Throughout my entire school career, I have been thinking about my options for college.

have always had my eyes on Temple University and Penn State, and now I have been looking at

West Chester as well. Understanding what each college offers depending on what I am looking

for in my college experience is important to me. Factors such as cost of tuition, and housing

contribute to me choosing which college to attend. My goals for college are to gain knowledge,

have a good educational experience, and to leave college with as little student debt as possible. I

intend to major in psychology and work in a mental health facility after growing years of

experience and education. I have sat down and researched each three of the colleges listed, and

compared the list of pricing to one another because that is one of the most important factors to

me.

Let’s start off with West Chester University. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

and was Founded in 1871. In-state tuition is $10,471 USD and Out-of-state tuition is $22,295

USD. The Nickname is “Golden Rams”, and have the colors purple and gold. The mascot that

cheers on the school is named “Rammy”. It is the largest of the 14 universities in Pennsylvania's

State System of Higher Education. It is organized into five Colleges and two Schools: College of

Arts and Humanities, College of Business and Public Management, College of Education and

Social Work, College of Health Sciences, College of the Sciences and Mathematics, School of

Music and School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies. There are more than 118

undergraduate, 91 master's degree programs, and 4 doctoral programs taught by 729 full-time

and 247 part-time faculty. Classes are offered Fall and Spring semesters, accelerated Summer

and Winter sessions, in Center City Philadelphia, and online. Approximately, there are 17,010

students seeking degrees, 2,608 graduates and 14,402 undergraduates. Students come from 36

different states and 74 different countries, and primarily come from Pennsylvania, Delaware,
New Jersey, and Maryland. The undergraduate student body is 60% female, 40% male and 22%

students of color. In 2016-17, WCU students contributed more than 755,000 hours of volunteer

and community service to 200+ non-profit and governmental agencies. There are more than 288

student clubs and organizations. WCU sponsors one of the largest varsity programs in NCAA

Division II with 24 intercollegiate men's and women's sports. There are 23 registered sports clubs

from bowling and fencing to ultimate Frisbee and water polo. Intramural sports are also offered,

and include flag football and indoor volleyball. Approximately 93% of the University's first-year

students live on campus. 13 undergraduate residence facilities located on North and South

campus offer a choice of suite-style, apartments, and traditional-style living. Living on campus is

about $14,000 USD a year (“WCU Facts”).

Now let’s look at Penn State York. It is located in York, Pennsylvania and was founded in

1939 on a beautiful 51-acre hillside commuter campus overlooking the historic city of York.

There are seven major buildings (including the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center), athletic

fields, tennis courts, and several acres of woodland. It is a suburban metropolitan area of more

than 442,000. In-state tuition is $14,476 USD and out-of-state tuition is $23,466 USD. There are

about 820 students, as of fall 2020. The campus community includes both traditional (18–24) and

adult (24 or older) students. There are 90 percent commuters, 10 percent in off-campus housing,

and 96 percent of students live within forty miles. There are many programs offered including

thirteen Baccalaureate Degrees, eight baccalaureate minors with additional ones available

depending on course work available, first two years of more than 275 Penn State academic

programs, five associate degrees, with nearly 100 percent job placement, Master of Education in

Teaching and Curriculum, other graduate courses and professional development programs for

educators, credit, noncredit, and certificate continuing education courses and day, evening, and
Saturday classes. 85 percent of eligible students receive some form of aid (loans, scholarships,

grants, work-study) and more than 400 scholarships total more than $550,000. There are 97

full-time and adjunct faculty. The student to faculty ratio is 14 to and the average class size of 15.

There are more than twenty student clubs and organizations and six collegiate sports (“Quick

Facts”).

Let’s lastly look at Temple University. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was

founded by Russell H. Conwell in 1884. In-state tuition is $16,970 USD, and out-of-state tuition

is $29,882 USD. There are 27,307 Undergraduates, : 10,058 Graduates/professionals, and a total

of 37,365 students. 69% of residents are in-state, and 31% are out-of-state residents.

82% of full-time undergraduates were awarded aid. There are 11 residence halls or housing units

and over 12,000 students living on or near main campus. Temple University is ranked Top 50

public schools among national universities, “U.S. News & World Report, Top 100 best value

schools among national universities, U.S. News & World Report, and No. 63, QS World

University USA Ranking: USA 2021”. (“Get to Know Us Better Fast Facts”) There are 17

schools and colleges, including five professional schools, 150+ undergraduate majors, and

research: R1 Carnegie Classification. There are 3,758 faculty members, a 13-1 student-faculty

ratio. There are 41% of classes with fewer than 20 students, and 16 Fulbright students for the

academic year 2020–2021. There are 24/7 collaboration and study spaces that are always open,

such as the new Charles Library and the TECH Center, both located on Main Campus and 16

teaching labs in Main Campus’ Science Education and Research Center. In the athletics area,

there are 18 NCAA Division I teams, the nickname are “Owls”, the Colors are Cherry and white,

the Mascot is “Hooter the Owl”, and the Live mascot is Stella the Owl. There are over 300 clubs
and organizations, 31 intercollegiate sports clubs, 306, registered student organizations, and 8

campus recreation locations (“Get to Know Us Better Fast Facts”).

After comparing each college based on a financial aspect and view, I have decided that

attending Penn State York will be the best fit for me. One of the biggest reasons why is that I will

be able to commute to college, which saves me money because it is only 15 minutes away from

my house, and I wouldn’t have to pay for housing or pay monthly rent. That can help me save

money for when I have to pay off student loans or debt after attending college. Another reason

why this college is the best fit for me is because tuition is fairly low compared to Temple

University by a few thousand dollars. I can work and put a good amount of my paycheck into my

savings account and in the future use that money to buy my own apartment. I personally think

that the best idea for saving money for when I am in college is to try to stay home and live with

my parents for as long as I can, work, and save money before graduating college. I am then

worried more about my education and can focus solely on school and work. If I stay at home

with my parents for at least two years, it can definitely make a huge difference and I can save a

lot of money and feel more comfortable and prepared to live on my own. During that time, I can

learn more about myself and how I can also learn to balance school with work as well. Since

Penn State York is a smaller campus that has around 1,000 students, I can build closer

relationships with my professors and other faculty members. I feel like the transition from high

school to college can be scary and a difficult experience for many students, so being able to not

move far from home and still have that college experience is really important and can make that

transition feel easier as well. Overall, I feel like Penn State York meets my overall goals and

criteria for the college that I am searching for financially and socially.
 Works Cited

DSwift@wcupa.edu. “University Communications & Marketing.” WCU Facts - West

Chester University, www.wcupa.edu/communications/wcuFacts.aspx.

“Fast Facts.” Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 13 May 2021,

admissions.temple.edu/about/fast-facts.

“Quick Facts.” Penn State York, york.psu.edu/this-is-penn-state/facts.