Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Top Questions

I spend alot of my time in the Student offfice, just hanging out with my friends and do work both for class and different clubs and organizations. We are big when you get here, but you soon see how small it is and how each of us fit in somewhere. I am either in my room, gym, field, class, or offices. We are most known for..THON! It is the highlight of our Spring semester.

The size of PSU is just right. Its possible to find your way around after about three weeks but after being here for a year now (I transferred from Wagner College on Staten Island) I still find things downtown that I haven't seen before. I do enjoy PSU's football months but honestly when PSU is football free it couldn't be any better. The atmosphere is so relaxed. During football months downtown is crowded and it's IMPOSSIBLE to find a place to park. One thing I love about PSU is that because it is so big there are so many clubs and organizations to get involved in. The size and amount of clubs also keeps the club sizes themselves smaller than usual so it is easy to make friends. What they say about Happy Valley is TRUE. Everyone here is so nice and the administration goes out of their way to help you if you have a good attitude.

The school is big but theres ways to break that down. There's a club for everything imaginable, from disc golf to model railroading to fly fishing, to even something more mainstream like baseball. The thing about it being big is if you can find your niche or group of friends, the size can only help you. Penn State is recognizable on the national scale, and thats great for networking and future job prospects. One problem I think a lot of people have is the school's in the middle of the mountains, 2 hours from the nearest big city. If you're a city kid this may affect you but really I didn't think it was a big deal, there's still plenty to do and ton's of culture like you'd find in a city anyway.

School is large but that is nice because there are always new people. You get to know people in your dorm and in some classes. Dining commons food is normally complained about, but I think it is better than what would be at some other schools. Decent variety of food choices on campus. Despite some questionable food days, PSU has a good food situation.

Obviously, Penn State's a big school. If that's not what you're looking for, then don't come here. However, if you want a lot of opportunities: socially, academically, and professionally, then PSU is a great place to be. There are lots of people at Penn State, so you can pretty much find your niche anywhere. Frats and Sororities are pretty big, too, if that's your thing. On the whole, there is something to do virtually every night you're up there. One thing that's great about having a large school is that it has a huge alumni base. This is good for interviews, because chances are good that you'll be being interviewed by a PSU grad, thus, you already have some common ground. Most of facilities are in great condition; specifically, the Business Building is virtually state-of-the-art.

Penn State has everything anyone could want. It's huge, but still intimate. Anybody with any interest can find their niche here. I will take with me the pride that everyone feels for Penn State. We have the largest alumni association, so that says a lot. My grandmother, uncles, great uncles, dad, brother and cousins are and will be alumni along with me, so it creates a great sense of pride and unity in my own family. My friends here are my family and I know I'll be seeing them as long as I come back for football games, tailgating and other events. I hope I can send my kids here someday. The biggest life-changing experience happened to me at Penn State. I studied abroad for a semester during my Junior year. It was a great experience. I learned about myself, my home and so much about people, culture and life. Penn State encourages students to study abroad, and rightfully so.

The best and worst part of this campus is the size. Penn State is huge, therefore it offers a wide variety of activities and courses and many opportunities to meet new people. The problem with this is that it can be difficult to get to know your professors, and you need to know them if you ever want a recommendation for anything. Furthermore, most of the classes are taught by graduate students and lecturers, not full-fledged professors. This makes it even more difficult to get a decent recommendation for future endeavors. Most graduate schools, law schools, and medical schools only want recommendations from tenured professors.

It's a very big campus and, if you don't create a place for yourself, it's easy to get lost in the sea of students, here. Most of my friends from home laughed at me, because PSU's reputation is obviously for partying, not academics. I only came here for financial reasons, and never would have chosen it. It's kind of sad how stories containing the illegal actions of our football team populate the local papers; even so, an obsession with football flows through the veins of most students. There's certainly a lot of school pride - the level of solidarity is comforting to some, and nauseating to others. The stereotype of Penn Staters being very interested in partying and getting wild is definitely true; while most students attend class and do well enough, I would not say that intellectualism abounds. You're more likely to find trashy sorority girls wandering the sidewalks than motivated students with their nose in a book.

The first thing people ask me when I tell the I go to Penn State is if I go to the University Park campus or a branch campus. What does it matter? There's this stigma that if you go to a branch campus you're not as smart as someone who goes to University Park. That's not true. Branch campuses have many smart kids too, as well as honors programs. Just because you go to a branch campus doesn't mean you're less intelligent than a student at University Park.

This school is just the right size. At Penn State, you have the option to meet any people you want to in a variety of social settings. Some of these are organized by the university, and some are organized by others, but they truly offer a range of life experiences. At Penn State you are constantly challenged to make decisions about the type of person you want to be, about the lifestyle you want to live and how you want to make an impact. Many people say that Penn State is too large for them. Friends and acquaintances have told me that they wouldn't want to come here because it's too big and they wouldn't want to get lost in the fray. The truth is, you just need to get plugged in and that won't even be an option. Once you make close friends here, however you choose to do so, you can hardly walk to class without recognizing a familiar face. As the years go by you begin to have classes with the same people and to become good friends. You also tighten bonds with those you met in the beginning. For me, a student organization provided better friends than I've ever had before. They have helped me to adapt and adjust to school as time has gone on. They are one of the most important parts of my experience here.

