NC State vs Penn State ? Where to go

Scholarships academic or athletic? Are you running on the team? If you're a true distance runner NC State.

PSU alumnus here.

I wasn’t an engineering major but had plenty of friends who were and I can’t think of a single one who didn’t get a job in his/her field immediately out of school. From my understanding the engineering program is great, especially for a state school. The school has a terrific alumni network in the mid-Atlantic and New England area.

I ran with the running club there, which was plenty competitive. Based on the times we raced against NCSU (just at Nirca nationals) I believe the competitive edge goes to PSU. Depends what you’re looking for in a club though.

I liked the small town feel for college. Theres plenty of time to live in a city once you’re working.

Winters in State College sucked.

All that said, I wouldn’t want to go to either school as an out of state student unless I was getting great financial aid. I don’t feel it’s worth $35k plus all the expenses.

thanks for the answer! Yeah PSU club looks pretty good from what I can tell. How bad are winters there?

I got pretty good financial aid, but obviously not great.

Do you think its important to be close to home? I haven’t spent much time away from my family before

I graduated from PSU and grew up in State College. After graduation, I moved to Raleigh. The engineering department at NC State is great. After graduation there are great employment opportunities in the area. The weather is a 10000% times better in Raleigh. When it is cold in Raleigh you can still count on the sun being out. In State College, you can go days without seeing the sun.

Although State College is a fun college town it doesn't have the excitement of a mid-size city. You can't go wrong with either university. The cost of living and tuition are another positive for NC State. I would imagine that out-of-state tuition in North Carolina is much lower than in PA.

For a runner there is no comparison between State College and Raleigh. You have many, many, more opportunities of places to train in Raleigh compared to State College. There are 2-3 road races every weekend in Raleigh. The NC State Club team is very good. The club team often races against NCAA Division 1 schools in races held at Wake Med.

Penn State is just a Megabus ride away from Pittsburgh, Philly, & NYC for weekend fun.

North Carolina doesn't get the frozen hell that is a Central Pennsylvania Winter. (Hoth would be more pleasant some years).

However, Central PA is great year-round for outdoor activities and is quite close to the AT and close enough to the GAP for a day trip or two.

NC would cost you less money but you'll be in NC.

Penn State has the name recognition, which is still important in some circles, plus if you decide to earn your masters in Engineering, you would have an easier time getting into CMU or U Penn,

Agreed with what the other poster said about both being solid options.

Spring and Fall in State College are great. Winters we would get a bunch of days in the single digits. I think the university cancelled class several days this winter due to snow, which. Wouldn’t be a factor in Raleigh.

Being further away from home just makes it more difficult if you really need something or to get back for the holidays. I was about a 3 hour drive away which was fine.

Wow, thanks for the great answers. i don't know many people who have gone to either school so it's helpful to hear what I should look into as i make my decision. i'll update this thread when i decide!

Kenny Powerss wrote:

Wow, thanks for the great answers. i don't know many people who have gone to either school so it's helpful to hear what I should look into as i make my decision. i'll update this thread when i decide!

wtf kenny powerss im the real kenny powerss

Glad to see some rational folks finally tagged in with a little meaningful input and advice. Not sure why, but these boards tend to be pretty negative toward Penn State.

PSU is an awesome school and an awesome college experience. The engineering school is first rate. Period. I know several people who went there for engineering, loved it, and had multiple job offers when they graduated. Their graduate engineering programs are among the best in the country.

Yes, the winters are long and rough. Every school has its negatives, and that is PSU's.

I've got nothing against NC State at all. It's a very solid school, with some great programs.

But to the extent that you care about academic reputation and alumni network, you're simply not going to go wrong with Penn State.

I graduated from Penn State with a BS in engineering in the mid-90s, but now I live in South Carolina. Both schools are excellent values for engineering education and are highly revered, at least in the eastern US. Coming from a rural area in PA I sometimes felt I was just a number to the University, but it has opened doors to me for great jobs. I participated in the Co-operative Education program and alternated working and studying for my last 3 years - that work experience set the stage for my first full-time job. If I were you I would check if NC State has a co-op program. Also, why not consider University of MD or Virginia Tech?

Winters are tough and dreary in State College. The running joke was that there are three semesters per year at Penn State: Summer, Winter I, and Winter II. If you are on campus over the summer there is so much to do especially if you like hiking and mountain biking.

I think that the most important thing is that this school gives some prospects since many universities cannot show high results of their students and students have a hard time. During my studies, I used the service https://studyhippo.com/flashcards-by-topics/ to do my tasks. The teachers at my university were not very good, so I had to resort to help.

cool

Lots of good input, but i'll add my two cents.

I studied engineering at both schools - at different times of course - PSU for undergrad and NCSU for post-grad while working.

Academics: Both are solid . I'd give PSU a clear edge for BS/Masters. Beyond that, it's about who and what more than where (see jobs below), although with that investment in time and money you should be looking at more/better options than either.

Lifestyle. Weather no contest in favor of NC, assuming you don't like the wet and cold of central PA half the year. Running is about equal (if the weather is), although competitive options are better in Raleigh/Durham. Outside of PSU and downtown, there's not much culture/lifestyle there. A little further away, though, you're much closer to the urban cultural experiences of NYC, et al at PSU than anything in NC.

Jobs. Again, outside PSU, nada. Clear winner is NCSU. And it can be relevant to post-graduate work with all the technology companies there.

I'd likely do it the same way again. Although I think the PSU degree got me the job in Raleigh that NCSU might not have. But I would REALLY spend time rethinking my ability to tolerate the central PA winters - without being grumpy (or drunk) all the time. That would be the key for me and the only thing that could sway a course change.

One thing not mentioned is the type of engineering, which I guess you may not know at this point. Different schools are strong in different things. From my perspective as a longtime ME and EE, both are perfectly fine engineering schools, not top tier but good enough to get you into any grad program if you excel as an undergrad. PSU probably has a little more prestige, but it depends on the field. In my particular sub-area of computer engineering ( I know, ME/EE doing CE) NC State has a very strong undergraduate and graduate focus and I know tons of good engineers from there.

If it was me, I would go to NC State, try to be at the top of my class and then re-evaluate for a masters.