Drexel is really expensive but I know it has the co-op system. It’s a backup school for me either way. I don’t mind too much if nova and tcnj are a younger crowd because I’ll be living off campus with my girlfriend 
but nonetheless it’s good to know because I’d like to make new friends if possible. Villanova is a really good school though so if it’s the best school I get into I’m definitely going there
Rowan is within easy access of Philly.
If you 've got strong stats and are a woman, you can try Bryn Mawr. They actually have a program for 'returning ’ women.
I am not a woman :o. I’ll check out Rowan, but it seems like a bit of a no-name, and not as good as TCNJ, but it is quite cheap.
Not as good as TCNJ, true. But if your primary criterion is being close to Philly… it’s like 25mn away. And you may get some merit aid, which, being OOS, likely wouldn’t hurt.
Rowan seems like a better philly-area college than arcadia. Cheaper, ranked slightly better.
Rowan is honestly the fifth best school in NJ. If you’re looking for a decent university in NJ that isn’t too expensive, Rowan should definitely be your pick. Although going there as an OOS student is very rare.
@philbegas it sounds like Villanova would be a good choice for you. I would not choose WCU. Although they have just built a new business building it just isn’t the caliber of Villanova. And please forgive about the accreditation. It is important But @LacHopefulParent believe location is very important although these schools are all in the philly metro area they are all very very different in flavor.
I’m not too picky though. As I’ve said earlier, I will not be living on campus, I’ll be living off campus with my girlfriend and I’ve visited Philly before so I know where the nice places are to live! Villanova is definitely going to be one of my top choices I’m just nervous because they want my HS transcript
http://abington.psu.edu/business-major
How about Penn State Abington?
Penn State Altoona & Behrend are better academically & in general compared to Abington although they are far away from Philly
Abington seems like a not-so-great school. I think if I add Rowan to my list I’ve got more than enough low-price backups. I’m already applying to UD as well which is academically stronger and about as far away from philly as abington.
Rowan is a good choice. It’s reasonably close to Philly & is a good backup if you don’t get into Temple,UDel,etc.
Actually Rowan & Temple are both in the mid 50% acceptance rate aren’t they? Udel is 60-something.
UDel is better academically than Temple & Rowan. It has higher graduation & retention rates. All 3 are good choices though
I’m guessing Rowan is competitive because everybody wants to go to a half-decent cheap school especially if they’re in-state
I think I’d rather go to Udel than either of those schools, it’s interesting that it has a higher acceptance rate as well, however, I’m guessing because it has high retention rates that it has slightly lower transfer acceptance rates.
Larger Schools(Flagship Universities) may have a much larger endownment meaning they get more money from their large alumni base, therefore they have more money to build more dorms,bigger parking lots,cafeterias,etc.
Therefore they can accept more people into their universities because they have the money to.
Lower acceptance rate doesn’t necessarily mean better academically, it just means that:
- The college may be more selective in what they want their student body to be
- The college may not have as much money/resources/large alumni support as other colleges
3.Their admissions yield might be low, meaning most people that apply choose that college instead of others
Graduation/Retention rates are more accurate for determining academic quality than acceptance rates.
I hadn’t really thought about #2, about the building/expansion. Good point.
So since you are throwing around the word “cheap” so much, do you know how much tuition is going to be for these schools? If you graduated in 2011 then are you 23? So would you still be considered a dependent student for financial aid?
Do you have money saved for college, are your parents going to help with costs? Because if you become a full time student you can’t really work much. You mention renting an apartment with your girlfriend. How much is rent in Philly? Is your girlfriend going to work and pay the rent while you are in school for four years? And you are thinking of grad school too?
Instead of worrying about acceptance rates and perceived quality of a school, you should focus on getting the degree you want in the school that is accredited and most affordable.
What is your plan for paying for it all?
You could go to school locally in CA and then move to wherever later.
I’m 22, I was born in 94. My girlfriend is an adult with a degree from UCBerkeley and a full scholarship to whatever grad school she wants so yes she is going to cover her half of the costs, which is going to make housing substantially cheaper than schools charge you for a tiny room. My parents will help however much they can, and will cosign a loan if needed. The better quality school you go to, the better your ROI will be. As mentioned in the thread already at least once, I want to get out of california, especially the bay area. I’m going to make more money getting a finance degree from a place like Villanova, or UD, or Temple, than I would from some crappy local CSU like CSU East bay. SFSU is impacted so there’s no way in hell I’m going there, and most of the state schools in CA that have my degree are in areas that I do not want to be in.