Which is better and why? Broad question, broad answers. (No sport arguments)
Ohio State is better because they manage twice as many syllables in the same amount of letters.
This one will have more opinions than factual answers, so off to IMHO.
samclem, Moderator
US News and World Report rankings of national universities:
Penn State: 45
Ohio State: 55
Times Higher Education’s 2010-2011 World University Rankings (note that these numbers are only among North American universities):
Ohio State: 43
Penn State:61
The worldwide rankings put Ohio State at 66 and Penn State at 109.
So it depends on who you ask.
Mascot:
Ohio: Buckeyes
Penn State: Nittany Lions
advantage: Penn State
University-made Ice Cream
Ohio State: None
Penn State: The Creamery
advantage: Penn State
Episodes of “This American Life” about student streetside urination habits?
Ohio State: 0
Penn State: 1
Advantage: Ohio State
Looks like Penn State is the winner.
Penn State main campus: In the middle of nowhere.
Ohio State main campus: In the middle of Columbus.
Penn State: Satellite campuses in such exotic places as Altoona and Hazleton.
Ohio State: Satellite campuses in such exotic places as Lima and Mansfield.
Penn State: Annoying fans who may or may not have set foot on a college campus at some point in their lives.
Ohio State: Professional football players who emphasize the “The”. As in “THE Ohio State University.”
(Not really a sports argument as much as a statement about school pride. Penn State has the advantage for pointless partisanship.)
Penn State: Beaten regularly by University of Southern California in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State: Beaten regularly by University of Southern California in the Rose Bowl.
(Not really a sports argument as much as an objective fact. Please don’t let this devolve into a sports argument about which team was “better”. I’m going by final scores. And, yes, I am a USC fan. :D)
Conclusion: Despite the fact that I live in Pennsylvania, I hate both schools, but I honestly think Ohio State is probably the “better” one. Ohio State people, at least here, generally have some tie to the university beyond the football team, while Penn State seems to be all about the damn football. I’ve also known a boatload of Penn State grads who went there because of the football team. If I never see another blue paw on the back of some idiot’s minivan or SUV, I’ll be happy.
Penn State, because it’s my alma mater. Plus, they play football in Beaver Stadium. How can you beat that?
THE Ohio State University, because it has the coolest theme song, “Hang on, Sloopy.” (“O-H-I-O”) Sloopy is also one letter away from “Snoopy,” who is my favorite cartoon character, and a beagle to boot. Who can resist a beagle?
So there you have it!
Clearly, you’ve never lived in Columbus. I lived 60 miles away and there were loads of O.S.U. football fanatics who had no connection to the university beyond fandom.
A friend of mine used to have to make regular business trips to Columbus, back in the '80s, because his company’s HQ was there. He said it was impossible to get any work done during college football season. People would stop working on Wednesday afternoons and do nothing but “get ready” for the Saturday game.
Penn State, because it’s the only school that works in the joke: “Were you at Penn State or the state pen?”