Interest Thread: Your STATE School Forum

[framboozer]

it's undergrad ranking is far superior to its law school ranking.

Both the UG and the law school are overranked (the law school much more than the UG).

Despite what you might think Penn State is actually a really good value in Pennsylvania and definitely earns a lot of respect. Based on the schools ranked below Penn State (undergrad), I really don't find it overranked. I'm at Penn State for good reasons despite the fact that my SAT was way above what I needed to get in. Penn State, being a large school, has a lot of options and opportunities for someone like me that will take advantage of them, and there's no other school in Pennsylvania to compare to it. I'm not even gonna touch the law school's ranking, because frankly it's well off my radar for reasons I already established.

And to the posts above me, Penn is not short for Penn State (and that didn't look like a case of sarcasm).

[HeavenWood]

it's undergrad ranking is far superior to its law school ranking.

Both the UG and the law school are overranked (the law school much more than the UG).

Despite what you might think Penn State is actually a really good value in Pennsylvania and definitely earns a lot of respect. Based on the schools ranked below Penn State (undergrad), I really don't find it overranked. I'm at Penn State for good reasons despite the fact that my SAT was way above what I needed to get in. Penn State, being a large school, has a lot of options and opportunities for someone like me that will take advantage of them, and there's no other school in Pennsylvania to compare to it. I'm not even gonna touch the law school's ranking, because frankly it's well off my radar for reasons I already established.

And to the posts above me, Penn is not short for Penn State (and that didn't look like a case of sarcasm).

I agree that Penn State is good. That being said, there's no good reason it should be ranked 17 spots ahead of Pitt. Both schools offer equally good educations overall (with PSU stronger in some areas and Pitt in others).

[framboozer]

it's undergrad ranking is far superior to its law school ranking.

Both the UG and the law school are overranked (the law school much more than the UG).

Despite what you might think Penn State is actually a really good value in Pennsylvania and definitely earns a lot of respect. Based on the schools ranked below Penn State (undergrad), I really don't find it overranked. I'm at Penn State for good reasons despite the fact that my SAT was way above what I needed to get in. Penn State, being a large school, has a lot of options and opportunities for someone like me that will take advantage of them, and there's no other school in Pennsylvania to compare to it. I'm not even gonna touch the law school's ranking, because frankly it's well off my radar for reasons I already established.

And to the posts above me, Penn is not short for Penn State (and that didn't look like a case of sarcasm).

I agree that Penn State is good. That being said, there's no good reason it should be ranked 17 spots ahead of Pitt. Both schools offer equally good educations overall (with PSU stronger in some areas and Pitt in others).

I do agree that they're peer schools, but literally every person that I know that goes to Pitt, save one, only went to Pitt because they didn't get into Penn State. This includes tons of people. Pitt was a very common choice for students at my high school. My brother actually goes to Pitt; he didn't get into Penn State. He most definitely didn't have the grades for Penn State, but he's been turning himself around and now he's actually transferring to Penn State. As for that one exception that I mentioned - he definitely had the stats for Penn State (which, in my opinion, are beyond manageable). In fact, he could have definitely gone much higher. I have no idea what his reasoning was in actuality. Maybe it's different for people at the western end of PA, but in my area the commonly held idea is that Pitt is definitely secondary to Penn State.

[HeavenWood]

I do agree that they're peer schools, but literally every person that I know that goes to Pitt, save one, only went to Pitt because they didn't get into Penn State. This includes tons of people. Pitt was a very common choice for students at my high school. My brother actually goes to Pitt; he didn't get into Penn State. He most definitely didn't have the grades for Penn State, but he's been turning himself around and now he's actually transferring to Penn State. As for that one exception that I mentioned - he definitely had the stats for Penn State (which, in my opinion, are beyond manageable). In fact, he could have definitely gone much higher. I have no idea what his reasoning was in actuality. Maybe it's different for people at the western end of PA, but in my area the commonly held idea is that Pitt is definitely secondary to Penn State.

It's funny you say that, because Pitt is more selective than Penn State. I went to Pitt because they're far more generous with scholarship money (and because I prefer an urban environment).

