<p>What's University Park like? Is there a lot of things to do and is it a good campus.</p>
<p>The campus itself is big, however it isn’t city like. It takes around 25 minutes to walk across the longest part or 20 if you are on a mission. There are a lot of buildings but the trees and many gardens helps remove that feeling. The most citified area is downtown. It is between E College Ave and Beaver Ave and is not actually on campus. As for things to do, there are a ton of clubs and stuff on campus that are tons of fun. If you are interested in partying, there is plenty of it. If you aren’t there is still things going on. Personally I love University Park. It really is a beautiful place and you can want you can walk off campus and be in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>We visited this summer with my daughter and I have to say frankly that I was surprised by the campus. It was far prettier than I expected. There seemed to be a nice mix of old and new buildings, lots of trees and green lawns. There was one spot that had a small pond, flowering bushes and gazebo with a beautiful older building in the background. Saw a few couples sharing a beautiful summer day together there. Very charming.</p>
<p>Out by the stadium, things look a bit more like I expected, acres of parking lots and so on. The town seemed very lively with a nice mix of shops and restaurants. I noticed a theater too. </p>
<p>My husband and I both attended very small colleges which we love and had similar expectations for our daughter. Because of that we were initially somewhat skeptical about Penn State. Seemed so big and potentially impersonal but we were blown away by the campus, the town and the students, faculity, and alumni that we met. We both ended up wishing that we had thought bigger back in our day. I sincerely hope my daughter is accepted and attends. I think it would be a great experience for her.</p>
<p>I love the Penn State campus. It’s really beautiful, altho I was surprised to see so many rabbits and chipmunks running around campus. My son is loving being up there (but let’s see what happens when the cold weather sets in!). We found everyone to be so helpful and friendly - students, faculty/staff, shopkeepers, etc.</p>
<p>I think the trick to feeling comfortable on such a big campus is to get yourself involved in a group or activity. In my son’s case, he is in the Blue Band and also joined the Fall Pep Band which plays for the women’s volleyball team. It definitely keeps him busy, but has also allowed him to get right into the campus spirit and to meet lots of people.</p>