We’re visiting next week, so we can see for ourselves, but I’m curious what is it about the school that makes them get so many apps and has so many people wanting to go there. Thanks.
You will be visiting during a very cold week so you may not see the hustle and bustle as much as at other times. For one, the school is very pretty. Quintessential University atmosphere with a walkable friendly college town adjacent to campus. Big 10 sports, A club or activity for every kind of student, great social activities, huge philanthropic atmosphere (the largest student run philanthropy in the country with THON), a few hours from Pittsburgh, Philly, DC…
Add to that world class academics and it makes for a pretty popular place.
Everyone has their own reasons, but these are a few
it is also the most isolated major university in the country. Harrisburg is 90 miles away. Philly about 200 hundred miles.
It is a very pretty campus. A true college town. Well respected academics.
It is absolutely a party school. I know people say you can always find your “tribe” etc, but my husband and all his brothers went to PSU and I have a nephew there now and all say it is a huge drinking school. My nephew said the first week in the dorms there were drunk guys running around and shouting at all hours.
My nephew loves it, except for the cold.
At my kids school it’s like a natural progression from high school to go to PSU. No rhyme or reason really other than all their friends wanna go and party there for the next 4 years. Also if their parents are alumni - and there are tons from my area (near Philly) they pretty much grew up with PSU ingrained in their brains.
Having said all that - PSU was one of my son’s top choices. He applied EA on August and was deferred and now under review again. But thankfully he’s been accepted to many other schools including his #1.
My child chose for different reasons (We are OOS). 1. Was the alumni factor. She was very focused on a getting on post grad job. She interned freshman year. 2. The numerous clubs and a pathway to leadership for her as a student. 3. Social life without drinking. There are so many social events at UP. 4. Her degree is very limited with females, she chose PSU because of the very strong Women in Engineering program 5. She wanted the college town experience
Lived here almost ten years and can’t seem to pull myself away. (I do NOT work for admissions). It’s a gem in the valley that is full of pride and tradition and larger than life experiences (THON, football, etc.) It is called Happy Valley for a reason! It offers the largest dues paying alumni network in the world, so your college community follows you for life. I can be walking down the streets of Chicago and have someone scream “We Are…” from across Michigan Ave…just cause I’m wearing my PSU sweatshirt. Penn Staters hire other Penn Staters. In the mid-Atlantic and northeast, the brand name is so strong and opens a lot of doors. Penn state will make your kids grow up…there’s no hand holding or babying. Life’s not fair, but it’s good for your kids to become resilient. The good far outweighs the bad.
Oh sadly you really are coming at an awful time of the year. Heard we are due for some historically low temperatures.
Fave unhealthy place to eat: burger, duck fat fries and gourmet milkshakes at the Field in the Toftrees area. Happy Valley Brewery and Otto’s are also good.
Wow!!Great answers,everyone! I’m really looking forward to seeing it despite the cold. A couple of years we drove through the area and my D didn’t want to get out of the car. She thought it looked to busy and crowded. A couple of years later she decided she was okay with a big school and applied. Now that she got in she needs to officially see what it’s all about. Thanks for your opinions. Much appreciated:)
Neither of my students were partiers, to make it clear that it is possible to not be crazy about alcohol or sports and still have a great experience. The speakers who come to campus are world class. The research opportunities for undergrads are excellent. The facilities are mostly great, the food is mostly great. The concerts and student body are more diverse than a small town should have. Campus is beautiful and mostly safe (ladies, don’t be out alone at night). I would disagree with some of the other posters’ point of view (Thon is especially not the rosy event exactly pictured by the PanHel/IFC pr machine) . It has a lot to offer but I’ve never quite understood the crazy devotion – that being said, whenever I have PSU gear on, somebody turns up as an alum, no matter where I am.
@Sophley Thanks for the suggestions! We live in NY and it’s been freezing here, so I’m used to being incredibly cold every time I step out the door!
My biggest concern is the size. Will most classes be huge? Do you have to wait in line when you go to the dining hall? Also, is getting into a sorority super competitive?
Many of the general classes will be huge. Most of the courses in a major will not be. This is where personal management comes into play, because many a former student thought they could skip class and since the professor doesnt know them or see them, it will be fine. Nope.
You wait for the bus, not for food. There are so many eating choices that it really isn’t an issue. You wait to register for courses you want, you have to pay attention for opportunities and leap at them. THon is my favorite example of somewhat misleading impressions – it is a wonderful activity, no question, but everyone can’t participate. You have to work your way in and leadership opportunities are limited and highly competitive. Dancing spots – the actual marathoners — are allotted in a very byzantine way.
Don’t know about sororities. You should check out the Greek report cards for that sort of info. Bundle up!!! Campus is single -digit cold and really windy!!!
