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spicynuggies t1_iukrjp2 wrote

State College, where Penn State is, is a very safe city.

Philly, Pittsburgh, and other cities have more dangerous parts but if you use common sense and dont wander too far off it shouldnt be an issue.

International students dont get the same benefits that native students get like financial aid, even out of state students recieve less aid in most cases.

However third party scholarships are not uncommon, I would do some research and find some for French students studying abroad.

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Ham_Ahoy t1_iulze47 wrote

Pittsburgh is MUCH safer than Philadelphia. Of course, like any city, it has bad parts, but overall it is FAR safer. Considering philly is a major city in the USA and Pittsburgh is not, this should make sense. Pittsburgh is considered a "third class" city based on population. Philly is a "first class" city, but don't expect to find them to be classy :)

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jetsetninjacat t1_ium9s9d wrote

Pittsburgh is 2nd class...

And it's the only 2nd class city in the state.

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mountainman77777 t1_iumnx9j wrote

Anywhere east of the Appalachian mountains is New Jersey as far as I’m concerned.

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Relative_Roof2356 t1_iumqpqn wrote

What about reading?

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jetsetninjacat t1_iun55xe wrote

Could be second A. If not it is third class city. I'm not sure what PA cities are second A or how that's chosen specifically.

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Aes_Should_Die t1_iund0ip wrote

It’s metro is top 30, even if the city itself is relatively small

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Ham_Ahoy t1_iuma8hg wrote

Ah jeez. I'm sorry. I didn't Google it first and had it in my head that the Paris of Appalachia and one of the best cities to live in the USA was a 3rd class city. I was way off on what the population numbers were to classify those cities.

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antechrist23 t1_iumcmwq wrote

If something has to be called the X of Y then it means it's shit.

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delusions- t1_iun8yrb wrote

Ah yes, the battle of hastings, The United States Of America, The Statue Of Liberty...

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Varolyn t1_iun5omp wrote

Actually, the crime rates of both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are fairly similar. Yearly crime rate per 100k people in Philadelphia is at 4037, while Pittsburgh is at 3185.

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save_us_catman t1_iulxven wrote

Honestly penn state Harrisburg campus is incredibly safe and as far as I know is cheaper than main

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EmpiricalAnarchism t1_iumclpi wrote

You have to live in Middletown though, which is a huge tradeoff.

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drumberg t1_iupxz7x wrote

As someone who lives in the greater Harrisburg area this is a serious negative for the Harrisburg campus. Can confirm.

Edit: No offense Middletown people. It's just that when I was college-aged I'd take a hard pass on your town. Now that I'm old I have no problems with you. I like Tattered Flag. We're cool.

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EmpiricalAnarchism t1_iur9uor wrote

Middletown is a cesspit. It’s not even nice enough to reach cesspool levels. I heard a few years ago they tried to make the town dry because of the campus. Imagine how much that would suck.

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GoodAcanthocephala95 t1_iuoit8k wrote

I live near penn state Abington. Low crime lovely area close to Philadelphia for fun and partying

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OIK2 t1_iuop2yy wrote

I went to Penn State New Kensington, outside of Pittsburgh. They had a small college experience with a big university budget. I knew all of the professors in my major by my 2nd year, but also presented at a national conference my 4th year.

When it came to paying for it, I always advised that is you get good at homework, they will pay you to do your in scholarships and paid research work.

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axeville t1_ium86wv wrote

Don't leave your free healthcare enormous tuition subsidies topless beaches and 6 weeks of leave a year minimum. The food is shitty here unless you're rich and the weather is highly unpredictable. Most people here are barely surviving. If you want to be a billionaire move to Silicon Valley all our billionaires are coal miners and oil tycoons or the children of them.

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BasileusLeoIII t1_iumb3ox wrote

The median household income in PA is $63,627. In France, it's $40,094.

There are less safety nets for the bottom portion of society in the US, but your average American is significantly wealthier and better off than your average Frenchman or European.

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postsgiven t1_iumcgvo wrote

And all french people get free healthcare + other free things so it's not even the same thing. That extra $20k goes away the second you have to do an x-ray in the hospital...

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BasileusLeoIII t1_iumekqe wrote

The overwhelming majority of middle and upper class Americans receive healthcare through their employer. Such people are not spending $20,000 a year every year on medical expenses; that assertation is absurd.

I get that america = bad on reddit, but we're talking numbers here. The millions of people per year who uproot their lives to start fresh in America aren't doing so out of ignorance.

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audreypea t1_iumgyyy wrote

Most people are still paying for healthcare through their employer. I pay $130 per paycheck, which is $3,380 a year just to be insured. Then my out of pocket max for the year is $7k. I meet it every year because I’m unlucky enough to be an American with medical conditions I didn’t ask for. So I’m paying over $10k a year, even with my fancy employer insurance.

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BasileusLeoIII t1_iumhwoy wrote

Ok, so you're on average $13k ahead compared to a similarly situated Frenchman. I'd personally fight pretty hard for a $13k a year raise, especially if it came with vastly superior healthcare treatment outcomes and wait times

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[deleted] t1_iumj9uw wrote

[deleted]

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BasileusLeoIII t1_iumkq59 wrote

Yeah that's the point bozo, you can't.

The median person's wages in the US are $23k higher than the median Frenchman's. Subtracting a generous 10k for the healthcare estimates of the above user, the same worker earns $13k more in the US every year.

We don't have the ability to just ask for raises that high; this is why the US is the most popular immigration destination in the world. Because its people are quite significantly wealthier, due to their higher wages and lower cost of goods.

