Choosing a college in PA

charlieschm
Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:41:08 +0000

It is easy to get into a Penn State branch. You then are guaranteed transfer to U. Park if you successfully complete 2 years. Many people avoid the Penn State branches, however, because they have limited or no housing and because they are more expensive than the state-owned universities.

Pitt also has 3 branch campuses in western PA., some of which have on-campus housing. You might look at their guaranteed transfer policies to the main campus.

Unless you can bring up your scores, I think direct admittance to the main campuses of Pitt or Penn State will be a problem. Some people do better on the ACT than the SAT - everyone should take both.

If you want an affordable four year on-campus experience, then the state-owned universities (Millersville, Kutztown, etc) are your best bet. However, most of the state owned universities have not emphasized technological fields. Shippensburg U. is one that emphasizes business.

You might also look at Penn College of Technology in Williamsport. It is affiliated with Penn State. They have adjacent housing that is privately managed.

If you are seriously interested in the technological fields, I would take a good look at the community colleges. They often offer a good range, and they are a fraction of the price of for-profit technological schools.