University Park is everything that Penn State encompasses, big state school, beautiful large campus, and an established football program. The Katz building is on the side of campus, close to the stadium, and it's ranked as one of the best facilities to study law in. Downtown State College is about a 6x3 block grid of restaurants, stores, and apartments - and while nothing compared to a large city like Philly or Pitt, it's safe and bikable. There's public transportation that wraps all throughout campus. The upside is being a part of the Penn State community, studying in a world-class facility, and life in State College. The downside is that UP is also 40,000 strong of undergraduates, and that might turn some professionals off who are looking to get away from a college scene.LShopeful628 wrote:What were your favorite things about it? I've only seen Carlisle and at first I was sold, but I'm starting to think I may feel a bit isolated at the smaller campus.osubucknut wrote:Toured UP and loved it.
I went to Carlisle last weekend just to do a brief drive-through of the campus and surrounding town and was pleasantly surprised. Carlisle is a cool little downtown, less shops and stores than State College, but it can hold its own in terms of places to eat, study, and enjoy life. The town appears safe and neighboring Dickinson College is a beautiful school. With only 2,000 students, you're going to have less that "college-y" feel and that's what some people are going want. The school itself is also really gorgeous and all brand new. I walked around and checked out the classrooms and mock-court and was really impressed. It's small, but I wouldn't hold that against the school. I can't believe how terrible of a place Harrisburg really is. I heard stories and have been in Philadelphia my wole life, but as a whole city, Harriburg was really run-down and dilapilated. I couldn't imagine living there.
If I had a family or were looking to avoid the "college-vibe" I'd pick Carlisle. There are a lot of cheap leaving options, the surrounding area was very nice. That said, last year I think only 38 students chose to attend the Carlisle campus and there have been talks of splitting the schools and making Dickinson its own program with its own admissions process. That would concern me the future because I could go from being in a T2 school to being in a provisional accredidation school or a T3/T4 school. I really think PSU is putting most of their eggs in the UP campus, and while the Carlisle vibe really appealed to me, the logisitics of PSU's law program really makes me strongly lean otwards going to University Park.
Has there been any movement on your status checker? You can always send an email checking in and updating your resume or something, if you have any updates!
