PSU Dorms! Debating which to choose as a freshman?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
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<p>Hey guys! </p>

<p>I was just posting this to get your opinions on housing at PSU. As you all know, it's necessary to submit a housing contract w/ your preferences on where to live.. and if I want my first choice in housing then I should submit my contracts ASAP. I have researched about housing and I see that most freshman are placed in East Halls, but apparently you can try to request to live somewhere else. </p>

<p>I've heard that East Halls are where you should live if you want the "typical freshman experience," because you're living with people going through the same thing as you.. but I also heard the dorms are loud, rowdy, far away from classes, and very small. People are even saying it's hard to study and sleep in East Halls. I heard that other dorms (like south and pollock) are more spacious, quieter, and more conveniently located. The only downside is that upperclassmen/sororities live in those dorms and apparently you "miss out" on the freshman experience and getting to know more people your age. </p>

<p>To alum/current students/anyone else, I was just wondering where you all lived during your freshman year and what you thought about it. Also if you could give any recommendations about where I should live... that would really help.</p>

<p>I want to live somewhere that I'll be able to study and sleep when I want to (not too loud), but I also want to meet a lot of new people and party sometimes. I know I won't be an excessive, party-every-night-of-the-week-even-though-I-have-an-8am-class-tomorrow kinda person and I really care a lot about my studies.. but I still love to have a great time on the weekends or whatever. I just want a good environment for studying, meeting people, and having fun too.</p>

<p>If you live in Pollock/South/anywhere else during your freshman year, is it hard to make a lot of friends or find good parties because you don't live at East Halls? I feel like I might miss out on everything that goes down at East Halls if I don't live there...</p>

<p>Sorry for all the questions, but anything you can tell me will help! </p>

<p>Thank you all!!! </p>

<p>PS, anyone else who's debating on where to live should post here too! We're all in the same situation and the sooner we decide, the better chance we have of getting to live where we want :)</p>

<p>PPS, I'm going up for summer first and understand that we don't have a choice about where to live during the summer session. This is for fall :)</p>

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<p>We live in Pollock for the Summer :slight_smile:
But also keep in mind that the other dorms cost more, not sure if thats an issue for you, but just letting you know!
From what I’ve heard from other people, you should live in East, but I think its all up to the kind of person you are.</p>

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<p>I’ve heard east is where most of the freshmen get put, and that being said, there tends to be the most partying there on campus. I think south is nice, but i’ve heard west is the best [hahaha] because of its location/food/size of rooms, etc.</p>

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<p>ps- my friend’s dorm mate [they live in south] goes to east for parties pretty often. It’s not like you only have classes with people from your dorm…you probably won’t, actually. And my friend lives with all freshmen in his hall, so it isn’t like you’re mixed in with upperclassmen and faced with a challenge finding friends.</p>

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<p>I think East is the way to go. The rooms may not be the best and it may get loud at times, but for me, I really wanna get that " freshman experience" and East is where you wanna be for that.</p>

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<p>My sister lived in East her freshman year and her floor was really quiet. I think it’s all luck. You might get a loud floor and you might get a quiet one. But keep in mind that if there are people on your floor that are way too loud, you have an RA that you can complain to.
Another thing, my sister did alot of her studying elsewhere: the library, the business building, etc. Plus there are study rooms in the dorms and in the commons. You don’t have to study in your dorm room.</p>

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<p>I was in Stephens hall in South freshman year and I really liked it. I was right across the street from work (I worked at Baby’s on Garner), really close to McLanahans, and had a covered path to the computer lab and food court. It’s also really close to two different bus stops and was easy for move-in and move-out. I had a friend who lived in East and her room seemed so much smaller and it was really loud up there all the time. It’s only loud in South when there’s a game.</p>

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<p>After conducting some research, I determined that West Halls seem to be the best overall place to live, followed by either Pollock or South Halls. Can any current students tell me about how many freshmen room in these dorms? I prefer the atmosphere, amenities, and location of those three and want to stay away from the East Halls craziness. But, coming from out of state, meeting people will be a little more difficult and I don’t want to be isolated.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

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<p>Im considering the West Hall too, still not sure, but I also kinda wanted to ask about what type of room do u guys think is best? (Disregarding cost) Hoping to choose my housing ASAP.</p>

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<p>The high-rise towers of East Halls are a group of “newer” dorm buildings (and are actually north-east as far as the campus goes). Well, they were “new” when I was there. Yes, they used to put a lot of freshmen there and yes they are the dorms that are the most far away. (But, hey, they’re close to Beaver Stadium!)</p>

<p>Loud and rowdy? As others have posted, it’s all by chance. No louder than any other place.</p>

<p>Very small? Not by my experience many moons ago. The rooms were very nice for two people. It depends on how many students they stick in a room. When I was there I had friends in Simmons who had four in a tiny room (with upper and lower bunk beds)! Now, that was small.</p>

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<p>I went to Penn State as a freshman in 1980. I don’t remember having a choice as to potential dorm location, but there’s a lot that I don’t remember from back then. I lived in East Halls, McKean to be exact, and it was great back then. The room size just takes a little getting used to if you’ve always had your own room/space, but I don’t remember feeling cramped or uncomfortable. You get used to it very quickly, and it becomes your life. In terms of noise level, I think it’s fine overall. I remember weekends being a little crazy at times, but don’t remember ever having an out of control repetitive situation that the RA wasn’t able to take care of. There are also so many quiet places on campus to escape if need be, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. </p>

<p>East Halls provides an open living situation with many students in the same situation you are in, and allows you to meet all types of people who you will remember for the rest of your life. I’d do it all over again if I could. </p>

<p>Good luck to all incoming freshmen. Try and make the best of everything, even if it isn’t perfect. You’ll never have another opportunity like this again.</p>

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<p>I went to PSU in 1978, but the description of East Halls doesn’t seem to have changed. I was in Pollock (Heister) for two years. Most of the kids in my building were freshmen, and there were also some sophmores. It was a great choice. I made a lot of good friends, some of whom are still friends today. I had a great time, and it was convenient to both classes and town. One thing about South halls - I dont know if it’s still this way, but a lot of the sororities were in South. As a freshman, or someone not into Greek life, you’re kind of out of the loop in South.</p>