Accepted Students Days Thread - 2020

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
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Saw some interesting posts from @CollegeMom202x & @snakster on the 2024 Decisions Only thread so pre-emptively moving this discussion to a new thread…very interested to hear peoples’ experience of the day, agenda, etc…

We’re attending one with our daughter this week so would love to hear more about what to expect. We’ve never been to PSU so at a minimum, seeing the campus itself will be informative in her final decision.

One question I had: the agenda reads:

  • 8:15 -9:45 - Arrival & Bus Transportation
  • 8:30 -10:00 - Check-in and Admissions Fair
  • 9:45 - 10:00 - Welcome and Introduction to Penn State

…how much time do you need for the Admissions Fair (and what’s covered there? Is there food or should we have breakfast beforehand?

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@projectmgr
You have a different agenda than ours. We don’t have “bus transportation”. We are from NY, took Megabus (instead of driving) to College State the night before, the walked over from Downtown to the campus.

I assume the admissions fair would have the setting like couple tables at the atrium, with representatives from various offices (admissions/housing/LEAP/etc) for you to stop by and ask questions.

Instead of “Admissions Fair”, we had “Information Fair” after “Admissions Information Session” and “Academic College Session” (both sessions are sit-in presentations)

I suggest you to have breakfast before arriving. We had breakfast at the Waffle House (note: cash only), then walked across the street into the campus.

Hope these help.

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Thank you!

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We had breakfast in our hotel. If we didn’t, we would have stopped at the Corner Room or something for breakfast (which I would recommend, it’s a great place).

If you have not been before then you will get much more out of than we did. It was our 5th visit to campus (various reasons), so there was nothing really new offered for our experience. My spin shouldn’t be taken as all negative. We like the campus and the school a great deal, and my son has established a pretty good relationship with the music teacher he’d be working with as a minor (if he picks PSU).

But for information, you will likely only get an overview of the college accepted into, not anything from specific majors (at least that was the deal with the college of engineering). The Spend a Summer Day program was much more comprehensive with presentations from individual departments within the college.

In that regard, you start to feel a bit more like a number entering a college than an individual entering a particular major. And they remind you that you are not entering a specific major. I think the lack of ‘sales pitch’ to sway people who are still undecided is at least, in part, due to the knowledge that they will get their numbers regardless.

There are resources aplenty at PSU and the people who you will be interacting with are all great and friendly. They are also ready to answer any question you have and proved very helpful. Every student volunteer that we interacted with were tremendous. There is no shortage of school spirit and pride.

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@snakster - thank you very much! Sounds as though the college-specific presentation won’t get into too much detail on specific majors but hopefully we can get some contacts to follow-up with afterwards.

We’re actually arriving the afternoon prior to explore a little on our own, check out the town, etc. The Corner Room seems pretty iconic…any other recommendations for dinner in town?

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I don’t think Penn State is interested in “selling” anyone at accepted students day. I think they present who they are and then students can decide if Penn State is the right fit for them. Penn State has no interest in selling people to their school if it’s not the right placement. I think the lack of sales pitch is because they want people who want them because it’s a good fit - not because they were ‘sold’.

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BRGR on College Ave is a new restaurant in State College (there are several in Pittsburgh) and has amazing gourmet burgers, sandwiches, salads and shakes as well as a cool vibe. It’s one of my favorite places to go now when I’m up there.

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Fair enough but the kids wouldn’t have applied there in the first place if there wasn’t some level of fit determination already made. It is entirely possible that more than one school is an attractive fit option for a given student. Otherwise, kids wouldn’t agonize (in some cases) over their final choice.

I wasn’t talking about a used car salesman routine. My phrasing was not quite accurate. At the risk of digging a hole, I guess it’s more to do with feeling like you are wanted. That is, you get a general Engineering presentation, but they go out of their way to let you know that’s all you are. Whether you have an intended major or not, they won’t discuss because…you’re NOT that major. So carrying that forward, no one from your intended major is there to discuss. Nor do the depts (to date) reach out to you and congratulate you on your acceptance, etc. That’s not selling, that’s making you feel wanted.

