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Penn State

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Penn State at a Glance

Pattee Library and Mall

Location:
University Park, PA
Setting:
Small city
Control:
Public
In-State Tuition:
$15,250
Out-of-State Tuition:
$25,946
Room & Board:
$9,054
Full-Time Undergrads:
36,749
Part-Time Undergrads:
1,239
More statistics . . .
School Website:
www.psu.edu
Admissions Website:
admissions.psu.edu
Financial Aid Website:
www.psu.edu/studentaid
Application Deadline:
Rolling
Acceptance Rate:
52 %
Admission Difficulty:
Average
Average SAT Scores:
1630–1940
Average ACT Scores:
25–29

Best Things

  • Academics balanced with partying
  • Enormous school spirit
  • Penn State football: “The Greatest Show in College Sports” – Sports Illustrated
  • The beautiful central Pennsylvania surroundings
  • More best things . . .

Worst Things

  • Isolated rural location
  • Sparse, expensive, and difficult parking
  • Frigid winters
  • Lack of diversity
  • More worst things . . .

Most Popular Majors

  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences & Liberal Arts
  • Communications
  • More majors . . .
Tags: Traditional Colleges and Universities, Tuition: $20K-30K, Student Body: 30000+, Pennsylvania, Small city, Bachelor's (4-year), Associate (2-year), Master's, Doctoral, Certificate

Overall ExperienceWhat's This?

Despite common reservations about the location and climate, most Penn State students are fiercely loyal to their alma mater. Penn State boasts one of the largest alumni populations in the United States; graduates are proud of their degrees, and employers recognize the University’s name immediately. Although the campus is located in a very rural area, school is technologically up-to-date and on the cutting-edge of current research.

Aside from academics, PSU is also known for its social scene, especially in relation to sports and parties. Nittany Lion football—home of the 2008 Big Ten Champions—is a national draw and a point of pride for both the University and the town of State College. For anyone interested in playing or watching varsity sports, PSU is a top choice. Penn State has also been ranked highly by many polls and “party school” surveys as one of the top party schools in the nation. While it certainly isn’t the wildest town, these rankings are definitely accurate. The small-town setting and large-school atmosphere makes for little else in the way of entertainment, so it can be hard to avoid encountering the party scene during your time as a student. Still, the mix of work and leisure seems to work well for most of the student body, and academic standards at Penn State remain relatively high. It’s easy to spend four years at Penn State as an ever-serious student, focused completely on whatever you choose to study. With so many opportunities to relax nearby, balance and moderation are some of the best skills to learn from your four years in college.

Penn State Student Reviews

Overall Experience at Penn State

Josette1993

Communications '15

3.8
B+

Fair

Penn state is great school not just because of the fun but it also has a great family atmosphere football really brings the students as well as the rest of the town together.

May 09, 2012

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Overall Experience at Penn State

LoutMacG1

Psychology '15

5.0
A+

Penn State Shaken

The news has been full of bad happenings at State College, from the criminal activities allegedly committed by Sandusky to the failure of staff to respond. But since the grand jury released it's indictments, the board of directors has been responsive and considerate of student concerns. This is still a strong school and we will weather this saddness.

Mar 09, 2012

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Overall Experience at Penn State

kmccs01

Business Administration and Management '15

5.0
A+

My Favorite Place in the World

This category was a major factor influencing my decision to come to Penn State. Aside from their amazing reputation for academics, Penn State in general has an awesome atmosphere and is such a great place to be. It presents me with a challenging classroom atmosphere but offers me so much outside of the classroom. In only my first semester, I met so many people that I consider to be best friends and really got involved as much as I could. Football games were probably the highlight of my year so far, with a 9-3 team as Co-Big Ten Leaders Division Champions, despite the wake of the recent Jerry Sandusky scandal. And even though it has rocked this school as a whole, we as students have rallied and united as a whole: 44,000 strong that couldn't be more proud to call themselves Nittany Lions. This school is more than Sandusky, its THON, academics, fun night life, lifelong friendships, and pride for the university we call home.

Dec 19, 2011

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