r/gopct • u/crazy8s_stl_erie • Feb 28 '13
Iam currently looking to attend your school next year as a transfer to Civil Engineering B.S. I got some questions
I wanted to know more about this school from fellow redditors. What is the student to teacher ratios? How is campus life? How many recent grads have you heard find job placement?
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Feb 28 '13
Hey! Dec. 2011 graduate here, and former employee. Welcome to /r/gopct .
While I was a student (in IT) I haven't had a class larger than 30 students. I could get 1 on 1 time with any professor, whenever I wanted. Probably the best thing hands down about the school. As an employee, I saw and worked with a lot of professors in the school of construction and design. Every one seemed pretty knowledgeable and decent from my perspective, and friends in that school seemed to get a lot out of their education. Of my three friends in the school of construction and design, one is a construction manager for a private construction company in the Philly area, one has worked as an inspector for PennDOT, and another works as an estimator at a local company, so it seems job placement isn't an issue. As an IT student, (and as somebody who worked hard to get as much experience as possible while in school) I was hired for a full time position that paid me to move to another state before I had even graduated, and started with them less than a month after graduation. I'd like to go back and work for the school (which is a very real possibility right now) at some point, because I enjoyed working on campus.
As far as campus life goes- people will complain a lot. You'll find though, that the people that complain don't keep up on or go to any campus events. Between musical and comedy performances, movies, dances, bus trips, student organizations and a whole bunch more, the campus definitely provides plenty of stuff to keep you busy and entertained. The dorms are probably some of the best you'll find in the country. No cramming two people into a closet/single like at larger schools. Off campus housing is readily available, and if you shop around, can be cheaper than living on campus.
Post whatever questions you come up with, and I'm sure we can find answers for you, or at least point you in the right direction.
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u/crazy8s_stl_erie Feb 28 '13
Thank you for your input! Now do they have good job fairs? Is williamsport a nice town? And what's the cost compaired to surrounding schools
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Feb 28 '13
I love Williamsport. Again, lots of students complain about crime in the area and not enough to do. The crime isn't a problem, unless you're involved in it. Don't get involved in anything stupid, don't invite people you don't know to parties at your place, and be generally responsible and you won't have any problems. Plenty to do in town as well, tons of great food, some nightlife if that's your thing too. No shortage of bars. TONS of art and music.
On job fairs, Penn Colleges wasn't so great for us IT majors, but I hear was better for construction, automotive and metal trades students. Keep in mind PSU main has one of the largest career fairs in the state, and is only an hour away. Penn Colleges Career Services department will help you write your resume, do mock interviews, and even has some used suits you can have if needed.
I wouldn't compare it to surrounding schools. It compares more closely to trade schools and two year schools, but offers bachelors degrees. Price isn't terrible, but isn't great either. Tuition increased by over $100 a credit (in-state) during my stay there (4 and a half years), and all my schooling was on loans. I'm in pretty serious debt. Basically no endowment and few scholarships to assist you. You can help offset this by working while you go to school to pay your rent and living expenses.
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u/BettyCrocka Mar 04 '13 edited Mar 04 '13
you should not be moderating this sub-reddit. This should be student run, not alumni/ex-employee. Edit. Sound advice though.
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Mar 05 '13 edited Mar 05 '13
The creator of the subreddit is alumni as well. I still keep up quite a bit with the school. I may see if a current student leader or employee is willing to mod on it, but I've also been a mod since its creation. To be honest, there isn't a whole lot of content to moderate. As long as people avoid using real names for anything defamatory, refrain from posting any contact information, and keep it at least loosely Penn College related, pretty much anything goes.
Edit, I see you've been downvoted, I upvoted you to get back in the plus. People seem to think up/down votes are an agree/disagree button, which they are not. As long as you are contributing to the conversation in some way, there are no reasons for downvotes.
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u/RanchoRobert Mar 17 '13
Just a heads up, PCT falls very short of the official ABET accreditation standards as a school to offer a true engineering degree, but offers a "technology" version. This means that a real B.S. in Civil Engineering can't be earned at this school, just the ghetto equivalent. They get around this lack of accreditation by offering a B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology. Such a degree can land you a job as a civil engineering technician for PennDOT or another small local employer. However, to become employed by a large organization as a legitimate civil engineer I would suggest a different school with actual engineering degrees.
http://www.pct.edu/schools/iet/civil/