Now, had we not had that kind of experience from a couple other places where son has been accepted, I probably wouldn’t even have thought about it. Obviously, it’s a very large school and there are some things that are not practical. One must come to grips that, as an entering freshman, you may lose a little of the personal touch. There are trade-offs with every choice

To be completely fair, I would encourage Juniors (rising seniors) to take advantage of the Spend a Summer Day program. This event absolutely includes individual dept presentations and the ability to ask questions 1:1 if you so desire. Perhaps they believe that by the time you attend an Accepted Student day, you have already gone through these things. But clearly Accepted Student day is the first visit for some. I feel they could do little things that make the undecideds feel more wanted.

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Instead of further “reinforcing” our decision to the accepted major, the advisors that presented in the college-specific information session actually told us other options, feeling like we should expect our students to switch majors… And no worries! Penn State is very flexible in such arrangements.

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BRGR is in the old bank building, and the atmosphere is really fun (safe deposit boxes are still there, keys hanging from the ceiling, vault is open) but the tables are tiny, makes me nuts. Irving’s is a favorite iconic hangout for students and has great smoothies, a nice take a break spot. The Corner Room is on every State College postcard so it’s fun to know you’ve been there but the food is really ordinary.

The cheapest PSU branded items are at The Family Clothesline or McClanahans (the big blue on the corner), both on College across from Old Main. . Lion’s Pride and the actual on campus bookstore are the priciest but the largest variety. For funky things, walk up to Beaver and browse Uncle Eli’s-- art supplies for students and irreverent gifts.

Visit the Arboretum on Park Ave if it’s nice. Walk around the outside of the stadium or stop at Pegula (open until about 3; the hockey arena next to Admissions. Has a Subway and nice bathrooms! ) . Walk through the Business building (there’s also a nice cafe in it) or Pattee (the main library) Take lots of photos. Most buildings are open, so walk around. Ask for directions if you need them, but don’t be surprised if students offer to help you, they are generally quite friendly. Wear good shoes, it’s a lot of walking. And bring an umbrella!

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Thank you @jlhpsu & @greenbutton - I’ve read in various forums such as this one where people refer to PSU as a cult (in a good way), but the enthusiasm and immediate volunteering of tips on where to visit, eat, etc. really speaks to how warmly anyone we’ve spoken to with a PSU connection has responded has really been awesome. Very, very cool to see.

Hoping to get a couple of meals in town this week so sounds like we’ve got some options…thanks again to all for the suggestions.

Looking even more forward to this visit now. Between college visits for our older daughter and now our youngest, we’ve been to several of the typical “best college towns” that make the annual lists. (Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill, Athens, Boulder, Ithaca, Boston, etc.) Can’t wait to see how State College, PA stacks up…by all accounts it will be fantastic!

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We attended an admitted students program this past Saturday. It started at Eisenhower Auditorium at 9:30. We arrived at 9am (walked over from our hotel) which was plenty of time to check in and get a seat. The seating was in designated sections for each school (for ex, Engineering, Business, Nursing, etc). The speakers were: admissions officer, financial aid person, housing person, new student orientation director…then after about an hour we were dismissed school-by-school to other locations for school-specific programming. There were escorts to make sure you got to the right place. My son has been accepted to the Eberly School of Science. Our location was at the HUB. Several people spoke (dean, student, advisor) and answered questions then we were dismissed to a 3rd location based on your specific major. Again there was a student to make sure you got to the right place. We spent about an hour with an administrator for my son’s major, she gave a brief presentation and then answered questions. It would have been more effective to have current students at that presentation. After that there were different tables at the HUB with people from financial aid, housing, etc and later a “tail gate” get together for the students but we had a long drive home so we left after the major-specific presentation.

I felt at both the university-wide and school-specific event they tried to make you excited about attending PSU and to highlight the great things the university has to offer.

Before we left my son asked to buy a sweatshirt and has worn it the past two days so I think he’s made his decision but he hasn’t said it yet :slight_smile: We’re out of state, he’s been accepted to the other schools he’s applied to but none of them offer this exact major so I’m 85% sure he’s going to decide to attend PSU. We’re really glad we attended, I think it gave him the clarity he needed.

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I forgot to mention in my previous reply that there were also campus tours and residence hall tours after the school presentations; we’d already visited so we didn’t go on the tours but it seemed well organized

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Good feedback @Greatnorth2022. Perhaps it was only the Engineering college that didn’t do individual major sessions. They certainly had time for it.

