This isn't going to be a "God, I love Penn State and I think that everybody should go there!" kind of article. While I did have a great time at Penn State, a nice, informative article is of more help to high school junior and seniors (and they're parents) then what I just described above.

First off, Penn State is a big school. The main campus is in State College, PA and is called University Park, UP. There are also a multitude of 'branch' campuses scattered around Pennsylvania. Some of these campuses offer full degree programs to local students. Their original purpose, however, is to take students with a slightly lower high school GPA or SAT score and wash out those that can't cut it before they get to UP. No doubt, they also function as a way for Penn State to increase enrollment (and their revenue) w/o taxing the main campus.

Now I don't want to attach an unfair stigma to those students starting at a branch campus, I myself was one of them. Having slacked off in high school, I was accepted at a branch campus due to a subpar gpa. I now have an engineering degree and MBA so don't think that going to a branch campus is for the dummies.

If you start and a branch campus, you'll be there for one or two years depending on your preference. The university has tailored nearly every degree they offer to allow for students to do one or two years at a branch campus if they so choose. The campuses also allow you to save some money by living at home for a few semesters and commuting to a nearby campus. Expect to find small classes (under 30 people in most cases, or as few as 10 in some) at the brances.

On to UP. This is the place you see on TV when the Penn State football team is playing at home. The campus is fairly large, about a mile long and 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile wide, in the shape of a rectangle. When I graduated in the mid 1990s, there were about 38000 full time undergraduate students and another 7000 or so full time grad students. It's probably gotten a bit higher since then. If you're a freshmen, you'll have to live on campus the first year. After that, you can pick what dorm you want with prioriy in order of class - seniors get whatever dorm they want, more or less. By junior year, many students move off campus, even more so by senior year.

Food on campus is actually pretty good. There are always at least two menus that rotate from dorm area to dorm area. Vegetarian, kosher, whatever. You'll find yourself accomodated. Penn State uses your ID card to allow you access to the dining halls. Just scan it once and it's all you can eat for that meal. You can also get a selection of fast food, pizza, and deli items with this ID card at the eateries in the HUB (the student union building at the center of campus).

Activities abound at this school. Whatever your interest, you'll find a club. And on the off chance you can't, you can start your own. Intramural sports are very popular, and social. Coed leagues are the norm and allow you to meet lots of different people. There is also a VERY large Greek presence on campus - if you want to join a fraternity or sorority, you'll have lots of choices. Sororities are all on campus, fraternities are mostly off campus.

The educational choices are very diverse, Turf Grass Science, Women's Studies, International Finance, Russian, you name it and you'll find it. However, Penn State was founded on Agricultural courses of study and is particularly respected for its excellent engineering and education programs.

You'll find very little hand holding here. You're an adult and expected to function as one. This means you'll have to find the advisor assigned to you on your own (I never spoke to mine at all, hehe) and expect to meet your prof outside of class if you have questions in lecture. The classes are large the first two years, up to a thousand in the extreme cases. Once you get into your major and factor in those that flunk out or transfer, however, they do get smaller. My senior engineering electives had as few as 30 students in some cases. This won't come about until at least your junior year though, unless you're in a very obscure field.

The accomodations at Penn State are excellent. You'll hear a lot of college bound folks say they want a school that dosn't treat them like a number. Well, that's fine. But at Penn State, our dorms were among the first to be wired for internet access in the country. You'll find free Net access everywhere and no shortage of the latest in technology. Penn State is heavily funded by alumni and the State of Pennsylvania, and as a student, you'll reap the benefits. You're only a number here if you want to be. It dosn't take long to form a group of friends among srangers and the profs are always available during their office hours. Get to know them and they'll get to know you. Besides, how many schools enrolling less than 1000 students have profs doing work for NASA's space shuttle program? In a nutshell, big schools have their advantages.

The nightlife. UP is in the town of Stage College. State College exists because of Penn State. It's in the country and no cities are nearby. None. Drinking and partying is the norm for many students and weekends always mean apartment parties - everywhere.

Crime. For such a large community, crime is kept in check fairly well. The single largest problem is bicycle theft. Rapes are reported however and there is occasional violent crime. Check with the Campus Police for statistics. My experience? I never thought twice about walking down a dark alley at 3am. I'm not suggesting you do the same, but I felt pretty secure there.

Penn State tries hard to build a sense of community among its students. It must be working because Penn State has the largest active alumni base in the country. If you crave the excitment of going to school in a big city, this is not the place for you. If you want a small school where everybody knows you, this isn't it. If you want a large student body, incredible academic variety, and no shortage of amenities in the form of computers, research tools, and fitness facilities, you may just want to check out the home of the NITTANY LIONS.



Recommended: Yes