We are hoping to get some input and suggestions on how to weigh various factors in my son’s decision between these three schools for architectural engineering.
USC - $64,000 after merit aid
Penn State - $58,000
UT Austin - $63,000
(so basically the same)
Penn State seems to have to most comprehensive and refined program in Architectural Engineering. They have beautiful, updated facilites and a 100% graduate employment rate for the last several years. The bachelor’s is a 5 year program and the masters adds on a semester or two.
UT has an ABET accredited program as well, so the foundational courses are there. They do not seem to have many (maybe only 1 or 2) dedicated faculty members in the major and it doesn’t seem like a major investment has been made in facilites. However, everything is more than adequate and the school overall is appealing. They have an integrated masters program that would add on one year for a total of 5 years.
USC has a Building Science major housed in the Civil Engineering department. Faculty members are very active in research and industry. No classes are taught by TA’s. They offer an integrated masters that adds on one year for a total of 5 years. A lot of enthusiasm and excitement comes across for this major when talking to professors.
My son has liked all these campuses, and ranks them UT Austin, Penn State, then USC. He wishes there were not so many homeless people near the campuses at UT and USC. Weather is not a major factor. S is a sociable introvert and likes time to work on personal projects. He would like to participate in intramural sports and a political discussion club. He is not at this point interested in giant parties and does not anticipate joining a fraternity. However, an alcohol focused party culture is preferable to one focused on other substances.
Maybe one of the folks here can tell you if ABET matters - but given USC is ranked 3rd, likely easy to eliminate.
You have to be somewhere four years, day after day - and UT Austin is smack in the action - so if seeing the homeless constantly is going to be a bother to him, I’d think i’ts not the right environment.
That leaves one - where you noted " Penn State seems to have to most comprehensive and refined program in Architectural Engineering. They have beautiful, updated facilites and a 100% graduate employment rate for the last several years. The bachelor’s is a 5 year program and the masters adds on a semester or two."
So I think, assuming you can afford it, that’s the “safest” choice - unless he hates cold.
The new facilities at Penn State are really nice … my son is an AE and if your son brings any AP credits, the masters is do-able in the 5 year window.
They also have a study abroad program to Rome that is 6 or 7 weeks that is Penn State AE. They take classes and go see what they are learning about. It is a neat program and a nice way to make study abroad meaninful rather than just a European party.
Check out the career fair. They have a waitlist of companies trying to get in, but don’t have the space. My son had companies reach out PRIOR to the career fair and say “please stop by and see us, we would love to talk”. He also had at least one interview with a company while they were there for the career fair. and good news! He has an internship!
It sounds as if you have done your research and thought this through well, and don’t need commenters to restate your thought process for you. You have gotten some excellent firsthand info about Penn State from @lucy_van_pelt. @MaineLonghorn is very knowledgeable about UT’s ArchE program, so hopefully she can weigh in about that option; I suspect it has more strengths than you have perceived, but I also think it’s safe to say that it would be hard to go wrong between UT and PSU, regardless of your reasons for feeling more drawn to one vs the other.
The Viterbi BSCE - Building Science is ABET accredited, so that is not a differentiator. We need the folks who understand the nuances of this field to comment on how USC’s program differs from ArchE as UT and PSU offer it.
UT has had an ArchE program since at least the late '50s, when my dad attended. He went onto become an ArchE professor there for many years. Ferguson Labs is one of the biggest structural labs in the world. I imagine UT has more NAE members. Penn State is good, but you can’t go wrong with UT. So many kids go to school there and don’t leave the area. And it’s not bad, swimming in February. The Civil Engineering building is actually not in the area where the homeless people are. I very rarely saw any.
Based on costs, I assume you are OOS for UT. It might be at least worth looking into the steps of becoming a Texas resident for tuition purposes after year 1. For a student that ‘likes to work on personal projects’, he might be able to come up with a business that would satisfy the hardest of the requirements. My S21 and all of his friends that tried were successful in obtaining residency the second year.
Perhaps the building is better located but I assume if the student goes to UT and SC, there’s really no way to avoid homelessness. You are not simply on one place - you are walking all over.
UT is in the big city. Penn State is the opposite. I have no info as to whether they have an issue.
But I can’t imagine anyone avoiding it in Austin or LA.
Thank you for taking that element of homelessness seriously. I mentioned it but am kind of hoping that it doesn’t make an oversized impact on my kid’s decision on a school. Are there aspects of the social vibe that we should consider in light of him not being drawn to Greek life?
We even have it in Portland, Maine. I’m just saying there are certain areas around campus where the homeless don’t tend to hang out - they stay in the busy commercial zones.
Does anyone have any insights into the campus culture at each of these places other than stereotypes currently in circulation? I’m thinking of social opportunities for guys not in fraternities.
I was there a very long time ago, but there were a lot of kids in fraternities and sororities. I had NO interest. The private dorm I lived in was mostly sorority girls. But you know what? As an engineering student, I found my tribe quickly. One of the girls in my calculus class realized we lived in the same dorm, and we became close friends. I hit it off with another girl in my dorm who was an engineering major, and we roomed together the next three years (my freshman roommate was a Chi Omega who tried to make me over, and that did not go well).
That’s the great thing about UT. It’s not like you see 50,000 kids all at once, except on football game days, which are awesome. It’s like a big city with lots of small neighborhoods. You get to know the people in your classes well, then you meet their friends. And there is ALWAYS something fun to do. I loved my six years (BS and MS) there.
At Penn State, there is less than 20% of the students that are Greek (fraternity, sorority). It has been declining over the years since I was a student there.
My children were not Greek and have had a very active social life. They’ve all been involved with THON (year-long student weekend of 46 hours no-sitting to raise money for pediatric cancer), with professional organizations (technically Greek, but not social Greek like the stereotypical fraternity/sorority), with club sports, with IM sports… of course, there are sporting events to attend - in addition to football, there is the Roar Zone for hockey (Final 4 this year), the Wrecking Crew for volleyball (they play in Rec Hall and won the national championship this year), basketball (horrible year this year) …
There are student groups for almost everything. And if there isn’t one, start one!
I will say, the hardest thing about a large school is the finding of the tribe. Freshman year can be overwhelming, so I encourage kids to pick a few activities, attend meetings, and maybe focus on one or two. It will become apparent which ones make sense mid-semester freshman year. This is true for any large school.
lucy_van_pelt, both your and MaineLonghorn’s replies give us a lot of reassurance that one way or another -at such big, well-resourced places, most types of kids will (eventually) find their people. =)
The Civil Engineering building is actually not in the area where the homeless people are. I very rarely saw any.