I agree with post 1, except that only the old part of the campus is pretty. It’s famous, people all over have heard of it, and it’s got a gigantic football stadium. It can offer almost everything anyone wants for the classic university experience. That is retains its popularity despite some pretty huge scandals is a good thing, tbh.
@citymama9 , I took my son to visit during the Feb break last year. It was unseasonably warm, and I mean in the low 70s. Every kid had on shorts and T-shirts. Everyone was out and about and kids were happy and buzzing. I’d actually like to take my son back when it’s cold and see if it feels different!
@citymama9 I second all positive comments about PSU above… As for the size, it is a large school but can actually feel smaller - like a community. My D says she sees the same people walking around and in class. But she also enjoys being able to meet new people all the time. When we visited with my son, he said it really does not feel like 45,000 students. It’s still a walkable campus (may take some time). Gen Ed classes can be large but if the student makes the effort to get to know the teachers it’s worth it. Agree with greenbutton, it’s tempting to skip but that can be a big academic downfall. Teachers are not going to come to you though… My D has never commented on waiting for food, the options are endless. She is in a sorority and loves it. The process can be hard, as with any school, but keeping an open mind and understanding the process is important. I think it is very rare (if ever) for a girl not to get a bid unless she has taken herself out of the running or only put one down for the last round. It just may not be at her first/second choice… but it usually works out. And there is a lot to do outside of Greek life if that doesn’t interest people. My D lives with all girls who are not in a sorority right now and very happy. I would say stuff like getting football tickets, signing up for classes, academics etc… is competitive. Students need to be diligent with their time and plan. My D could not be happier and loves the PSU energy.
My kid has friends, 2 brothers, who loved the big football schools and both chose PSU.
A friend of mine loved that it was a real town but almost exclusively for college kids. It really is its own world. While this is probably true of many publics throughout the country, it is less so in this neck of the woods. (I.e, Rutgers “shares” New Brunswick with the real world, UMASS has other colleges in its town…)
@citymama9 I think Penn State is what you make of it. Sometimes it is hard to find your “tribe”, but my freshman D is involved with a few different organizations - and they know her. THON is a great example - to be on an overall committee, applications are due in September. You list your priority choices, there are some essay questions, an interview, and then selection. Her committee is great - she loves it and has made friends - of all majors and class standings in it. She just got her shifts for THON weekend and is excited. This weekend is a family event for THON families, so she is going bowling with a different organization’s THON family.
Sorority rush has just completed… I think Bid Day is either this weekend or Monday? She is not rushing. The process can be brutal, but if girls go in open-minded and aren’t locked into a “top” sorority (which are biased rankings anyway), there can be great options.
The hardest thing is making connections, but if you are kid willing to go talk to a professor, an administrator, an advisor, you can open up great doors. My D is considering studying abroad next year and an advisor put her in touch with a kid who did it last year. They met for lunch and she learned a ton and is really enthusiastic. She was considering two majors - an administrator put her in touch with two kids in one major now who are seniors, so she contacted them and they met for coffee and she learned about the major. But if you aren’t willing to do those things, sometimes it can be harder to know where to start.
As to class size, if you sit in the front row, it doesn’t matter how many people are behind you! Seriously, there are larger classes, but if you look at the class size when scheduling, you can find smaller sections of the same class - maybe at an inconvenient time (4pm on T/Th), or not the highly-rated professor. However, she hasn’t felt overwhelmed (yet!) by the large classes. Everyone has to take English and Speech Communications - those are small classes. (no AP credits for those classes).
hope it isn’t too cold!
for a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate, there are:
- Starbucks in the HUB (mobile order, line gets long)
- Saxby’s in Business Building
- Au Bon Pain in Kern, IST Building
- Creamery has more than just ice cream.
and I second the recommendation of The Field at Toftrees. Slightly off the beaten path, but to-die-for burgers!
report back your thoughts - will be interested in impressions.
You folks have been so unbelievably helpful. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts, the good and the not so good. I may have my D read this thread. I will definitely report back here after the visit next week.
I’m going to google Thon now since it’s come up a lot, and it seems like a big deal at Penn State:)
@skibunny2 my d is not a partier, is on the quiet side. Looking for fun without the drinking etc. Is that possible at PSU without feeling like an outsider? Are there dorms/floors for all girls? Concerned with the comment in one of the posts above that guys were drunk running the halls at all hours of the night.
HelenH - I’m the one who told of the drunk guys - my nephew said the first couple weeks in his dorm were crazy. MyS19 is also not a partier and quiet and has no interest in big schools. My nephew and him were talking and he agreed that PSU would definitely be a hard transition for a kid like him.
However, it is a school where if you go to visit you get a real sense of the atmosphere. And getting different perspectives is important - my nephew would tell you that the majority of students are rah rah and into partying and it might be harder for a quiet kid to find his or her place. But others on here are saying otherwise.