Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Top Questions

Penn State provides you with the ultimate college experience. Whether you are interested in the Division 1 athletics, the vast number of music organizations, student leadership or service, there are others just like you working towards a common goal. The University does a great job making sure that each major has an incredible support network and there are so many ways to supplement your education in the classroom through volunteerism and leadership. Everyone has a ton of school pride and the most common complaint is that students don't want to go home or graduate.

The best thing about this school is that it has its own downtown area. It's awesome. I pass by it everyday. Although it isn't that big, coming from a big city, many other colleges don't have one. It's quaint and has pretty much everything you need from food stores, cafes, convenience stores, bars, clothing stores (many of which sell Penn State apparel), book stores, and a few other neat shops. Overall, I look how my school is physically. However, one thing I'd change is the Physics and Engineering departments. I have a lot of friends who are Engineering majors and they have to take many courses involving math, physics, chemistry, etc. I've heard them complain constantly about these two departments specifically. I'm a mathematics major myself. I have no real complaints about that department. I think my school is too large. It's great being surrounded by so many people, but it seems that it's harder to make friends because of it. I wouldn't want it to be a really small school but reduce the number of students by about 5,000-10,000. During peak lunch hours, there is absolutely nowhere to sit in the HUB, so you better get your food to go then unless you get lucky and grab a table as a group is leaving. People are often happy that I go there, for its "prestige". After the Sandusky scandal, I'm not sure if that's still the case. I spend most of my time in the HUB, because I work there and it's a great place to relax or catch up on some work, even read the NY times. I like to think of the University Park Campus as a big bubble. Everyone pretty much stays in the same area during the semester unless they need to go to Walmart on North Atherton or the one by the Nittany Mall. With our new president in office, I like that he communicates with his students more regularly as opposed to President Spanier's frequency of communication. Biggest controversy? Well, definitely the Sandusky scandal which made it to the international level of news. The riots initiated by SOME Penn State students made our school as a whole look even worse when they decided to flip a news van. Additionally, it led to the resignation of President Spanier and firing of the legendary Joe Paterno (who recently passed away, R.I.P. Joe). One could write a whole book on this but that's the bare minimum for that question. There was a tremendous amount of school pride but after the riot, the student body seems to be divided. No longer do we hear "We are... Penn State!" unless there's a tour group around. We still are a unified body however when it comes to raising money for pediatric cancer, this year we raised over $10,000,000 in THON! All of these events I will remember, the Sandusky scandal, the ousting of Spanier and Paterno, and more importantly the legacy left behind by Coach Paterno himself. Also, I will remember how we're able to collectively assemble into a proud, unified unit and raise money for sick children everywhere. A frequent student complaint is the price hike in tuition every year. More and more friends of mine cannot afford to go to college and are forced to transfer to a cheaper college. I am struggling myself with these constant price increases every year.

The thing I like the most about Penn State is certainly the undying efforts the community put into helping kids fight cancer. The campus, which is nestled in the small State College borough, is huge and really beautiful. However, because about 40,000 students attend the main campus, you have to bear with large classrooms and less individual attention. Education can definitely be strengthened with more doctoral level faculty. SOme classes are taught by graduate students, and I don't particularly like that. As far as any recent controversy goes, I don't think I need to throw anymore light on the recent scandal that Penn State has been thrust in. Even so, it is important to understand that although it reflected poorly on the university as a whole, it does not negate the efforts of the students, who raise millions of dollars each year to save kids from cancer. That boosts the pride of Penn State!

Well, Penn State is a large school. Some people do not feel comfortable at these big schools and can sometimes get overwhelmed by the number of students that attend here. It is easy to find a group of friends, but you should evaluate if you easily are overwhelmed and determine the importance of small classes. I was surprised at how much I liked the large classes, as I was always a class participator in class. The further you get in your major, the smaller the classes are which is always nice. In the past, whenever I told people I attended Penn State, the reaction was always a positive one. People always seemed to hold a high respect level for Penn State, which helped me build my sense of pride in my school. Now, with the recent events, its a little different and mixed reactions which I hope will change. This is the epitome of a college town, State College is smack dead in the middle of Pennsylvania, and the whole town is centered around Penn State. The town itself is very cute and small, filled with Penn State memorabilia stores and privately owned boutiques. Almost all students live in the downtown area or in what is called "west campus". This makes it nice for students because they do not need to travel very far to visit friends or reach the downtown area. I really liked how Penn State's campus was large, but condensed, it never takes more than 30 minutes to walk anywhere that you need to go, which isn't always the case with other large schools that I had visited. We have had a large controversy recently, what is said to be the largest controversy ever in collegiate sports. Penn State was always known for its integrity, and had a clean slate in terms of football and administration issues. However, this year it was brought to everyones attention that a former Penn State coach was molesting young boys under the noses of our administration and the late Joe Paterno (46 year Penn State coach, one of the most respected coaches in the world). The details of the investigation are still pending, but it has shed a very harsh light on our school. Although this is very embarrassing, it has not effected any of our educations and does not accurately reflect Penn State as an academic establishment. The students here have had a difficult time dealing with this issue, but we seem to be moving forward and continue to have a strong sense of pride in our school for all of the good things we do do. This brings me to THON, the worlds largest student run philanthropy. Penn State's student run no sit, no sleep dance marathon is one of the most incredible parts of our school. The Penn State student body spends all year fundraising for the four diamonds fund, a philanthropic fund who's primary focus is to provide all assistance needed to families of children with pediatric cancer. Last year we were able to raise $9.5 million. THON itself is a weekend in February where hundreds of student "dancers" (being a dancer is a very huge honor and fairly difficult to obtain) do not sit or sleep for 46 straight hours in our Bryce Jordan Center. The weekend consists of families, fun, games, student performances, etc. The final four hours of THON are probably the most memorable, there is family hour where families will come and tell their stories about their experience with the four diamonds fund (warning: lots of tears are shed) and also the final total reveal. We have done nothing but increase our total since I arrived at Penn State in 2008, and hopefully we continue to raise more money to help children with cancer.

