Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Top Questions

The social life at Penn State is amazing for some, but too overwhelming for others. It is a huge campus. There are almost 40,000 kids in University Park and that's a lot of strangers. While it is very scary at first, students tend to find their niches in athletics, academics, and organizations quickly. There are hundreds of clubs to join, Greek life, IM and Club sports, free movies on weekends, tutoring centers, and dozens of guest speakers every week. Getting involved is very easy with so many opportunities, but it's intimidation at the same time. Once you're involved, however, meeting people is so easy because you are in direct contact with people who have the same interests as you do.

The biggest event on campus outside of football is definitely THON. THON is short for Dance Marathon, the biggest student run philanthropy group in the nation. It is a huge event to raise money for kids with cancer through the Four Diamonds Organization. I am not personally involved, but I have gone every year to support it. Celebrities come to show support for not only the cancer patients, but the dancers who sacrifice their feet and sanity for a weekend. There are a lot of different groups involved with THON, so just finding one of those that suits what you're looking for is probably not too difficult. Along with THON, a must go to event is Paternoville, an event that started my freshman year. The students make a tent city the week before a big game to ensure good seating. JoePa, the football players, and the community businesses jump right into the action as well. Even if you don't camp out, it is something every student has to experience at least through a walk through. I'm personally involved in Young Americans for Freedom, a student run group dedicated to spreading conservatism throughout campus. We bring in speakers, do campus activism, and hold recruiting events. We also go to CPAC every year, which is funded by the university. The dating scene is pretty relaxed, especially the first few years. There's a lot of "hooking up" after parties and stuff, but I see a lot of couples walking around campus too. For instance, my best friend dates pretty casually - she hasn't had a steady boyfriend here, but she never needs to be dateless. I on the other hand, have been dating my now fiance since the first couple months of freshman year. It all depends on personal preference. The dorms are a great place to meet people. Since the residence halls get really hot in the first few months of the fall semester, it is not uncommon for every door in the hall to be wide open. I met my best friend because she lived next door to me freshman year and we have arranged to be in the same hall every year since then. Groups are a great place to meet people as well. Chances are that many of the people in a group you're interested in have the same interests as you. A great majority of my friends come from YAF and ACF.

The biggest PSU student activity is THON, the Penn State Dance Marathon. It is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, and raises money to help families fight pediatric cancer. Last year alone, THON managed to raise 5.2 million dollars. The fundraising year is capped off with a 46-hour dance marathon, where dancers don't sleep or sit for the entire time. When I came to Penn State, I had never heard about THON before, but I knew I wanted to be a part of something like that. Currently, I am THON Chair for my organization, which means I do a lot of the planning and coordinating of our fundraising year. I also communicate with our THON family, which is the main reason I took the position I am in right now. Each year, organizations "adopt" these families to stay in touch, visit, and help them through these tremendously difficult times in their lives. Thankfully, our THON child has been in remission for quite some time, but they keep coming back to THON to stay in touch with the spirit of the organization. I don't think anyone stops coming back, even those families who have lost a loved one due to this incurable disease. Every family that can comes to the Dance Marathon, and it’s inspiring to see the real reason that everyone is so involved with THON and this cause. I have heard a lot of people say they don't like THON because "of the people that are in it (all Greek life participates)" or "it’s just something to put on a resume." Maybe it is true for some people. Maybe there are too many Greeks (although the sororities and fraternities raise huge amounts of money and dress up to play with the kids all weekend) and maybe some people do it for selfish reasons. However, I know a lot of wonderful people who participate in this because of what it stands for, who it helps, and for all those smiling faces during that one, amazing weekend.

There are 1,000's of organizations on campus. Anyone who has 10 friends with a common interest can start their own club. So expect to find a bonzai club, a Harry Potter club (they actually dress up like the characters and play quidditch and stuff) and a yan xin qigong club (whatever the heck that is). Freshman dorms are the most open, if you live in a dorm after that there is a good chance you won't know the name of the person living next door to you. I met my closest friends freshman year in the dorms, we lived on the same floor, went to our first college parties together, looked into clubs together etc. The second best way to meet people is to join an organization - if you're a freshman in high school, you might want to start reading the list now - if you're a senior in high school, you might make it through the "A's" by the time you go home for winter break in your first year. Dating at Penn State is probably the worst thing I have ever witnessed. (luckily I'm still in a relationship with a high school sweet heart so I don't have to go through the crap that my friends do) But, it seems as though one night stands are common place, guys take a different girl home each night, and dating is taboo. It's not the place to find Mr. RIght, but you're almost guaranteed a Mr. Right Now. And don't think that because of the somewhat negative response I gave to "40,000 of your closest friends" that Penn State is too big for you. Once you find a good group of friends it really is an amazing time!