Glad you all had a positive experience. Best of luck to your son. PSU is a great choice if that’s the direction he goes.

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I totally get where you are coming from. I think it’s probably more indicative of the size of the school than anything else. It’s also a precursor to things to come. I love Penn State, truly - but it’s not a hand holding university. There are 45,000 students there so the resources aren’t there to do that. It’s not for everyone. In many ways at Penn State, students ARE just a number…until they get involved to ensure that they aren’t. But Penn State won’t do that FOR you. It’s a university that, because of its size, encourages independence. Students will swim …or sink. And plenty sink. But the majority do just fine once they get the lay of the land and those kids who can advocate for themselves and search out opportunities do amazingly well.

I have two kids who’ve gone to Penn State (so far). They are very different kids. My daughter thrived in that environment and did just fine. My son needed much more hand holding and started out doing very well at Altoona, went to UP sophomore year (major required it) and sank FAST. It took him a while to get the lay of the land. He’s now a second semester junior and doing very well. But sophomore year was tough. It did teach him independence I’m not sure he’d have gotten at Altoona though. Good and bad everywhere I suppose.

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I will echo those comments. Penn State can be a bureaucracy and it is easy to get no when you want to do something outside the norm. But if you can connect with the right person, they will bend over backwards for you. You have to be willing to ask.
And ask again of someone else if needed… And, honestly, every college has their own ‘personality’. My incoming freshman daughter has already received personalized communication from her college. My sophomore daughter (in SHC) didn’t get that.

good luck with the decision.

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My son will most likely go to Penn State UP (his top choice) for Engineering. My DD is a senior at UMass Amherst, a larger school and also requires students to advocate for themselves and get things done as required (e.g. meet with advisers, go to small study class sessions, etc.) as the school is not there to hand hold. This is part of the students growth and becoming a independent adult professional; so not a specific thing to Penn State UP. Good luck to all. All of our kids will be successful in there own way even if the fall along the way.
My son and I went to the Penn State Summer day and we did go to the specific Engineering school discussion (Aerospace) which was nice. Will be attending the Engineering accepted students visit in March where we hope to get feel for life while Fall/Spring students are there and get into more dorms and hopefully see more classrooms as well as off campus places/areas as discussed above. Hope to finalize this is his spot for future studies. Also waiting for other Regular Decisions (Ohio State, Michigan) and awaiting the scholarship/money feedback as that is another piece of the big puzzle.

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For those who are going to attend the Accepted Students Programs, please make sure of wearing a comfortable pair of shoes. There are a lot of walking between residential halls during the tour. Once into a building, expect to walk up the staircases too.

(Fortunately the buildings are not that tall. :wink: )

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Wanted to thank everyone for the excellent insights and suggestions from the group re: what to expect on Accepted Student Days. We just got back and for future students/families who might be considering whether to attend or not, here is a brief recap:

SCE Airport

Drive vs Fly is a personal decision based on proximity from home & cost but living 8 hours away by car, we decided to fly. Will say: SCE is a breeze to get in and out of. 10 minutes from campus (even though we were told the airport itself is located on University lands) and from landing to picking up the rental car to leaving the parking lot was 10 minutes tops. Our daughter actually thought it was funny as the guy who checked us in also led us out to the tarmac after we went through security, collected our bags to put in the hold and was walking the plane out to the runway with the red flashlights. Truly a jack-of-all-trades.

Lodging - Nittany Lion Inn

Accepted students day emails from the school include a promo code for either the Nittany Lion Inn (located in the northwest corner of campus) or the Penn Stater which is about 2 miles northeast of East Campus. They are companion properties which are both managed by the university. We originally booked at the Penn Stater but when I realized how far off campus it was, I called the Nittany Lion and they were able to switch my reservation the day before without penalty (NL Inn was $10 more a night than Penn Stater but worth it for the closer proximity to the campus buildings)

Inn itself was charming from the outside and is a short stroll to the Nittany Lion shrine. Rooms were dated but didn’t feel run-down. Common areas were nice with wide public areas given how old the building itself must be. Had dinner at Whiskers (onsite pub)…food was solid, service was excellent. Would recommend staying here to anyone visiting campus.

