Penn State or University of Miami

[hlacheen]

ok so I've now officially been accepted to my two first choices for college, PSU and UM. I'm majoring in Finance. Here are some of the pros and cons I have thought of:

In-State tuition for Penn State: 12k
Tuition for U of Miami : 31k - 11k scholarship = 20k
PSU is cheaper + cheaper area so ballin' will be easier.
Miami supposedly has a lot of spoiled rich kids, and is an expensive area.
Miami is in Miami. Warm weather, big city, beaches, etc...
PSU is in the middle of Pennsylvania. Cold winters but nice campus and good dairy products~
I think PSU's Business school is ranked higher than Miami's.
Miami is more diverse (hot latinas) + more international students.
PSU is 84% white, 72% from Pennsylvania.
PSU has larger alumni network, better Football team.
PSU has 6,500 freshman, Miami has 2,200. (I don't know if this is pro or con.)

I'm sure there are many other differences, but these are the ones I can think of. Anyone have any input? Any experience with either school?

[kyro]

I went to PSU. I can't say enough good things about it. PM if you have any specific questions.

[Suigin406]

is sports a factor?? it looks like it from the two choices, but u didn't specifically state it...which one is closer to home, if u care...

i think weather should play a big role in this...i went to school in philly and there were people who came from warmer areas and said they hated the winters b/c it took them a while to adjust...

[hlacheen]

I live in Philadelphia. Miami is a 3 hours flight, and State College is a 4 hour drive I believe.

Sports isn't really a factor, I'm just a nittany lions fan.

[mik37]

Visited Miami in my college process also have a friend who goes there. He loved it his first 2 years, now is beginning to hate it. Knowing Spanish is quite helpful from what I hear. A car is almost a necessity. Having lots of money in general is almost a necessity. Don't know a lot about PSU, heard good things.

[emon87]

They're both pretty mediocre schools... so I'd go with Miami because it would be nicer to live in.

[lippy]

My very attractive female friend goes there and has some ridiculous pictures on facebook. Looks like a nice place.

[cking]

Well since your used to the cold that isnt too bad I guess. There are im sure more hot chicks in miami but atleast PSU has volume right? PSU also still has a good football team so im sure they tailgate well. All I can really think about is that if the weather doesn't bother you I would go to PSU. Also don't be afraid to look at other southern or western schools that have nice weather but offer the same things you like....

For instance south carolina has #1 international business school in the country, more hot women then PSU, good size, nice campus and a growing greek system and is part of the SEC... ya know, as an example...

[Suigin406]

i don't know if this is still true...but a couple of friends at PSU years ago said they had limits on bandwidth because of high volume, so they could up and down a couple of gigs a week...not sure at all if this policy is still in effect...don't think u care, but just throwing it out there...

[kyro]

[ QUOTE ]
i don't know if this is still true...but a couple of friends at PSU years ago said they had limits on bandwidth because of high volume, so they could up and down a couple of gigs a week...not sure at all if this policy is still in effect...don't think u care, but just throwing it out there...

[/ QUOTE ]

This was a total pain in the ass, but unless you're playing online games (CS, UT et al) or downloading movies, it really wasn't too much of an issue. Also, the dorm you live in is a factor on bandwidth and connection speed. If you live in a dorm with all freshman (highly recommended your first year), you're sharing the internet with a bunch of kids who are so excited about having internet 24/7 that they're downloading all sorts of crap.

Then again, I was a freshman 5 years ago and I still had 56k dialup at home, so things have probably changed.