I love Penn State!!! I wanted to come here for the pride, history, and traditions. Although there are a lot of students, we are all one big family. It may be difficult for someone coming from a small school to adjust here, but there is an organization for everyone and all you have to do is get involved!

It is a large school with big campus and a lot of students from different places even different countries. Football game is the most popular event on campus. When I was a freshman and sophomore year student, I spent a lot of time envolving with student clubs and activities, parties and everything related with that; on junior year and senior year, I spent more time on study because high level major courses are more chanllenge and I need to prepare myself for future career after graduation. Penn State students are very proud of this school, even if people walking around campus, they might shout " We are? Penn State. We are? Penn State. We are? Penn STATE. Thank you! You are welcome!" The passing semester, our previous football coach and president had been fired by the trustee board of PSU, most of the students are felt so sad about that. In addition, recently years, more and more students complaint about the increasing of tuition.

I love the pride my school has. Students and alumni alike are so passionate about all things having to deal with Penn State and it never fades. Because the school is so large, everyone can find a way to get involved and find a good fit for themselves. I also love the Penn State Dance MaraTHON, which exemplifies what a great group of people go to this school.

My initial reaction to PSU was that it was way too large and way too cold! I was dragged along on tours with my older brother, and I could not fathom why he would want to wander around a campus in which he would be one in over 40,000. Once he started his career as a Penn State student, I really saw the value in PSU. Any time I visited, I couldn't help but notice the pride, spirit and community that the student body displayed. It really gave this large campus a small, close nit family feel. Not only did the students display this to me, but also alumni showed an immense amount of dedication to their alma mater. With the largest dues paying alumni in the world, Penn State offers an expansive network of people to reach out to for help with internships or jobs. Once a Penn Stater always a Penn Stater holds true when you dive into conversation with an alum you may have just met but feel like you've known for years based on your PSU commonality. As far as academics go, this university offers over 160 majors and countless minors. I have enjoyed all of my classes and professors so far. I love that I have the opportunity to double major and minor, which can make me marketable to employers in the future. With over 900 clubs, the activities I have chosen to get involved with have been just as valuable as some of my classes to be honest. These extracurriculars have made the world of difference when it comes to meeting people and making friends at such a large university. Every day is a new experience meeting new people and no two days are ever the same. Remember: you can make a big school small but you can't make a small school big!

I absolutely love my school. I come from a very small hometown, so I was apprehensive about coming to a university with over 40, 000 students. But, within just weeks of being here, the state college area that had once seemed overwhelmingly huge, now seemed so much smaller and close-knit. After going to my first football game, the closeness of the PSU family was even more clear. School pride is so strong here, and especially in light of recent events (i.e. the child abuse scandal), such closeness has been crucial to holding us all together. WE ARE Penn State.

The best things about this school are The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the large amount of alumni willing to help out current students/hire them, and the numerous resources and opportunities available to undergraduates. I'd make lowering alcohol consumption a bigger priority since many kids get hurt through overdoing it. The school is very large and can be overwhelming but once you get into a club or small college, that community will be small so you can just stay within it. When I say I go to Penn State, they will mention football, Joepa, "We Are", or now the scandal. I spend most of my time in the main building for my college (Deike). Great college town, tons to do on and off campus on the weekends (not just drinking). School's new president seems really great and I am very optimistic about the changes he is making!I don't think I need to explain the biggest controversy on campus...There is an overwhelming amount of school pride! By students and alumni- probably most spirited college! Most frequent student complaint: tuition too high.