<p>And why do you think it is the best? Please be elaborate as you can.</p>
<p>I'm going to Altoona so you can also give some thoughts on it independently.</p>
<p>First off, a lot of students take pride attending Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The school is the second biggest in the Penn State campus system and is also second strongest in everything, from academics, social life, clubs/organizations and even graduation placement. Even though it is true, that most students attend University Park, Penn State Erie is actually the top 2nd choice for students attending Penn State and have students from largest backgrounds. ALOT of students choose to attend Erie over University Park since only 70% students transfer to UP after 2 years. The two majors that most students study are either Business or Engineering. Engineering is the strongest program on campus and is very regionally and even in some cases nationally known. Because of most students studying engineering, the vast majority of the student body is male. The main reason students choose to study engineering for example here compared to University Park is because there is special engineering majors that University Park doesnt offer such Software Engineering and Plastic Engineering and there is also the basics like Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical etc. The job placement for students getting internships and full time offers is amazing. Every semester there is a career fair in the fall and spring that various different types of companies small and large come and recruit students. Companies such as General Electric, Microsoft, Honda, Mitsubishi etc etc These are the same companies that come to the University Park career days and recruit the same students. My one engineering friend received a offer of $70,000 starting salary in his last senior year even before graduating! Part of the student population, there a very large influx of international students, especially from Asian countries such as India and China. On campus housing is actually pretty decent, we have a honors residence, single room residence dorms and of course the freshman halls. Alot of the dorms are updated and look very decent and most of the them are actually suite styled living. There is on campus apartments which are alright but we also have an apartment complex across the street called UGATES. That is where you can find the vast majority of parties and craziness that happens on the weekends. Truthfully, there isnt alot to do on campus, organizations do sponsor Friday night events to keep people away from partying and such and some of the events are pretty good. However, the campus can get boring at times especially during the winter and this actually allows for students to study alot, which is never a bad thing. In conclusion, I have to say that Penn State Erie is the best option for students who want to have something different from University Park. It isnt like other penn state campuses because this one actually has decent academics and activities and most students live on campus or near campus. I am proud to say that I actually enjoyed being here for the first two years before I transferred to University Park. </p>
<p>Anyone else?
Please at least tell me about Penn State Altoona. </p>
<p>Oh, I’m going to Altoona too in the fall! It’s so difficult to find discussion of the commonwealth campuses on here, everybody seems to be University Park or bust. (But I’m going the 2+2 route; I chose to start at a smaller campus to save money.)</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m not from Pennsylvania, so I’ve only visited campus once. I’ll try to pull from my experience that one time. The campus is beautiful. The town of Altoona is very nice as well. (It reminds me of my hometown here in SC, so that’s cool.) The students at Altoona carry just as much Penn State pride as those at University Park. That’s a huge benefit to Altoona, apparently the majority of students drive up to State College every weekend, since it is so close. Altoona is the best of both worlds, you get the small college environment (~4000 students. Huge family feel. Cheaper. Smaller classes, one on one time with professors, etc.) as well as access to everything that happens in State College. (Sporting events, concerts, etc.) </p>
<p>Someone above said Erie is the second largest PSU campus. Altoona is the third largest I believe. So you’ll still feel like you’re in an actual college setting. The dorms are very nice, and I can tell that most people in the dorms get along with each other. And if they don’t exactly get along, they at least tolerate each other nicely. From an education stance, the education at Altoona is the same as you’ll find at University Park. Most students do take the 2+2 route, so the professors have to make sure they’re teaching at the same standards as profs. at University Park do, to prepare the students for that. </p>
<p>There are plenty of clubs and organizations at Altoona, so you’ll probably find something that interests you, if you’re into that. There are also various events that occur on campus during the year, so there’s always something going on. </p>
<p>Overall, while it’s not the same as the University Park experience, I feel as if Altoona will offer it’s own great experience. A guy on campus told me: It’s what you make of it, really. Some people love it and are so grateful for their Altoona experience. Some people hate it, because they’re only there because they were deferred from University Park. </p>
<p>Also, sorry I was not able to provide information regarding the other commonwealth campuses. </p>
<p>My daughter and I took a tour of Altoona a few days ago and I have a concern about the dorm situation. The freshmen get dorms as long as they put down their deposits quickly enough - although that seems you might have to put down a deposit in the fall before you’ve even got a response from other colleges. But they said only 250 sophomores are in the dorms, and the rest live at home or have apts. I’m not sure what % of all the sophomores that actually want dorms that 250 is - but it can’t be good. And from what I could see, the apts aren’t especially close to campus - certainly not walking distance. PSU is expensive enough as it is - I can’t afford to get her a car on top of that. Also, she is looking for a college town feel, and I don’t know that you’d have that at an apt off-campus at Altoona. </p>
<p>So my questions are - is it as hard as it seems for a sophomore to get a dorm room at Alttona? How much do the off campus students and commuters affect the campus atmosphere, weekends, social life, etc? How hard is it to make the transition up to State College after two years - finding people to room with, finding an apt, etc? I went to PSU but I went to the main campus for all 4 years. I made friends immediately in my dorm. I don’t know what the experience would be like for someone coming up from a branch campus, and knowing only a handful of people from the branch. </p>
<p>Anyone who has done the 2+2, I’d love to hear your experience.</p>