Some input on College selection.

[sulretal]

So far, I have been accepted to two colleges: PSU (Abbington) and URI. University Park PSU campus was my first choice, then came URI. However, I did not get into Main (my rank is 50, they select based on ranks as well; my grades and SAT scores are sufficient enough, so this is the only conclusion I conjure).

PSU Abbington is about 10 miles north of me. And a plus to going there is that after 2 years I almost have a definite spot at Main Campus (Univ. Park) of PSU. I could live at home and still work, saving up money on both aspects. And also, I could become adjusted to college level education (Univ. Park and Abbington have the same course ciriculum).

URI is in Rhode Island (of course). I always planned to move N.E. when I progessed in age. I'd experience the entire college student life; living in a dorm, holding down a job, working hard at school, etc.

I am entering college with the idea that I will be majoring in Secondary English Education. Not sure how good the teaching centers at either college are.

I had a discussion with my parents today, we discussed the financial woes of going to URI, which are extremely expensive and cost more than Main Campus of PSU.

I do not have much longer to decide which to enter. Attending either college has its benefits; each dragging along some woes. Neither PSU Abbington or URI is nationally ranked; but then again - as I stated- I could attend Main Campus of PSU in 2 years(which is my true choice).

Let's say you were in a position like mine, what would you do? How would you approach this situation if you were a dependant student who lived in a middle-low income family ?

[tyshy]

i'd suggest going farther from home, only because the emersion factor, you will not get the full college experience with parents right there, i knew i wouldn't, so i went 2 hours away....not quite as far as you are looking at with RI, but better than 10 miles away, especially living at home, it'll be hard to make friends if ur not living on campus...trust me on that one...i know people in my classes that live at home and they have no social lives...unless ur not concerned with that....then i'd say live at home and save some money

[sulretal]

i'd suggest going farther from home, only because the emersion factor, you will not get the full college experience with parents right there, i knew i wouldn't, so i went 2 hours away....not quite as far as you are looking at with RI, but better than 10 miles away, especially living at home, it'll be hard to make friends if ur not living on campus...trust me on that one...i know people in my classes that live at home and they have no social lives...unless ur not concerned with that....then i'd say live at home and save some money


Abbington has no dormatory, and I could always enter PSU after the 2nd year and live in a dorm there.

I do not worry about meeting new people because its inevitable to live in an area or attend a school and not talk to anyone during the time span there.

Many of my friends are staying in the Philadelphia region; my one friend is going to Temple, other is going to Drexel, another is going to tech school. So I wouldn't be without friends.

My parents do not interfere with my life and actions mostly. I tell them where I go and what I'm doing, but they usually do not ridicule me unless its a bad idea or generally stupid. Thus, I do not see them interfering with my experience at college at Abbington or Temple(if I get accepted).

[Frodo Baggins]

i'd suggest going farther from home, only because the emersion factor, you will not get the full college experience with parents right there

Depends what your priorities are. If your priorities are to get far away from mommy and daddy, and to party all night long, then get yourself into the farthest school straight into residence.

If your priorities are to get an education, then perhaps you shouldn't dismiss schools because of their location.

All the friends I have who are serious about academic studies agree that residence is the worst place to study (many of them are forced to study at the library until 3-4 am because they cannot study in their dorms). Some of my other friends who are *ahem* less academically concerned, love it in residence.

[man_utd]

Depends what your priorities are. If your priorities are to get far away from mommy and daddy, and to party all night long, then get yourself into the farthest school straight into residence.

If your priorities are to get an education, then perhaps you shouldn't dismiss schools because of their location.

All the friends I have who are serious about academic studies agree that residence is the worst place to study (many of them are forced to study at the library until 3-4 am because they cannot study in their dorms). Some of my other friends who are *ahem* less academically concerned, love it in residence.

That's true in a lot of ways Frodo, and I won't try to second guess you on studying. However, in a lot of ways it is good to be further away from home, because you do want to be forced to do this on your own. Then again that blow up in your face and you can fail out, but hopefully that is not going to happen for you.

[Frodo Baggins]

in a lot of ways it is good to be further away from home, because you do want to be forced to do this on your own.

Why? I'm not saying that it's not important to be independent and learn how to live on your own...but to me, there are more important things to worry about if you want a good education and good opportunities in the future.

Here are a few things I think are important now that I'm passed the whole 'selecting-your-college' phase. In fact, these are the questions I think need to be asked, in addition to the usual questions.

1. How well regarded is the college in your country? Continentwise? Internationally?

2. If you plan to study elsewhere for your PhD, Masters, etc., how well does your college's requirements mesh with other requirements at other colleges. Again, don't restrict yourself to the US/Canada/Europe. Look internationally.

(For example, a mistake I made was to do a Masters in math. In the US, Masters are not typically acknowledged. Instead, students proceed from Honours undergrad, to PhD. However, when I initially asked professors if doing a Masters was advantageous, they said yes...but I made the mistake of asking Canadian professors.)

3. The problem with courses do not typically occur until you reach 4th year and farther than that. If you are applying to a major that is not as popular (math, philosophy, etc.) your selections of upper level classes may be severely limited, depending where you go. How big is the faculty? How many classes are offered? And so forth.

4. If you plan on doing research, either summer, for your Honours project, for a thesis, you'll need a supervisor. And picking the right supervisor is key. How big is the faculty. How well respected are the members. And so forth.


Those were a few questions at the top of my head that I made the mistake of not asking or not examining as closely as I should have when I made my decision. However, I'm a bit different than you (my major), and I'm fairly research-oriented. But I hope you get my point.