Accepted Student Day Agenda

Have read here that some felt there was overlap between a regular campus tour and the Accepted Student Day schedule. I can’t speak to what was redundant or unique since this was our first visit to campus. There was some limited information available at various tables outside of meeting hall where the official welcome/kickoff took place but I’m not sure if there was anything there that wasn’t available online. Tables included Admissions (in case anyone wanted to commit/submit a deposit there that day), Housing (passed out a map of the dorms as well as some literature re: key dates for submitting deposits, dorm area request, etc.), Financial Aid, Study Abroad and LEAD. We spent a total of 15 minutes here, basically just collecting brochures from the different tables.

Campus Tour/Lunch

The Tour itself was basically a walk from the HUB to the West dorms for lunch, so not the most exhaustive tour I’ve ever been on. If we hadn’t walked around campus on our own the day before when we first arrived, we might have thought the campus was much smaller than it is as that trip to West covered about a quarter of the campus. One note - They divided the tour groups by colleges so our group was all Belisario college students. Our guide was actually a bio/pre-med major so the tour was pretty general vs specific to the Belisario students on the tour. Had lunch at the West dining commons which was free for students and their families on the tour. Special shout out to the chocolate milk which was like pouring chocolate milkshakes out of the dispenser. Ridiculously good. (was told the PSU creamery provides all of the milk and dairy to the dining halls)

College-specific Presentation

After lunch - they bring you back all of the visiting students from all colleges to the HUB for a student panel on PSU life (about 45 minutes). Good discussion overall but with some relatable anecdotes re: surviving the transition from high school to PSU, adjusting to college, etc. To this point in the day - the info we’d received was helpful, but nothing that would have you want to commit to the school on the spot.

Fortunately they moved us into a 2-hour session specific to Belisario and I’d say this is where the day - and our daughter’s impression of PSU - really turned around. My wife and I have sat through a lot of college presentations over the last few years but both agreed that this was one of the best. Great energy - opening address by the dean of the college which included an overview of the aforementioned Media center capital project and another presentation that went into more detail about the various areas of study. This presentation was excellent - weaving in program options, available resources, an excellent run-down of the various internship & networking opportunities they provide the students and even down to how the relatively small college enrollment compared to others at PSU allow a small-school experience with the resources of a school this size. All schools promote their focus on internships and job placement, but they walked us through the remote job fairs they organize in NYC & DC for their students where they bus students to those cities to meet with PSU alum at agencies & companies; college-specific study abroad opportunities (run a branding campaign in Greece over Spring Break), or a semester “abroad” in Hollywood or NYC getting paid for creative work as an undergrad.

They then capped it off with another student panel with the younger students (frosh & sophs) sharing how much they love it and the seniors on the panel getting teary about how much they wished they could be sitting in the audience and starting it all over again. Their love of the college and PSU in general really came through and made an impact on our daughter that I don’t think a regular campus tour would of.

Residence Halls

Nothing new here that hasn’t been shared previously in other threads. Getting to see the dorm rooms themselves at South, Pollock, East, North and West was more access than I’ve seen at other schools and was very helpful in visualizing what they look like spatially vs just looking at descriptions online. (she said she would prioritize East furnished, followed by East unfurnished).

Conclusion

Between the afternoon session and interacting with other kids on the tour, our daughter went from “the jury’s out” to “this might be my top choice as of now”…she even asked us to cancel another accepted student visit we had scheduled for next week. She hasn’t come right out and said she’s decided, but she pulled out the class of 2024 sign when we took some pictures at the lion shrine (“just in case, Dad”) and has worn her Penn State hoodie the last couple of days.

As parents we “know our kids” or at least hope to - I personally feel this would be great spot for her and hopefully she does too. Will love and support her wherever she ends up, but we were very impressed.

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@projectmgr wow! what a great write-up! thank you for taking the time to put it all together and share impressions and thoughts.

We head up in about 10 days for Accepted Student Day - and while I have an older one there, D20 is in a different major, and it is just as important for #2 to go through the process, also. Incoming D20 is also Bellisario - I’m excited to learn more about them because i don’t know a ton.

Thanks for the info - good luck to your D deciding… we are?