Naïve of you to not read or understand any of the above conversation, interject with an irrelevant point and personal insult, and think that you've made a compelling point.

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sebko1 t1_iumyiee wrote

" free healthcare + other free things" that's a funny way of saying 'taxpayer funded'

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postsgiven t1_iun30m0 wrote

We pay taxes also in the USA yet we don't get any of that. If my taxes increased a $1 a month and it saved lives i would do it and that's basically how much it increases for everyday people. Rich people it increases a lot more but they are rich they have money to live.

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KFCConspiracy t1_iumcb58 wrote

I'm not sure that better off is correct. If you're making 60k, your average american's healthcare will be insufficient for major medical expenses. Also, your average American isn't saving enough for retirement. If you correct for the benefits gap there, the take-home looks pretty similar, with the American having a lower life expectancy and less paid time off.

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Patari2600 t1_iumj7ui wrote

When looking at median Disposable income for US is about $43k, and for France it is $29k. Median Disposable income takes into account medical expenses and retirement savings, as well as rent costs, taxes, etc. basically its how much money is left over after all life expenses. So people still make more here than France. Though the French do get a lot more time out

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KFCConspiracy t1_iumq0u6 wrote

OK, but you still don't end up bankrupt in France over something like getting cancer, so that disposable income doesn't really tell the whole story about benefits. And they have a 5 year longer life expectancy, their infant mortality rate is 50% of ours.

Although I was surprised to learn we have almost exactly the same rate of poverty among seniors with their stronger pension program.

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PsyPharmSci t1_iun5n06 wrote

Do a full budget including rent, food, internet (you'll need it for school, it's not a luxury and it's not cheap), books and supplies, you'll need warm clothing, probably cold medicine at some point, toiletries and basic pots and pans, and transportation costs. Really flesh out the budget to meet your needs. Don't forget health insurance in whatever way you can get it. Part time employees do not get health insurance even offered. You'll likely get it through school.

Try to see what kind of job you'll be able to get and use THAT income figure. I lived in State College over a decade ago and the rent was insane then and only has gotten worse. Check availability and look up costs of utilities where they're not included.

Look at the rate of inflation over the last two years, project the same percentage increase (or up it a bit) and take your yearly income from that job you can get and apply it to your budget. You will NOT get a raise, so don't bother planning for it. Inflation up, wages stagnant.

The minimum wage in PA is $7.25 or $7.50 an hour. A gallon of milk and a loaf of fresh white bread in State College totals $5.57.

The safety nets are under attack. Don't count on them. Scholarships rarely cover all expenses. If I could go back and talk to 19 year old me, I'd say "not worth it, don't do it."

Really dig and do the research to see if you will actually be better off. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone from your country.

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axeville t1_iuo6d0v wrote

If you end up w a disability in the us you're begging for help on the streets. If you can't work your own insurance will terminate you when the employer stops paying. If you have a jumbo claim the insurer will red line you even if you work and good luck.

This is the land of opportunity but so is Singapore and Dubai.

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BasileusLeoIII t1_iuo8cl6 wrote

> This is the land of opportunity but so is Singapore and Dubai

You can see that OP's name is Hannah - but you're so eager to try to dunk on America that you'd suggest she move to Dubai, in a country where she literally needs a male guardian's permission to work?

cringiest reddit moment I've ever seen

sincerely, get a fucking clue

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axeville t1_iuowg81 wrote

You may want to check with the google on that. Dubai is not Saudi Arabia. Expat women can work drive etc.

Also you're claiming op is a woman based on a Reddit Nick? Lolllll welcome to the internet

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Aes_Should_Die t1_iunctns wrote

I lived in Pittsburgh for years. Including a year in the Hill District. It was not a very dangerous place. Especially if you stayed off certain streets

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gvillepa t1_iukwzi9 wrote

You haven't been to Philly lately, have you?

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spicynuggies t1_iukzrmm wrote

I know its been bad lol. The ATVs and all lol.

But generally speaking I wouldn't feel unsafe in Center City/University City/Northeast Philly/Fishtown

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Hanpee221b t1_iul86b3 wrote

Yeah seriously, stick around Drexel and Penn and you’ll be fine, especially if you use the shuttle services and the public safety escorts.

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gvillepa t1_iuloaz1 wrote

Haha. Philly is trash. Read your comment out loud. A place is not safe if it requires all these precautions in order to stay safe. People here are in denial. Philly is trash compared to what it was even 5 years ago compared to 15 years ago.

Philly is on pace to achieve last year's record of 562 homicides with over 430 so far in 2022.

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actuallyaustin6 t1_iulzvac wrote

I feel safer in Philly than I do being followed by some creepy white guys in some attention-seeking pick-up truck out in the middle of nowhere PA, I’ll tell you that much.

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the_hoagie t1_ium4fnt wrote

Damn dude. I guess nobody cares you're afraid of the city.

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gvillepa t1_iun7pz4 wrote

You're right. I prefer law and order but typical Philly folks want to pretend it's a great place. So many other cities in the US are so much cleaner, safer, and better to live and visit. Simple fact.

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Shawna_Love t1_iul2zbm wrote

Penn state literally facilitated a massive child rape program. Get the fuck out of here with your dogwhistle bullshit.

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Hopeful_Scholar398 t1_iulwj59 wrote

Damn, guess people don't like remembering how Pennstate facilitated a child predator and refused to investigate him after multiple allegations.

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