I'm from SE PA as well, and everyone in my high school saw Pitt and Penn State as equal in terms of academic quality. All things being equal, it should come down to which environment one prefers.

[kk19131]

I don't want to sound like an ass, but the idea of someone "not getting into Penn State" is new to me...

[framboozer]

HeavenWood, I see that you did go to Pitt for undergrad, but you are now going to Penn for law school. Super congratulations! Penn is definitely at the top of my list.

I also see that you are majoring in Political Science. If that's the case, I can understand why you wouldn't like Penn State. I have no idea what Pitt's poli sci program is like, but I've always said that my poli sci classes at Penn State are my least favorite. I don't like the teachers I've had and I don't like how it's taught. Luckily, International Politics is only a secondary major for me.

[framboozer]

I don't want to sound like an ass, but the idea of someone "not getting into Penn State" is new to me...

Hmm yep it happens. None of those people are my friends. In the case of my brother, I can tell you that he bombed high school with something like a 3.2 GPA. He is a reasonably bright kid though, but he never applied himself, didn't do work. That being said, I didn't apply myself for most of high school either.

[framboozer]

I do agree that they're peer schools, but literally every person that I know that goes to Pitt, save one, only went to Pitt because they didn't get into Penn State. This includes tons of people. Pitt was a very common choice for students at my high school. My brother actually goes to Pitt; he didn't get into Penn State. He most definitely didn't have the grades for Penn State, but he's been turning himself around and now he's actually transferring to Penn State. As for that one exception that I mentioned - he definitely had the stats for Penn State (which, in my opinion, are beyond manageable). In fact, he could have definitely gone much higher. I have no idea what his reasoning was in actuality. Maybe it's different for people at the western end of PA, but in my area the commonly held idea is that Pitt is definitely secondary to Penn State.

It's funny you say that, because Pitt is more selective than Penn State. I went to Pitt because they're far more generous with scholarship money (and because I prefer an urban environment).

I'm from SE PA as well, and everyone in my high school saw Pitt and Penn State as equal in terms of academic quality. All things being equal, it should come down to which environment one prefers.

I wonder specifically where in SE PA you're from. I guess I'll ask in a pm. Pitt might be more selective than than Penn State, but from where I'm from I can say with certainty that Penn State is definitely considered at least a little above Pitt and it shows in who goes. That being said, I don't think the smart people from my high school go to PSU. None of my friends from home do. The people from my high school who go to PSU are the ones who generally didn't take the hardest classes, but maintained a good GPA.

I think for the people I know, they'd rather go to University Park than Pittsburgh, and if not UPark, they'd rather stay in Philly.

[Ford Prefect]

I don't want to sound like an ass, but the idea of someone "not getting into Penn State" is new to me...

Hmm yep it happens. None of those people are my friends. In the case of my brother, I can tell you that he bombed high school with something like a 3.2 GPA. He is a reasonably bright kid though, but he never applied himself, didn't do work. That being said, I didn't apply myself for most of high school either.

3.2 GPA is bombing? I've had classes where a 3.2 would have been the academic star.

[HeavenWood]

I don't want to sound like an ass, but the idea of someone "not getting into Penn State" is new to me...

Hmm yep it happens. None of those people are my friends. In the case of my brother, I can tell you that he bombed high school with something like a 3.2 GPA. He is a reasonably bright kid though, but he never applied himself, didn't do work. That being said, I didn't apply myself for most of high school either.

3.2 GPA is bombing? I've had classes where a 3.2 would have been the academic star.

I bombed HS with a 3.2 as well.

[soccerfreak]

MIZZOU
Would: Most likely free tuition, essentially the same placement in targeted job market (Saint Louis) as any other school including Wash U, or so I'm told by several lawyers, in undergrad there now and enjoy it

Wouldn't: Poor ranking, LSAT/grades to get into much better schools, essentially no placement outside the state of Missouri, change of pace from undergrad

[kk19131]

3.2 is higher than my LSAC gpa.


...and the reason why I'm the waitlist king, methinks.

