Pennsylvania State University Reviews

  • 113 Reviews
  • State College (PA)
  • Annual Tuition: $38,651
92% of 113 students said this degree improved their career prospects
94% of 113 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Latricia Whitfield
  • Reviewed: 3/12/2018
  • Degree: Journalism
"The Pennsylvania State University: University Park truly epitomizes its secondary name: Happy Valley. Happy Valley is truly the place to be! Penn State's campus is absolutely captivating, and there are so many student organizations for folks to be a part of, depending on their interests. More importantly, the classes that I took, specifically within my major, really prepared me for the career that I was striving to be in at the end of my time at State, and even opened doors for other opportunities outside of my field."
David E.
  • Reviewed: 3/12/2018
  • Degree: Psychology
"The student experience at Penn State is unmatched. The football, Greek life, and student activities are second to none. The academics are good. Students are very capable and the curriculum was challenging. I felt that too many classes were taught by graduate students or professors who were more committed to their research. I had opportunities to participate in research settings, which was enriching and resume building. I would rate the school higher across the board, but they always seemed more interested in my tuition dollars than they were in my academics. Still the Penn State brand is strong and an excellent career starter. Being an alumni has gotten me many interviews and several jobs."
Penn State
  • Reviewed: 2/25/2018
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"Penn State provides great foundational skills in many areas. The experiences I had helped me to develop social relationships and networking capabilities I believe my time at Penn State has made me a well rounded and successful individual that positively contributes to todays society. Being an alumni has instilled a sense of loyalty and pride in the schools academics, philanthropy, and athletic departments."
Danielle Bastian
  • Reviewed: 11/22/2017
  • Degree: Public Relations
"Penn State is an incredible big ten school that has so many opportunities and options for people of any age wishing to further their education. The College of Communication at PSU is particularly notable as it has helped many alumni to reach their career goals through networking, internships and experience. The professors are well versed in their subject areas with a lot of professional and academic experience. Students are equipped to handle the projects and responsibilities of "real world jobs" after going through the required courses at PSU."
Talisha Campbell
  • Reviewed: 9/25/2017
  • Degree: Chemistry
"Middle TN State University is a large beautiful campus. Everything is quite simple to get to. The Library is open late for students and has many on campus job opportunities. Each major is separated into buildings to where once you get into only taking your major courses, you only run into those who are majoring in the same field."
Natalie Schwebel
  • Reviewed: 9/22/2017
  • Degree: Public Health
"The Pennsylvania State University does not only breed some of the most elite caliber students I have ever come across, but they are also some of the most enthusiastic and school spirited individuals. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV and decided to travel almost 3,000 miles to attend college. I wanted nothing to be familiar. Fast forward a couple years after a wonderful graduation, I still come across enthusiastic alumni almost monthly. It astonishes me every time I see a fellow Penn Stater and proudly chant "We are!" as I pass by. I never fail to receive the very familiar response of "Penn State!" with a smile stained on their face. The University has such a togetherness that I long for everyday and I can't wait to experience that with my new school at Arizona State University."
History Teach
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: History
"Strong academic program, caring faculty, solid courses, good environment"
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Computer Science
"College isn't for everyone but you'll get out of it what you put into it."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Biomedical Sciences
"The facilities at this school were a little outdated. The number of faculty is growing though and many of them have funding to support graduate students."
Veronica
  • Reviewed: 8/17/2017
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"Although often written off as a "party school," attending Penn State Main campus has been nothing short of a blessing! Yes, Penn State is HUGE-- as a prospective student of Penn State you already know this. A fair amount of the classes will be in halls of 120+ students. Much of your success needs to be internally motivated. However the most valuable aspect of PSU in my opinion has to be the aspect of community. With so many different activities and organizations you will absolutely find your niche... in fact you will probably have many! & the best part? That community still stays with you after you graduate. After graduation I moved to California. Any time I saw someone wearing a PSU article of clothing I made it a point to talk to them and discovered an instant connection! No regrets"
Michael Primavera
  • Reviewed: 8/2/2017
  • Degree: Biology
"My degree from Pennsylvania State University at Abington has helped me land my job 2 weeks post graduation. The students are helpful and are always more than happy to help each other out. As far as my degree, I thank my wonderful professors for making my major worth while. They made biology easy to understand and enjoyable to learn."
