Should I go to Virginia Tech or Penn State?

the kid's name is colin waters from arlington, he commited there with a 4:25 or so

How are you paying for college?

I hate Virginia tech but if you are taking loans and/or paying for it yourself, this is really a no-brainer decision.

Keep in mind, regardless of which one you choose, that a fair number of kids switch out of the engineering school after the first semester or first year. I'm sure you think you won't be one of the ones unable to handle the work, but that is what everybody else thinks as well.

I don't really know much about Penn State so cannot comment on that. But if your focus is on STEM and specifically engineering, your specific area of interest might also make a difference. Some schools have a really good Mech program, others might have a great Elec/Computer Engg program etc.

Re Blacksburg - It's a small university town but it can also be fun. There is an okay social scene because of the univ but it's pretty with hiking spots close by and trails. Added bonus- cost of living is really low.

Congrats on getting multiple acceptances and good luck!

Someone who knows wrote:

ThatAverageRunner wrote:

I know a kid slower than him in XC and track who got a partial scholarship for Penn State.

No you don't. Unless he was great at the 800 or something, no you don't. Don't give this kid false hope. That's not fair. 4:22 for 1600 and 9:28 for 3200 and then slower than that does not get you a partial athletic scholarship to Penn State. If you aren't lying, the kid who told you that is.

A 4:22 in february and a 9:28 from junior year are not bad times at all. He tripled at his state meet this year and got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. A scholarship of some sort is definitely not out of the question. Penn States' top 3k guy ran a 8:51 at conference this year and finished 19th out of 20.

quit overreacting wrote:

Someone who knows wrote:

No you don't. Unless he was great at the 800 or something, no you don't. Don't give this kid false hope. That's not fair. 4:22 for 1600 and 9:28 for 3200 and then slower than that does not get you a partial athletic scholarship to Penn State. If you aren't lying, the kid who told you that is.

A 4:22 in february and a 9:28 from junior year are not bad times at all. He tripled at his state meet this year and got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. A scholarship of some sort is definitely not out of the question. Penn States' top 3k guy ran a 8:51 at conference this year and finished 19th out of 20.

and and he won state in XC too.....

Get the hell out of Virginia while you can. You won’t regret it.

PSU is at the top of the country where the White Walkers will breach the wall.

My Son went to VT and loved it.

We live in PA. Take advantage of the instate.

They had 5 guys run sub 8:20 this year and they put almost no money into distance. This guy won’t get any money and may not even be able to walk on.

If this is a running question, then take into account recent performances. Penn State is the place to be if you are an 800m runner or a speed dominated 1500 guy. On the other hand, they have had little success at cross country despite a loaded team of high school standouts. Honestly though, I don't know much about VT after they lost their coach to Oregon last year...but if I was a distance runner I would avoid Penn State at this point.

You can't go wrong with Virginia Tech. It's a great school with a decent distance program and the difference in tuition will end up being quite a bit. I live in Blacksburg, and love it.

There are a lot of startups in the area with good paying jobs in an area that is cheap as hell to live in. The New River Valley is growing more quickly than nearby Roanoke.

Plus you can always head back to Nova after college if this isn't the place for you. Great place to live if you love the outdoors.

VTech de-emphasized its distance program a number of years ago. That's why Steve Taylor left to coach Richmond. Penn State more into it.

Key Questions to answer when choosing a school:

If $ was not a consideration.

If I no longer did my activity.

Where would I go?

take the in state tuition and go to Va Tech

?

quit overreacting wrote:

quit overreacting wrote:

A 4:22 in february and a 9:28 from junior year are not bad times at all. He tripled at his state meet this year and got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. A scholarship of some sort is definitely not out of the question. Penn States' top 3k guy ran a 8:51 at conference this year and finished 19th out of 20.

and and he won state in XC too.....

And he didn't start running until halfway through his sophomore year; won states his first year in XC. He has crazy upside just because he is still very much progressing.

Those are dumb points. Every decision in life involves tradeoffs. That's why it is a decision. Eliminating some of the important factors makes no sense. Why no eliminate the majors that the school offers or the climate or the location. The 2 factors that you want to eliminate may be the 2 most important to this kid.

Someone who knows more than you do wrote:

Someone who knows wrote:

If you are THE Max Greczyn, then I hate to tell you, but Penn State is beyond your ability. No guarantee you could walk on there, and if you can, you would have a hard time doing anything for them..

Max Greczyn is already better than Greg Fredericks was at the the same age. Fredericks is the school record-holder in the 5 and 10, 13:34, 28:08.

You can find an exception to every rule. The OP said he wanted to focus mainly on academics. Bad combination. Good idea for college success in the classroom, but not to start at a point that is barely getting on the team and then trying to improve a lot.

My recommendation is the right one. He should go to a lesser D1 conference or D3.

ThatAverageRunner wrote:

Someone who knows wrote:

No you don't. Unless he was great at the 800 or something, no you don't. Don't give this kid false hope. That's not fair. 4:22 for 1600 and 9:28 for 3200 and then slower than that does not get you a partial athletic scholarship to Penn State. If you aren't lying, the kid who told you that is.

I would not just lie about this. He got the scholarship for XC. He was in their top 5 (which isn't saying much for their XC team lol). He was adamant and was emailing coaches because he hadn't heard anything from his junior year. Top 28 at footlockers for XC, too. But slower PRs than the OP.

Well, sorry, I do not believe that person told you the truth. He might have gotten an academic scholarship or a need-based scholarship or some other scholarship, but he did not get an athletic scholarship there with times that slow.

quit overreacting wrote:

quit overreacting wrote:

A 4:22 in february and a 9:28 from junior year are not bad times at all. He tripled at his state meet this year and got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. A scholarship of some sort is definitely not out of the question. Penn States' top 3k guy ran a 8:51 at conference this year and finished 19th out of 20.

and and he won state in XC too.....

Look, the kid is a decent runner, but you are using a CC winning time of 16:48 in a very small division to suggest Penn State would be interested in him, especially since his CC PR is on a known short course. Of his two mentioned schools, VT would be more interested. Colleges do not care about runners winning state titles in little school divisions unless the time is fast.

I'm trying to help this kid not make a mistake. If he's mainly interested in academics, he would do better at a school that is more in line with his proven ability. He has a very good chance of not being able to walk on at Penn State and a smaller chance of not being able to at VT. If he wants to run for a team in college, his best bet is to go to a lesser D1 conference or D3. If it's all about academics, and that's more than fine, then either of those two schools would be great.

Davidson would like him. William and Mary would like him.

I also have to laugh at PSU or VT are considered good schools. Yeah, I guess they are compared to a community college or something. Given his running ability, given STEM, and given that he wants to focus on academics, he's 100% better off at a Hopkins or a CMU than to be the 15th man in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a bunch of in-state morons.