What is it about Penn State that makes it so popular? Why do people really want to go there?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
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@jlhpsu The poster said the following:

I don’t want to voilate ToS and debate beyond this post, but my feeling here is that the poster has an opinion. And the validity of that opinion can/will be debated, if needed/necessary, which it was. You effectively pointed out the issues with that opinion, but as reader with no feelings one way or another, I think at least folks that are in-state who made an evaluation not to attend PSU, along with the OP’s kid’s other PA HS classmates, should be heard.

I’ll move along.

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One last comment from me re: underage drinking. The university and local police have really stepped up their efforts to curb this. The first few weeks of summer session and the first few weeks of the year, security/police will give a breathalyzer to any kid who sways or walks funny.

I also wouldn’t characterize all of PSU as a drinking school. A lot depends on the individual, the college, and how demanding their major is. Engineering, business, premed/science, and nursing are very demanding. If you have time to drink regularly, you won’t last long in those programs.

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Jhpsu - the OP has stated that all opinions are helpful. And please don’t single me out - I gave both positive and negative details. I live in PA, my H is a PSU graduate as are his brothers and our nephew is a current student. I shared that my nephew loves PSU. But no, it isn’t a utopia.
OP - good luck ! Hope you enjoy the cold visit.

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In order to further appreciate the serious academic side of PSU, it may help to know that Penn State has the nineteenth (19th) largest research budget among all national universities in the US. For example, PSU’s research budget is more than the Univ. of California at Berkeley (which ranks 24th).

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opportunity:

WSJ: The Top 25 Recruiter Picks (#1 PSU)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060

Penn State, with its main campus located in University Park, Pa., has undergraduates enrolled in more than 160 different majors. It has 20 undergraduate campuses, 10 of which offer University-owned housing. The school is 54% male and 46% female, representing 50 states and 131 countries. The average student/faculty ratio is 17:1.

(article is a little old, but methodology was sound)

CNBC:https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/19/the-no-2-school-for-graduating-ceos-is-penn-state-not-harvard-or-mit.html

While prestigious private schools like MIT, Harvard and Wharton remain popular options among America’s future executives, Pennsylvania State University is actually the No. 2 institution in the country for graduating CEOs, LinkedIn finds.

To better understand how business leaders got where they are today, LinkedIn looked at the profiles of over 12,000 chief executives from 20 countries, tracked where they had gotten their undergraduate and/or graduate degrees and then compiled a list of the most-attended institutions. The only other public school besides Penn State to make the top 10 is the University of California, Berkeley.

Penn State, which has more than 41,000 enrolled students, is ranked the No. 52 best university in America by U.S. News for its robust undergraduate and graduate programs.

It has been recognized elsewhere as one of the top 10 universities in the country for producing Fortune 500 CEOs, including Baker Hughes CEO Martin Craighead and CH2M CEO Jacqueline Hinman. And one of Penn State’s richest alums, Terrence Pegula, who is worth $4.3 billion, owns the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills.

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Thanks again for all the responses. Anyone know how Penn State compares with Purdue and Miami Univ in OH? Similar vibes? Also, does Penn State feel like a down to earth place? Are kids very status conscious?

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@loulou2 you mentioned “stuff like football tickets, . . . . . . . ., is competitive”. Just curious - if a student wants to go to a football game what are the chances of getting a ticket? Do students pay for tickets?

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@citymama9 I think it largely depends on who you hang out with, but as a general rule, no, Penn State is not status driven or uppity at all. We aren’t an Ivy and people know it. It’s central PA and people are pretty down to earth around there. Girls are in leggings and sweatshirts slogging through campus in the middle of winter. I’m not sure my daughter has worn makeup to class yet, nor her friends. Too much work, lol. Are there some greek life orgs and other orgs on campus that may be more status driven? yes. But not the norm.

@HelenH Yes, students pay for footall tickets. I think it’s about $250 for the season. That being said, if you don’t get season tickets, you can usually get one off of the secondary market through the Penn State ticket exchange. Sometimes the really big games can get pricey for a secondary ticket, but usually doable.
Penn State football is HUGE in Happy Valley. There are regularly 107,000 + people at the football games each saturday, not to mention the thousands and thousands in the parking lots. The student section is a blast (I’ve heard, and I remember!) and the atmosphere is electric (if you like big10 football, that is).