I think because there are so many people on campus with so many different interests, there is no one group that is more popular than another. Greek life is big here, but so are club sports and theater groups. Right now I'm involved with THON in the OPPerations committee and even though I knew a few people going in, I've met so many more. Most of the people in my committee didn't know each other before our first meeting. I met my captain, Joe, for the first time at a football tailgate! Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to live on campus, but when I came to visit friends, dorm doors would always be open, people talking from down the hall, listening to music. Sports are definitely big here, but so are other events. All of the guest lit. speakers I've gone to see have had packed lecture rooms and there are two theaters downtown so I'd think that we have a very busy theater community. So, the dating scene. Hahaha. There are tons of people, it's not hard to meet someone who you're interested in. Between different groups you join or places you go, there's tons of people to meet. I know people on the cross country team who have recently started dating. Meeting people in your classes is really easy too. And then, there's the bars. There's an abundance of people that you can just strike up a conversation with who you can start hanging out with, especially if you go to the same places a lot. I met my closest friends from living with them and being introduced by friends I had known from high school. Networking (and no, not business networking) is a great thing about big schools. There's an endless (ok, not literally) number of people to meet here. I'm definitely a night-owl so a lot of times I'm watching movies or talking with my roommates late at night. On weekends if you don't want to party, there's tons of things to do. There's a movie theater right downtown, bowling, the mall and Penn State offers activities at the HUB like movies and pool. Every year we have big events like THON and the Blue and White game; homecoming is big and so is St. Patty's day. Drinking on weekends is very usual, but like I said before it's not the only possibility. Personally, I love to eat so it's always fun to try out different places downtown. Last weekend I had to be up early Saturday for LSAT stuff that the university was offering so I stayed in and just hung out with some of my roommates.

If I were to be awake at 2am on a Tuesday, you could bet that I am studying or writing a paper. The same applies for most other students at PSU. Normally throughout the week most students keep their noses in books, trying to get all of their work done before the weekend hits, because no one likes to do school work on weekends.

Social Life is what makes Penn State thrive. I have already mentioned most of our leading groups on campus. Thon offers a great opportunity for kids to get involved with people they have never met. You could even apply to be a "dancer" who dances for 48 hours straight. There are many elements in Thon like canning, weekly meetings, athlete hour, fundraisers, competitions, etc. I am not your typical Penn State student. I came from Chicago on an wrestling scholarship. The athlete world here is very much "clicky". Most tend to stay in this world, and vary rarely venture out. It's a shame. They party with the same teams week in and week out and rarely see what else is out there. This might be due to how hard it is for a guy to get into Frat's, if your not pledging and you don't know someone, your out. Pledges will stand at the door and make you wait in a line 50 people deep claiming they are full. Next thing you know, a group of 10 girls dressed in mini skirts when it's 15 degrees out come stumbling in on their stiletto's, and are let right in. There has also been a lot of fights between the Frat world and the Athletes. I met my closest friends through wrestling. It is kind of hard to not become best friends when you spend every second of your college life together. I have also made a lot of friends through classes. Summer school is one of the best times to be up at school. You have all the benefits of Penn State with half the people, and the weather is beautiful. I typically would stay here in the summer and train for wrestling. My day would consist of class from 9-12, workout, go to the pool, stroll home for a quick shower, fire up the grill, blast some music, and start pre-gaming. Arts Fest is the best time of the year. The downtown campus streets are shutdown and covered in aspiring artists selling anything from paintings to furniture. But, you know why we all come for: the Parties. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday it would be because I am on my way home from the Gaff and Darkhorse after enjoying $5 pitchers of Rum and Coke. Hopefully, I didn't risk drinking Tantos Demise, a crazy concoction at the Darkhorse, that has proven to ruin my night. Saturday night for the crowd that doesn't drink usually includes the movies, pool halls, prime gaming time, or the Hub offers late night Penn State. It shows movies and holds dances, raffles, prizes, and others entertainment throughout the night.

Football team--obviously. greek life is big here, but not necessary to make friends. i'm not in a sorority but still have many friends in greek life. PSMA is big for people majoring in marketing. my roommate is in a business frat. THON committees are huge. many people are part of the Morale committee, where each person is assigned to one dancer and must encourage and support them for 46 hours during the weekend. We never left our dorm door open but I know some students do. Football games are the most popular...basketball is not as popular but still attended. Speakers are somewhat popular but performers are very popular. I met some of my closest friends from my freshmen dorm, some through other friends and some through classes. Arts Fest and State Patties Day are big drinking events in the spring and summer. People party on average 3 times a week.