[prezidentv8]

he bombed high school with something like a 3.2 GPA.

Uhhhh.....<shifts eyes back and forth>....yeah, that sounds about like...me.

[framboozer]

A 3.2 certainly is bombing when you're capable of much better. My little brother rarely studied, put in a minimal effort, got B's and C's, when A's were attainable. Then in college, he ended up on academic probation at Pitt. Now he's turning himself around, getting all A's and one B this past semester. So yea, for him a 3.2 was bombing. At my high school, any kind of A was a 4.0 and any kind of B was a 3.0. So that could have been 5 B-'s and an A- for all I know.

[HeavenWood]

A 3.2 certainly is bombing when you're capable of much better.

That's what UG is for--turning your work ethic around.

[Ford Prefect]

3.2 is higher than my LSAC gpa.


...and the reason why I'm the waitlist king, methinks.

Stupid college grades. I'm pretty aggravated with my 18-21 year old self right now. That guy was a dumbass.

[framboozer]

A 3.2 certainly is bombing when you're capable of much better.

That's what UG is for--turning your work ethic around.

Sooo true. I slacked off hardcore senior year of high school. I don't even know what my graduating GPA was. Then I got a 3.5 first semester at University Park, because I slacked in two classes and didn't know that there was a GPA difference between an A and an A- (given my high school system). But since then, I've learned my lesson and have gotten a 4.0 every semester since except the two times I studied abroad. And to explain that, I did super intense programs where I took courses in a foreign language (Spanish the first time, French the second) that were not about the language. They were actual courses about economics, history, political science, advanced linguistics, etc. where I was often the only non-native student in my class. So hopefully, law schools will at least consider that. My GPA is above pretty much every median regardless though.

But holy cow, I couldn't be any more different as a student than I was in high school.

[kk19131]

3.2 is higher than my LSAC gpa.


...and the reason why I'm the waitlist king, methinks.

Stupid college grades. I'm pretty aggravated with my 18-21 year old self right now. That guy was a dumbass.

I blame Northwestern's ridiculous quarter system.

...that and the tons of nights I spent drinking.

[romothesavior]

This thread is currently the boring-est thread at the top of my "View Your Posts." Please let it die, as a belated Christmas present to me.

[kk19131]

This thread is currently the boring-est thread at the top of my "View Your Posts." Please let it die, as a belated Christmas present to me.

No deal.

I'm stuck in a snow storm.

[Grizz]

This thread is currently the boring-est thread at the top of my "View Your Posts." Please let it die, as a belated Christmas present to me.

Agreed. It no longer even provides moderate snark opportunities.

[Grizz]

This thread is currently the boring-est thread at the top of my "View Your Posts." Please let it die, as a belated Christmas present to me.

No deal.

I'm stuck in a snow storm.

There is a plethora of internet pr0n at your fingertips.

[bigkahuna2020]

I don't want to sound like an ass, but the idea of someone "not getting into Penn State" is new to me...

Hmm yep it happens. None of those people are my friends. In the case of my brother, I can tell you that he bombed high school with something like a 3.2 GPA. He is a reasonably bright kid though, but he never applied himself, didn't do work. That being said, I didn't apply myself for most of high school either.

If that's bombing high school...damn

[bigkahuna2020]

A 3.2 certainly is bombing when you're capable of much better. My little brother rarely studied, put in a minimal effort, got B's and C's, when A's were attainable. Then in college, he ended up on academic probation at Pitt. Now he's turning himself around, getting all A's and one B this past semester. So yea, for him a 3.2 was bombing. At my high school, any kind of A was a 4.0 and any kind of B was a 3.0. So that could have been 5 B-'s and an A- for all I know.

Odd.

[NYCcops]

I am in NYC so I guess my state school would be the CUNY options (city university of new york).

CUNY queens is one of the easiest law schools to get into in the country and I believe it is a tier 4.

Brooklyn College may or may not be a state school, and it is also not difficult to get in to it.

So state schools in New York City are not too great of an idea. For me it is NYU or Columbia or bust.