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@HelenH If the student wants season tickets to all the home games there’s a system where each grade (starting with Seniors - Freshman) are given a certain day in the early summer to log onto a the PSU site starting at 7:00AM to vie for tickets. Like a Stub Hub process, I guess, and just as nerve-wracking! Tickets get automatically downloaded onto the students ID. I believe the cost is about $230 (?) for the season. They can sell out very quickly. However, if you don’t get the season pass, students are always selling their tickets by the game and usually can be bought individually (there is a formal process for that as well). Getting the season pass elevates this hassle and she can always sell her tickets to games she doesn’t want to attend. Both years my daughter did get the season pass - but season passes sold out within minutes. When the time comes there’s lots of specific advice to increase the chances! And it totally worth it in our opinion!

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@citymama9 I don’t feel PSU is that status conscience at all. On the daily basis, most are just worried about getting to class warm, comfy, on-time and prepared. PSU is the size of a town so you’re going to get everything and everyone. However, I don’t feel it’s a school where every girl (or guy) has to have a certain item to fit in. I think walking around campus you’ll get that vibe. Now, do some like to get dressed up (and I use that term lightly) to go out sometimes? Absolutely! Is that everyone? Probably not.

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@loulou2 So you daughters were able to get the season tickets freshman year? open to the strategy if able to share :slight_smile:

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@HelenH there are several things that need to be done correctly in order to not have get tickets (they are simple and part of the instruction email)

  1. You need to set up your account before the date
  2. Be ready to purchase at the exact time!!
  3. This is not in the rules - do not add anything else in your cart! There is a choice re shirt and I think some club DO NOT ADD IN CART! Just have her select ticket and she should be fine.
    Now in future years the biggest problem students have is “if their are not scheduled for their courses” by that I mean they may be wait listed for classes- it’s best to add other courses to show you have the required # of credits for the Fall semester. Additionally students have problems “if they think they are a Sophomore or Hunior etc but their credits earned show a different year (it’s based on credits) and they may not buy their tickets on the correct date.
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@Helen H
*in order to get
*Junior

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@HelenH , they put a block aside for every class (freshmen, sophomore, etc.) and each class has their own day to purchase them. You set up a Ticketmaster account in advance and have a valid credit card saved. You can’t lose time entering the card number. I don’t know if this helps but we have multiple terminals set up with multiple people manning them. Laptops, tablets, phones, etc. Tickets sell out in minutes. Log in at 6:55 and push refresh at 7:00am and go. Have your student ID # ready too. Once purchased, the tickets automatically go on your student ID. No physical tickets. Many students get locked out. Just know plenty of students sell single tickets on student exchange. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get them. It’s a wild ride and not always fair as it seems Ticketmaster just stalls for some unlucky folks.

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Thank you @Sophley and @skibunny2 ! Learning a lot here :slight_smile:

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?great tips for football tix!!

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@HelenH I agree with everything the above posters said on tips for football tickets. We also used different browsers. One of us on Chrome and one on Safari at the same time etc… There are always rumors one is better than the other… One year husband got in, the other year I got in… who knows! Also, do not refresh your cart - wait for the spinning dial to stop. So CRAZY! But totally worth it.

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@HelenH Here is a good overview article on getting football tickets as a freshman from this past summer. The dates are obviously not going to be the same, but the process is likely going to be the same. This answers a lot of questions.
https://onwardstate.com/2018/06/14/freshman-101-how-to-buy-football-tickets/

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@loulou2 , yep. Multiple browsers too. Forgot that point. WiFi hot spot also helps if you are doing it from vacation and have questionable service from the beach.

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@HelenH You asked about all female dorms. We just visited Penn State yesterday and were told that there aren’t any. All dorms are co-ed by floor or by wing. And, if I understood correctly, some are co-ed by room if the bathrooms are pod style.So if your daughter wants an all female floor, you should definitely ask to find out which dorms she should request.