These are the real reasons Jersey people choose Penn State over Rutgers

Growing up in New Jersey, it was almost promised I would end up the biggest school in the state: Rutgers. And the fact I attended a community college which had a transfer agreement and a scholarship program with Rutgers was an even greater incentive for me to go there. This was, of course, considering the fact Princeton never “got” my application. I wound up applying to Penn State on a whim, and once I was accepted it became apparent there was going to be a competition: Penn State vs. Rutgers.

While it might seem like Rutgers is the Penn State of Jersey, I can promise you that it is 100% not. I took a chance and strayed away from what was expected of a Jersey girl. This is why I chose Penn State over Rutgers.

The hiring rate after graduation

It is a well-known fact that Penn State takes care of its students after graduation. The alumni association for this school is unreal and definitely has the back of all its students. Rutgers, on the other hand, does not get as much of a good rep. This is not to say Rutgers doesn’t take care of its students, it probably does, but it does not amount to Penn State. The hard work pays off at the end of the four beautiful years at this school.

The football culture 

Do I even need to say any more? Penn State’s football program is a force to be reckoned with. Writing about it now almost brings tears to my eyes considering I experienced my last football season as a student this year. The games, the fans and the players, everything about Penn State football is just like what one might see in the movies – including all of the hype and all of the love for the game. And considering I grew up with a dad who loved the game more than he loved me (just kidding, Dad) football was a definite selling point for me when choosing a school to attend. Rutgers just recently became part of the Big Ten, and although it’s not that they aren’t good (cough, 39-0, cough), they’re just not Penn State football.

Family legacies

I have had many cousins who have gone to Penn State. So when I told them I might be as well, they made it clear to me that I had no other choice because it was unanimously decided that Penn State was where I would attend. Penn State is definitely a school that brings families together. I have never met someone who hasn’t told me their mom, dad, brother, sister or some other family member for that matter went here, and I love that. I am very close with my family, so the fact I can go to Penn State and bond with my cousins over that is awesome. Rutgers just couldn’t offer me that.

Location

State College is everything. When I came to visit here, that point became clear as I toured downtown and some of the neighboring towns. I feel very at home here, and that is something I needed in a school. Rutgers is also 20 minutes from my house. There is no doubt that if I went there, I would be coming home every other weekend to play with my puppy, and I just had to break away from that comfort zone and throw myself into something foreign. Something like Penn State.

The social scene

In being pent up in my house for the first two years of my college career, I wanted to make sure I was going to a school that would offer me plenty of experiences where I would be able to make up for those two years. This is where Penn State definitely had Rutgers beat. We have State Patty’s, Blue and White Weekend and clown riots, just to name a few. Not to mention the frat parties, apartment parties, house parties, daylongs and of course, the bars that Penn State provides to its students. Rutgers has parties you have to pay to get into? Yeah, sorry, no thank you. Penn State once again won this round.

You can’t beat Penn State. It just took me two weeks of actually being at this school to understand this. There is no competition, Rutgers doesn’t even compare. The people, the professors and the school itself – Penn State is just the best school in the world.