to be a balance. My barber's son is graduating from E-Town this month. He played baseball for E-Town. Without that he said he would not have attended E-Town...just too small and quiet.
Thanks again!

[pinetar10]

i think the advantages to iup are that the class sizes are smaller, and professors do the teaching, not graduate assistants. iup does have some large classes in an auditoreum, but not very many and easy to avoid if you do not like those kinds of classes. iup does have some musical entertainment, but usually not the big names.
iup also has a reputation as a party school, and there is a lot of drinking that goes on from usually thursday to sunday.

[mishl68]

If Eberly business school is great, then why leave? Isn't the most important thing (of going to college) is getting a strong education so that you have security in the future? Surely, there are enough things to do on the weekends in Indiana, PA... like getting a parttime job to make extra money to pay off loans or to fill the gas tank. Or check into volunteering at the pet shelter or at a personal care home or at the women's shelter.
If your daughter gives it another chance, surely, she'll make some friends that don't go home every weekend.
IUP, Indiana, and the surrounding towns have tons of activities. Tell her to pick up a newspaper and maybe think outside the box.
Just my opinion...
from Indiana County

[Mar0]

Your daughter might be intimidated by PSU's social scene- especially after entering as a sophomore. Being one of 40,000 can be difficult, more so after many of the other students will have already made their bonds and connections freshmen year. However, that does not go without exceptions and many transplants do find their niche- it just might be a bit harder at first.

I attended PSU and because I was in the honors college, I was guaranteed small classes. Regardless, students do have large classes (Intro to Human Development was almost 700 ppl!) and there is not much can be done about that. However, the classes that are more meaningful (ie specialized classes in your major, usually in junior and senior years) are smaller (30 or so ppl). For me, PSU was a good fit, but its not for everyone.

I think if your daughter is happy with the school, she might regret transferring later...sort of like the grass is greener on the other side? Perhaps there are different ways she can branch out to meet people that do stay there on weekends. I knew a few people from high school who went there and stayed at IUP on the weekends. One girl I knew was into the greek scene, and another was very involved with a religious group. Or, perhaps your daughter could work part time- I have always befriended coworkers!