one more psu thread: THE TRANSFERRING ISSUE

Luggie, I'd like to disagree, but I think you might be right in at least some corners of the world. I think that we all know that the yahoo quotient in the Pennsylvania State University student body is probably not significantly higher than it is at any other institution of higher learning. Had this happened at West Virginia or Notre Dame or Florida State or Cal-Berkeley, we would have seen pretty much the same reaction by the same percentage of students and alumni and fans.

As for whether I'd advise my child (who will be paying the vast majority of her college expenses herself) to transfer: No. I'd say it's completely her choice.

 

I'm mostly with you. Yes, almost any other big state school, you'd probably see the overturned TV truck, the idiotic comments and all the typical 19-year-old bullshit.

I do think there are a handful of universities where you would not see this behavior.

 

I was talking to a buddy of mine about this yesterday.

I do think we would have seen a very similar reaction from the fan base, if this had happened at any number of other schools.

Penn State was a bit of a perfect storm. Long time, beloved coach, and no large, nearby rival with a fan base ready to condemn their rival.

 

Lug, a PSU degree opens many doors. While the direction of its football and athletic program is in question, there is no question about its educational merits.

 

This is also true about most schools a PSU student would consider transferring to.

And, we've had this discussion before, but it all depends on where you want to work, and in what field.

Penn State's degree is made more valuable because of its loyal alumni, and is more valuable in Pennsylvania than outside of it.

As we've seen, the CEOs of U.S. Steel & Merck are both graduates and Board members. Surely they have a great deal of respect for a PSU degree.

And, in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia you will find many graduates, and folks who have respect for a PSU degree.

Travel a little further away, or apply for a job where no one in authority went to PSU, and no one's going to much care.

I mean, Penn State is a fine school. I'm not knocking it. But, it's not universally renowned like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc.

 

That can be said for many state schools. The point I was making was that a PSU degree is a damn good degree.

 

Right.

And, I doubt that if the son of Shockey's friends transfers, he's going to go to some shitty school.

He'll still end up with a valuable degree.

 

But they didn't do it unilaterally. The conferences had to sign off on it. There also weren't as many bowls in 2004 so two 6-5 teams might not have gotten invitations anyway.

 

yes, but there are hundreds of options for where you earn your degree. and penn state is a fine institution BUT not nearly as exceptional as some here are making it. there are MANY schools of a similar calibre. where you go to school is more than just being able to check a box. it's why families spend some much time and sweat figuring out where you should go.

and to whoever said parents shouldn't try to influence their kids regarding these issues 'cause it's 'their lives,' well, that's a hugely naive train of thought. neither the students nor their parents act unilaterally on these decisions. you make them together, if you're a reasonably stable family unit. as a parent, you are there to advise and lend an experienced voice to the discussion. no, you don't act unilaterally, either, or 'force' your child to simply follow orders, but you surely have a say in the matter, especially if your footing the bill.

in this situation, you make sure your child/psu student understands the potential ramifications. that's your job, to make your child aware of the realities. ultimately, sure, the final decision to stay or go lay with them. and i'm sure many students are weighing all this as we speak. many of them are probably finding out from friends scattered at schools all over the country whether there is now a negative stigma attached to attending psu. and if there is, how daunting or severe it is and whether it's worth it when you suddenly have to defend the school you attend.

 

This thread presumes deep, immediate and lasting damage to the PSU name. But the public's attention span is short and getting shorter. Are we sure that the stink of all this persists into the distant future?

 

Probably at least as long as the court case, yes?

 

also. the subject of many 'hot' stories drop from public consciousness as soon as the story concludes. not only does this story have some legs but PENN STATE isn't exactly dropping outta sight.