I’m coming from California where the weather is obviously very different from University Park, what’s it like?
My D will be going in the fall. So I am not expert. But, expect all 4 seasons. Warm humid summers and cold snowy winters.
Just curious where in California? I lived just north of San Francisco growing up…then moved to NJ my senior year of HS. Biggest weather adjustment besides the snow was the humidity. Definitely didn’t have too much of that where I lived.
Hey, a question I know the answer to! 
It gets cold here (30’s) starting in November, it will often snow by Thanksgiving and we had snow flurries just last week – but we also had a day that was nearly 70. Last winter we had 11 snow days of public school; this year we had 1. Which is my way of saying winter can be fairly uneventful, or a snowpocalypse. You need a good warm coat, a wool hat, and mittens or gloves. Don’t be stupid. You should expect cold (weeks in the teens) and occasional snow into March. January is usually the worst.
Spring is March through May, where the temps average in the 60’s and it is so beautiful it takes your breath away. Campus is ablaze with blooms and baby ducks and birds…At least until it starts raining…
Summers are rarely hotter than 90, again, there are exceptional years where 90+ hangs around for a week, but that’s not the norm. I used to have a pool membership for June-August and I always felt ripped off because it was too cool to swim in June, for example. The tradition is that Arts Fest has the hottest weather, and that’s in July.
Fall is another truly spectacular season here. Cool, pretty, the bugs die and the sun is still out. The biggest difference between here and Cali may well be the profusion of green, as opposed to brown.
@zipbags South Bay so around the same
@PlsAcceptMePls I just got admitted today and I’m so excited. I’m from California too, the LA area. Who is excited to actually experience 4 seasons.
@crazywango haha definitely not gonna have fun during the winters
@PlsAcceptMePls I’m excited for winters. I hope it snows. If you see a girl making snow angels and yelling from excitement its probably me
@crazywango I am sure you won’t have to hope for snow. It will snow.
@zipbags yay! 
any suggestions clothing wise? do you think snow shoes is overkill lol
I’ve lived in PA all my life so I might be able to help out a little bit with this!
The winters are definitely cold, but not unbearable. If you’ve every been to NYC in the dead of winter, it’s basically like that (not nearly as cold as Boston or Chicago though). DEFINITELY bring a heavy coat, gloves, a hat, etc. It can be 35 degrees or -3 degrees for a week… you never know, each year is different.
The fall and spring are BEAUTIFUL though. Fall in the northeast is spectacular and it’s the reason why I don’t think I could ever live anywhere else Spring is also gorgeous.
Summer is hot and humid. Temperatures usually range from 80-90 the whole summer until early September when things start cooling down.
Enjoy Penn State!!
@cat136 thanks for the insight! Im beyond excited to be going to penn state in the fall
It gets pretty cold around the winter. Usually teens to the thirties. There are some days where it will be single digits but incredibly rare to be below 0. The wind chill (what it actually feels like outside) gets below 0 more often than you think though. Definitely since you are from cali you are probably not used to cold weather bring a heavy jacket gloves and a scarf. It’s still not as bad as nyc or boston though.
Some nice warm boots with good traction are a must for winter, bonus if waterproof! A down or alternative parka with a hood is also an everyday winter accessory. You can buy nearly anything you could need in State College so don’t stress if you have to wait to buy winter clothing at school. Or buy online at Zappos or LandEnd or Eddie Bauer who have winter gear year-round.
At the beginning of the year, it will be warm and California-like, but it cools off quickly and just a few weeks in, the evenings will require a hoody or jacket. You will be in full cold-weather gear before thanksgiving break, so even though it feels weird to pack boots and coats and scarves in August, they will be used pretty quick.
Take home 90% of your warm-weather clothing at Thanksgiving and Christmas break…you will only need summery clothes again for a week or two at the end of the school year and you can grab those at Spring Break. In early May, it can still be too cool for a lot of summer clothes, but keeping a couple pairs of shorts and a few t-shirts will get you through those few nice warm spring middays. Keep a jacket around after Spring Break, it’s not uncommon to have snow that last month.
My daughter says that even though she tried to fight it, when the weather cooled off it was super-easy to fall into the ‘female PSU uniform’ of black leggings, boots, and parka every day. Functional and warm is wintertime fashion at PSU. Functional and comfortable is the rule for warm days, too. Comfortable shoes are a must, lots of walking every day, no one is judging your fashion choices, be yourself.