Kat
I think the best thing about PSU is the community and common love for the school. I remember someone telling me when I was going through the process of transferring that Penn State had one of the best alumni connections. My neighbor down the street was here years ago and when he found out I was transferring he smiled and told me I'd have an amazing time. The only thing I could complain about is that there's soooo much to do; sometimes it's hard to find out all the clubs and events and then fit them into your schedule. Part of that does have to do with the size, but I went to another state school before that was a lot smaller and there just wasn't enough stuff to keep my interest. PSU always appealed to me because of its size and possibilities. If you think that 40,000 students is too many, all I have to say is that you don't need to be a social butterfly if you come here: find your niche and it won't seem nearly as big (or scary if that's what you think) as you'd assume. And it's great having the PSU community behind you! The idea of a college town, yes, is true. There are tons of things to do downtown, so many foot places (Mmmm, food) and cute little shops! Football weekends are crazy, tons of people in blue and white, but even if you're not into the football craz or the influx of football-loving alumni, there's still a bunch of other campuses.
Most of what I know of the administration had to deal with my transfer. They were great (and speedy) when it came to everything business, but they were easy to talk to too; working out a class schedule and finding sites to look at for housing was made really easy thanks to everyone here, especially when I was hundreds of miles away and still enrolled at another university. I even got welcome emails from the multicultural community and the Liberal Arts College.
I think one of the biggest controversy's here is drinking, specifically DUIs and drunken squabbles. Not that I'm saying that they're not a big deal, because they definitely are but they shouldn't be a reason not to pick PSU. Bad things, like car accidents and fights are unavoidable no matter where you're at (unless you chose to live in a box in the middle of no where). There's so many good things about PSU; unavoidable incidents shouldn't deter from all the things PSU has to offer. I mean, we have the largest student-run philanthropy project in the world; so many people spend countless hours putting together an event to help childhood cancer patients. No other university can boast that!! My first year here, before I really even knew about THON, I remember watching the final hour and all those students leaning on each other who had only met a day before. There's nothing else like it at any other university.
Dan
The best thing about attending PSU is the sense of belonging. Since the university and the town are essentially meshed into a whole, you never feel alienated. The town is a pure college town. It's occupied, run, and geared towards the student population which makes approaching anyone an easy task. The way that I always describe it is, "A small city solely occupied by students." It's an amazing feeling walking around campus seeing a sea of bobbing heads walking to class, and then going downtown and seeing the exact same thing. There is no disconnect that many students feel in other universities. Here you know you're part of a large student body, but it never feels like you're lost in the crowd.
The one thing that I'll always remember about PSU is that no matter where you are on campus or downtown, during football games, you can hear and feel the roar of the crowd at the stadium. It always brings chills to the back of my neck. That type of student involvement and school spirit speaks volumes about The Pennsylvania State University.
Mark
The best thing about PSU is the amount of opportunities. There are almost so many opportunities you feel overwhelmed to try one. A quick list of things I love that define Penn State and are found nowhere else in the country:
- Paternoville, no it's not a city (at least not yet), but becomes week long party/student camp site in front of the student section gates.
- A place where being in the band is actually cool, including the Drum Major flip.
- Thon, the biggest student held philanthropy event in the nation.
- "We Are", has become nationally recognizable to respond with "Penn State!"
- the Waffle Shop basically has a breakfast monopoly in State College.
- Arts Fest, takes place in the summer and is bigger then any football weekend.
- the "stacks", a labyrinth of books in Patee/Paterno Library where someone was actually murdered.
- The Creamery, ice cream nationally renown, which might be solely responsible for our freshmen "20".
- Sororities are not aloud to have their own houses, so they reserve entire dorm floors.
- the Willard Preacher, a preacher who constantly verbally battles with students on the steps during the day.
Penn State is the epitome of a "college town". The spirit and pride is very hard to match. The list of what makes PSU different is endless. Why do you think we are so overpopulated here? That is one of the biggest problems. I didn't think it was possible to have rush-hour traffic in a town in PA. Not to mention, when there is a sporting event or concert, especially football, the highways can feel the effects. Almost everyone has a bike in order to get around. Living arrangements normally consist of packing 3 people in 1 bedroom. Even the dorms are overcrowded. So, for someone, like me, who wants to live alone, you'll end up paying an arm and a leg. Lines during normal eating hours can be 100's deep, normally at the common's. They separate the dorms into the cardinal directions. East is reserved for all freshmen. This becomes it's own community. Once you leave you never come back, but the time there spent was unforgettable. North has a reputation to be for the gay/lesbian crowd. South holds most of our sororities, athletes and underclassmen, and then there is West. West is the bigger rooms, and the better cafeteria held for the upperclassmen. But, I've always said that it's a place for all the dorks who had no one else to live with off campus. West also holds the West side athletes. Athletes, besides football, are divided into East and West. Teams that workout in Rec Hall are West, and teams that work out in all other athletic facilities are East.
Steph
I like that PSU is large. But, sometimes I feel that if it were smaller, it would be easier to have one large group of friends instead of small cliques. Most people think I'm lucky to be attending PSU. I spend most of my time in classes when I'm on campus. I will never forget THON...it is an amazing experience and it is one thing at PSU that I am extremely proud of. In my opinion, students may complain about the pressure to get an internship going into senior year. I have not found one yet and I am apparently "way behind."