<p>I have been looking at Penn State for a graduate program. It has taken time but I have just about worked through that it still might be worth attending here despite the "mess" that one will probably have to deal with for years as a Penn State graduate. </p>
<p>Now I look at how one is suppose to get to campus if you are west of the Mississippi. It seems next to impossible. You either fly into Pittsburgh or Philadelphia and then try and catch a bus for another 4 hours? </p>
<p>There are a couple of flights but with two connections and fares that are almost what it would cost to fly across the pond I think I can see why this is going to be a hard sell. </p>
<p>You can see I am frustrated but if anyone has any insights/comments on how one gets to and from the campus if you are flying long distance I am not going to write it off just yet.</p>
<p>There’s an airport here in State College, you can fly from Philly or Pittsburgh, or make connecting flights in Harrisburg. If you prefer the cost of a bus to that of a connecting flight, during busy times of year (breaks, etc.) there is always a Greyhound that leaves SC and goes to Philly, Pgh, or NYC. We have flown cross country for under $450 round trip.</p>
<p>JBEN- look at Megabus from Philadelphia. It goes straight to Happy Valley (with a 10 minute stop in Harrisburg) and is really inexpensive. You will need to get from the airport to the train station but that isn’t very far. I am not sure how (someone from Philly help her out here) other than driving, but I picked up my son’s girlfriend from the Megabus as I was driving through Philly on our way to New York and it worked great for her. I just put in two random dates and got $5 each way fares - the tickets are priced based on how many have sold. They are not returnable, so if you miss the bus, you have to buy another ticket. But they are nicer buses with internet on most of them and almost all students- so at least you can learn about Penn State from your seat mate probably. Here is the info I found:
Select
Details
Duration
Carrier
Pass Number of passengers
Price
Schedule</p>
<p>Departs 6:40 AM Philadelphia, PA , 30th St Station</p>
<p>Arrives 10:30 AM State College, PA , SW Corner of Walmart Parking Lot - 1665 N Atherton St.</p>
<p>3hrs 50mins</p>
<p>1</p>
<p>$5.00</p>
<p>View</p>
<p>Departs 4:40 PM Philadelphia, PA , 30th St Station</p>
<p>Arrives 8:45 PM State College, PA , SW Corner of Walmart Parking Lot - 1665 N Atherton St.</p>
<p>4hrs 5mins</p>
<p>1</p>
<p>$5.00</p>
<p>View
Previous dayWednesday October 10, 2012Next day</p>
<p>1) If you are applying for next year, wait and see if you are even accepted first - the cost of applying is a lot less than the cost of travel! Also, if you ARE accepted odds are good that they will pay for and/or coordinate your travel freeing you from this confusion!</p>
<p>2) There is an airport, and yes, flying in and out of it is expensive and nothing distant is direct. Sorry, that’s the way small-town airports often are. If that is too expensive or too much of a hassle, then you are self-selecting to bus or rental car. Sorry.</p>
<p>My DS has always flown first to DC (Dulles Airport) and then into State College. Yup - 2 connections, but do-able. And the costs can be high, especially on critical weekends/holidays, but if done well in advance the prices aren’t too bad.</p>
<p>You might also look at Amtrak. There are stations at Altoona and Lewistown, which are about 30 to 40 minutes away - but maybe someone could pick you up there. I understand Penn State may run some type of shuttle between their Altoona campus and State College? The Altoona campus is a 10 minute city bus ride from the Amtrak station.</p>
<p>The Amtrak line connects to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, etc. Usually Amtrak is a very pleasant way to travel, but I had an unpleasant experience in an overcrowded all night train from Pittsburgh to Chicago.</p>
<p>The train that used to run from Chicago to Altoona was discontinued several years ago. Now you has to take a train to Pittsburgh, where you have a three hour (4 a.m.) layover, then get on another train to Altoona.</p>
<p>My son travels from Boston to State College and nearly always takes the MegaBus. He’s spent too many nights at Dulles and missed too many train connections in New York and Philly to do anything else.</p>
<p>1moremom - My son is a freshman and we live in RI. The MegaBus seems like a good option, but has your son tried the chartered buses (for holidays/breaks) through the New England Chapters of the Penn State Alumni Association? Wondering how the two would compare. Thanks…</p>
<p>My son is actually doing the reverse trip. He is a grad student in Boston coming home to State College. This is his eighth year up there and I think he’s tried every option. (I was relieved when MegaBus started so he quit taking the Chinatown Bus.)</p>
<p>I hate to hijack this thread, but are there charter buses that alumni sponsor to the Baltimore area? The Megabus goes to Philly, but not Baltimore.</p>
<p>Yes, there are buses from Baltimore. Look into Fullington tours. We live in Northern Va and our son has taken this bus several times. Leaves from a metro stop on Rte 50, hits the BWI airport and downtown Baltimore. All students and very nice. Have also done the trailway bus out of downtown DC once or twice–not nearly as nice but gets the job done!</p>
<p>“I’ve been to Penn State,” said Bob Knight, then the coach at Indiana, when Penn State was first invited to join the league in 1990. “And Penn State’s a camping trip. There’s nothing for about 100 miles.”</p>
<p>LOL!!! That’s where DS’s girlfriend is, and, once again, I am looking at flights to get him there for a visit. Trust me - you REALLY have to want to get to Lubbock! It ain’t easy!!! ;)</p>
<p>And I will go back to a comment I made on another thread. When we flew into State College in August to help DS move into his apartment - I was once again amazed at how pretty it is! Yeah - it may be isolated - but it is in a beautiful area!</p>