I’m in a situation where staying home, rather than living on campus, is important. West Chester is the closest location for me; I’ve been to a few classes there and commuting wouldn’t pose an issue. At the same time, I like the name association that comes with a Penn State education - even if it’s an online campus.
The only thing resembling a deal-breaker is my experience with cyber education. I’ve been cyber schooled since 2nd grade, and it fits way, way better with my learning style. So:
Penn State
Pros:
Online
Name association
Cons:
Lack of on campus interaction/networking
West Chester
Pros:
Close distance for commuting
Prior experience with school
Cons:
Difficulty adjusting from cyber to traditional education
If you were in this situation, which school would you pursue?
Thank you so much for your help!
I’ve taken online and live classes. I prefer live. I like the interaction with my classmates. I also think that for an undergraduate student who will need access to career services and the like a live educational environment is better.
All that said, this decision isn’t something that you must make now, and you can’t change later. Penn State World Campus will remain an option if you attend Westchester for a semester or two and then change your mind. My advice would be to start at Westchester. If you need to, take it slowly there too - there is no need to enroll full time if you don’t feel like it. Then after you’ve had a semester or two, revisit the issue.
If you’re a traditional undergraduate student, I think that the in-person option at West Chester is a better idea. Online education as of yet is really designed for experienced and/or non-traditional students who need to work in online classes around their work schedules.
@happymomof1 also makes good points. You don’t have to attend West Chester full time, and you don’t have to stay there forever if you decide that the in-person format won’t work for you.
Why have you been online-schooled since 2nd grade? Is there a specific reason that continues to apply and thus explains your need to attend a school nearby or be online?
I agree that West Chester would be better for you based on the limited information we have, but the answers to the above questions may modify this assessment.
