You may find lots of information on the university web site - http://www.psu.edu/ur/visitors.html
and on wiki pages:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Park,_Pennsylvania
There are several ranking systems:
for instance US news ranks it as 47 among National Universities - http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/6965
High School Counselors rank it 45 - very close -
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-counselor-rank
Please pay attention that this university has one of highest graduation level - 87% - http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/highest-grad-rate
You also may find interesting The Princenton Review that also contains some rankings - http://www.princetonreview.com/PennStateUniversityPark.aspx
Let me know if you need any help.
Sorry that I overlooked that school.
Loyola College in Maryland - assuming that what you meant - http://www.loyola.edu/ -
is a Jesuit Catholic university - so there might some mandatory religious classes.
See also this article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyola_College_in_Maryland
and scroll down for ranking section
This school has ten time less students than Pennsylvania State University, Room and board cost on the campus is $10,770 - compare to $7,670 Pennsylvania State University,
however - US News rank is 2 against 47 for Pennsylvania State University.
Tuition and Fees in Loyola College is $36,155 compare with Pennsylvania State University - in-state: $13,706; out-of-state: $24,940. - also according to US News.
For Pennsylvania State University - see ranking data on the right side in the box-
US News school ranking is one of the most popular - and - yes - Loyolla is ranked much higher - http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/compare/items+2078+6965
but I think that is a mistake - because with score 87 0 the rank should be 12 - not 2 - but still higher than Pennsylvania State University.
After the catholic High School - your granddaughter might find herself more comfortable within Loyola College - it is religious oriented and smaller - but still not as small as her high school...
Also - Kiplinger put Loyola College on the 47 place among top 50 private universities - see some details - http://kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/privatecollege.php?schoollist=prv_univ
Pennsylvania State University is ten times bigger - and just because of that has more choices and opportunities. While there is no direct comparison - but you may compare individual parameters - it is ranking 36/29 (In-State/Out of State) among other public universities. - http://content.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/pubcollege.php?sortby=INRANK04&orderby=flip&states%5B%5D=ALL&myschool%5B%5D=none&outputby=table
The main disadvantage of Loyola College - is the cost.
Money-Tax,Investment,Collectibles
Three years with HRB
It is possible - and I agree with you - that are mostly psychological factors.
Being in small catholic High School - she might use that opportunity to have a word as opened as possible - the way it seems to her.
She might value the student life higher than academic degree, just following some of her friends, etc...
I can't say what exactly affect her decision - and may not know if parent's divorce was the issue - but it is possible.
She might be under the influence of other people - but that is the decision she made - and I do not think we should force or convince her. I do not think you should be disappointed and should respect her choice.
Generally - the school is as good and you find your own place in that school - and we never know which place would be better for her in the long run...
Dear Carlena,
I apologize for the delay and completely share your feeling.
Yes - based on multiple rating - Loyola College would generally be a better choice compare with Pennsylvania State University.
Generally private schools provide better education and ever the cost is higher - we know what we pay for - and there are normally more options to get a scholarship based on academic achievements.
At the same time it would be incorrect to say that Pennsylvania State University is not a good school...
The main difference - it is large - the enrollment into University Park campus along is over $40,000 students (over 36,000 undergraduate students )... the university offers more than 160 majors, etc, etc - there are so many different opportunities that could never be found in a small school - including social life on the campus.
The University Park campus is based on 14 specialized colleges - each comparable by size with Loyola College.
The Dickinson School of Law is one of the best in the US - and if your granddaughter want to study the Law - that would be a good choice for graduate program.
It is still a question how any of these opportunities will be realized in your granddaughter's life...
It is bad that she did not decide about the major by that time - regardless which school is selected - you might need to talk more about that - but try not to push too hard and be prepared to retreat if needed.
I do not think that we could evaluate the gift the same way as we evaluate investments. I believe that you purchase a computer for your granddaughter - because you love her and wish her success in her life - that is a good gift - based on the price - it should be Apple - the most popular among students type - and seems as you new that.
The gift is what we do without considerations - without expecting anything in return.
I could hear your feeling. We need to respect your granddaughter's choice - right or wrong - we may not know - the time will be the judge - let us pray for good.