Out-of-State? Stay Far Away from PSU!

[cosmicfish]

<p>@ IH8PSU,

Yes, I have. I’ve made generalizations based on my years of experiences as a Penn State student. If, though my countless interactions with Students, faculty and locals, I have noticed that a high percentage of them display certain traits or behave in a certain manner, then I feel qualified to say things like “a sizable percentage of PSU students…” or “most professors…”.

I grew up in that town, spent 24 years there, went to Penn State (and 2 other universities as well). I think you are correct in your statements, in the same way that someone with a papercut is right in saying that they have been mortally wounded. Penn State is backwards in some ways, but the vast majority of your complaints apply to any school, and most of the rest seem uncommon to all but you and a few sympathizers.</p>

<p>

I never said that ALL in-state students stick to their high school social group, I only said that MOST do so. From what I have seen during my time here, that is an overwhelmingly true statement. In fact, another current PSU student, wgordondan, voiced agreement with me on this point in his post (it was at the top of his list in case you want to go back and look)

Within my first year I had only a couple of high school friends that I really saw on a regular basis – despite the fact that the vast majority of them were still here in town. My enduring friends from Penn State came from hither and yon across PA, plus New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and California. They all had similar experiences, as did my wife. I don’t know ANYONE who, at the end of their first year, was exclusively or even mostly hanging out with their old high school friends.</p>

<p>

All I’m saying is that the State College bars are seriously off-limits until you are really 21.

Yeah. It’s the law. And State College is something of a hot spot for alcohol sales – we have something like the highest density of alcohol sales in the state, and ~30,000 attempting underage drinkers. It’s something they look out for.</p>

<p>

As I mentioned in a previous post, I met a ton of guys freshman year who got arrested during the first week of the semester trying to buy alcohol or get into a bar.

Then you know a ton of dumb freshmen. Getting liquor at PSU is not hard, not hard at all, but you can’t just walk into a bar or liquor store and expect to get away with it.</p>

<p>

Let’s say that the police in a certain the area have a policy of giving-out $10,000 fines for going 10miles over the speed limit. I know that speeding is illegal, and I understand that nobody has the right to speed, but that does not justify imposing severe, life-altering consequences for going 45 in a 35. Especially considering the percentage of drivers that occasionally exceed the speed limit by that amount. If you were about to be driving through such an area, wouldn’t you want someone to warn you ahead of time about the local speed-enforcement policy? And if you recognized that you are a heavy-footed driver, who is at a higher risk of incurring one of these excessive fines, wouldn’t you consider taking an alternate route that does not take you through the area?

Where do you smoke??? I knew major-league potheads, dealers, casual partakers, and in over two decades I know exactly one (1) who ever got busted, and he was swept up in a statewide sting!</p>

<p>Still, if you can’t handle the penalty… DON’T SMOKE THE JOINT! If your major plan in college is to get high, SKIP THE COLLEGE PART! You don’t need a degree to get wasted.</p>

<p>

You seem to have not understood why I included those pieces of information. I thought that when people read this post, that they would immediately assume that I’m shy, nerdy, or just generally a loser. I was just trying to explain that I’ve always been active and functioned very well socially outside of Penn State.

I know shy, nerdy losers who partied and got laid for 4 straight years at this school. Seriously, there are 40,000 undergrads on campus, you can either find people to hang out with or concede that 40,000 people all find you repugnant.</p>

<p>I will voice one assertion that I cannot prove – I think it’s you. I think the things that made you popular in high school are the very things that made you unpopular in college, and that you neither recognized this nor were willing or able to change it. Just a hunch.</p>

<p>

Trust me, the second I finish my last final I’m out of here and I have no intention of ever being in Pennsylvania again unless for the sole purpose of driving across it to reach other, better states.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out of town.</p>