Dorm selection = possible angst. Thought this might be one more piece of information in the decision-making. Current students feel free to agree/disagree with the author.
http://onwardstate.com/2015/03/31/incoming-freshman-whats-the-best-dorm-for-you/
thank you for posting…great read!My son is trying to figure housing out now,this helped a lot!
Good to use different sources of information too, @momof2ct. You may want to check later to see if this article is posted on Facebook – some of the replies may be a bit more “unvarnished.”
I wish they would have included dining halls. DS has been in South for three years and still speaks quite highly of Redifer. I’d consider that a positive review.
Good luck!
@pilot2012 how did your son like living in South each year?
He’s in Simmons, and it was a great match for him, @momof2ct. The soul of brevity, he said “I like South a lot” when I asked his thoughts.
Building on that brevity: He’s a Schreyer kid (Engineering). He wanted the “college-experience” (not necessarily “freshman”) but also wanted to be able to get away from it too. There is “always” something to do/someone available if you look, but respite can be more difficult to find at times. Simmons provided that balance. His roommates are still his friends. The place is extremely well-maintained and clean. Sidebar: one distressed mother was carrying a tupperware to the restroom for cleaning – her son had left some perishable food item (possibly stroganoff?) out during winter break X_X Lastly, he plays an instrument, and Atherton has soundproof music rooms which he uses. Walking to the Music building is a bit of a hike – he eats chocolate chip bagels with cream cheese as mid-morning snacks.
Here are some of dorm floorplans/pictures (Simmons is there too):
http://www.hfs.psu.edu/housing/housing/residence-areas/floor-plans-and-room-panoramas.cfm
Also, I like this short vid panning a Pollock dorm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0HkcrP1rUE
Good luck!
The other honors dorm, Atherton, is also pretty nice: quiet, lots of events happening in the Grandfather Clock Lounge, computer lab downstairs, etc. The rooms aren’t as big as that article appears to imply, though. 
You don’t have to be in the Honors program for housing in Atherton, do you @bodangles? I know that is true for Simmons.
Floor dimensions and room panorama seem fairly spot on for Simmons
@pilot2012 Yes, that is true for Atherton as well! I’ve had a succession of roommates this year, and one of them has been in Schreyer, one has not, and one is a Paterno Fellow. I forget the exact percentage of non-honors people in honors housing, but if I recall correctly it was higher than I expected.
My hat is off to you, @bodangles. You have commendably negotiated additional challenges beyond the typical freshman adjustment. I think it would be safe to say that DS did not feel an “immediate” connection as a new Freshman, but transitioned by years end to a feeling of “home.”
Keep forging ahead – there are many wishing you success!
Sidebar – We’ll be visiting this weekend. Can anything beat PSU (think Arboretum) in the spring ? 