Jessica Lewis
  • Reviewed: 6/26/2017
  • Degree: Biology
"I would highly recommend Penn State University. I feel in love with it ever since I visited the campus. As a female, I walked home at night by myself and felt safe. Majority of the population treated each other like family even though we were not friends. I could leave my laptop in the library or the HUB and go to the bathroom without feeling like someone would steal it because I know the people around me would notice and say something. Everyone always tells you that you are a number at such a large school but you are only a number if you allow it. If you need help the teachers help you and they do remember you. If you just sit in the class doing nothing and contributing nothing then ,yes, you would just be a number. Some of my greatest friends I have found at this school because of how diverse it is there are many groups of people so it is hard for you not to find a group that best complements you. I have never regretted a day in my life while at Penn State and neither will you."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Architecture
"Good school, very much overpriced though. Better value to be found"
attorneycyclist
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Business
"it is good small school where you can get a great education."
Andre
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"Penn State was amazing. They offered a variety of classes and had top-notch professors to help me get to where I wanted to go."
Soccer12
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Biomedical Sciences
"College was large but manageable and it is a decision that I do not regret. I had a lot of fun, made a lot of great friends, and prepared me for my career as a doctor."
Dilini Meewaddana
  • Reviewed: 5/16/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"Most of my Psychology professors were very enthusiastic and welcoming and the classrooms had a very comfortable atmosphere to them. While all classes were enjoyable to take, some definitely needed a lot of hard work and reading and writing to excel in the course. Most of the professors that I knew were very keen on being available for any type of advice and I recommend reaching out to faculty early on and keeping in contact with a chosen few."
Veteran Penn Stater
  • Reviewed: 5/3/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"Admissions was attentive and professional. Accessing financial aid, billing, grades, online library, etc., all made simple through one-access point! The online platform, Canvas, very easy to navigate and I recall very few technical outages during my entire 18 months in a master degree program. Program advisor was supportive and responded to calls and emails in a timely manner, easily provided me with the answers I needed. Instructors were professional, challenging, and fair. The course design, lectures, reading material, and assignments were structured in a way that you can feel your knowledge base progressively increasing; you're genuinely learning at PSU World Campus. The veterans program on campus is setting the standard across the nation! The potential for students to engage in university activities and join student organizations is continuously developing and with a passionate university staff helping it along. 4 universities ago, I had not attended one that I would have rated so highly. I have no regret attending PSU World Campus. As a veteran, it was especially helpful based on their military friendly, and I mean TRULY passionate about supporting veteran's higher learning and integrating from military service to civilian life. Find a program! The pricing and overall education experience have been well worth it. PSU is highly reputable."
Kristen Brown
  • Reviewed: 4/14/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"I want to state that I received my bachelors degree at Penn State University World Campus (PSUWC), and pursued my masters, but ended up transferring out to another university to finish my masters. I am a 4.0 student, with a high IQ, high EQ, and am a diligent student; no slacker. I am an insightful person who needs little direction. With that being said, if you attend PSUWC, especially as a grad student, be prepared to do EVERYTHING alone. You will likely not have an advisor (one will be assigned, but they will either no longer be employed or impossible to reach). Your professors may or may not answer emails and may or may not grade your work in a timely fashion. The assistant to the grad school, who is supposed to be your point person, is this sweet elderly lady, who LITERALLY KNOWS NOTHING! She has NEVER been able to answer a question for me; she literally does not know anything other than contact information. There is no consistency between courses or professors, many of the professors work full time and have NO time to even answer a question. The written lectures are rife with grammatical and spelling errors - literally almost every lesson I have ever read! And the errors do distract from the content. Your assignments are the same, read a lot of material, read a lengthy (and often useless) online lecture, and write and respond on discussion boards with classmates. The discussion boards are torture because most of the students write at the 7th grade level rather than the grad school level, but you are required to respond to their unintelligible writings with something of substance. It is easy to get disillusioned and dispassionate fairly quickly. You virtually have no support at the university, so in order to succeed, you should ensure you have support at home. Also, there is a great deal of group work in 90% of the courses, and if you are a hard worker like myself, you will often carry the load of 5 people. This sucks because, these group projects usually begin the first or second week and last all semester, so you are working on normal coursework, while carrying your group. And your professor will tell you that grades are issued individually, but they are NOT. If you get an A, your entire group will get an A, even if you had no help - this gets old - but it is common knowledge, and even some professors will tell you that many group members will be social loafers. I would advise to get a master's degree at at different online university if online is what you desire. Penn State World Campus grad school is a joke and a waste of money!"
Dan Bitner
  • Reviewed: 4/6/2017
  • Degree: Economics
"Penn State's EBF program was just the right fit for me. I thought it did a wonderful job of integrating economics, investment strategies, and energy research. Additionally, there were many electives to chose from, including many options online which I took advantage of."