I love going to school here. It is definitely called Happy Valley for a reason and there is no other place like it. Whenever I come back after a break I am always filled with happiness and I feel safe here. It may be a little too large for some people, but I enjoy this aspect of it, since there is always the opportunity to meet new people. Being a member of greek life makes it seem a lot smaller. There are also plenty of other ways to get involved, such as THON, which is a huge deal here. There is so much school pride here. Attending a football game is an incredible experience and PSU fans are considered some of the best in the country.

Penn State is an extremely large school and the University Park campus is in the top ten for total enrollment. Although the size of the campus can be overwhelming at first, it doesn't take long before you know the campus like the back of your hand and see acquaintances everywhere you walk. The campus itself is beautiful and the scenery around Penn State is spectacular. State College is a perfect town with just the right amount of restaurants to satisfy any craving you have. If you're not into parties on weekends, then there's always alternatives from movies to skiing (in the winter - which lasts a VERY long time). Also, crime is almost non-existent here giving some credibility to the nickname "Happy Valley."

Overall, I feel that Penn State does a good job offering lots of possible academic paths. However, the quality of the various tracts can be debatable. Many of the Gen Eds or lower courses are taught more by the TAs than the professors, which is troubling due to a weaker background in the subject. Furthermore, few professors or TAs have had any kind of formal training in teaching. While knowing your subject is an important aspect of teaching, it is only a fraction of the whole picture. Another problem I worry about is the business-like nature of the college and the way in which students are (quite literally) simplified down to a number. It is, at times, difficult to object to an unjustified decision or grade. I endured one particular instance of this that was, quite literally, life changing. While pre-service teaching (much like student teaching), a claim was brought against me that I had done a number of things that were intolerable (such as wearing biking shorts to teach in - false, trying to start an afterschool program - true but I went through the appropriate avenues, dress code violations - possible though the office staff said they had no written guide to provide me when I'd asked prior to my ejection). I was told to sign a contract, while in a visibly distressed state, requiring that i never speak to anyone from that school district again. I was not allowed to apologize, inquire or anything else. Furthermore, my supervisor, who is supposed to bring up concerns and help mediate the student and the school district, never told me anything about the problems. She claimed the school asked her not to report to me, that they would "handle it themselves". I was never told anything by the school either. My academic advisor (who is in charge of the major itself) found the situation ridiculous, as well, since she, too, by protocol, should have been informed. In any event, to make this very long story shorter, every appeal I made was met with an "I'll talk to Mrs. X" to find out the details, which provided me no opportunity to explain my side of the situation. I was refused any possible solutions even though I only had one week left of the program before completion when I was ejected. Aside from this situation, however, I have found the major I was previously in to be very beneficial and full of more experience than your typical education program. I was very thankful of this. Onto a totally different topic, I spend my time mostly at class or at home. I have lived off-campus and out of state college for the second half of my college experience. I had random roommates for the first two years. I can't complain about any of my situations and found that the entire area around here is lovely in its own, different way - much like people.

The academics are great. The school is the right size. People usually seem moderately impressed I'm at this school and think I'm smart. I wish the mainstream could have fun without alcohol. College town. I usually go to class, work out (pool is overcrowded), socialize with friends, do the extracurriculars, do any homework, play video games. Lots of school pride. PSU jocks (most of the school) are generally homophobic or closeted.

The best thing about PSU is the variety of people, activities, majors and classes. There are so many different things to do with your spare time, and so many different ways to get involved. I'd probably change the fact that most of the people here do tend to fit the "drunk football fan" stereo type. But it's not everyone, so it's not that big of a deal. Penn State is VERY large, but that's one of the reasons I love it here. I came to Penn State in part because I knew it was big. The bigness is great. People I talk to tend to think it's a good school. Everyone knows where it is. I ALWAYS get asked if I go to football games. I really only go to campus to go to classes and meetings. If I have time in between classes, I do homework in the stacks because it's quiet, or in the hub if I want to be sociable. The Reserve Reading Room in the Library is a great place to nap, and there are computer labs in almost every building so it's easy to check my email (or facebook, haha) from pretty much anywhere. College Town. For sure. It's called STATE COLLEGE for Christ's sake! I'm not honestly a fan of the admin. Professors come in all shapes and sizes, so that's nice. But I don't like a lot of the decisions the higher-ups make. They seem only concerned about money and not the welfare of students. A big recent controversy was over the fact that a lot of Penn State clothes, etc. is made in sweat shops and whether or not the admin should do something about it. However Pop vs. Soda and Sheetz vs. Wawa is more prominent. There is a ton of school spirit. Everyone wears PSU clothes. Most people go to sporting events. And there's Thon. Pretty much, everyone is proud of Penn State because they have reason to be. WE ARE..... PSU has a lot of little quirky, unusal things that most places don't. But they're not really apparent. Like, we're an aborium, and have lots of different kinds of trees all over campus. I'm not going to lie, I'll always remember my first football game. So cliche. But I'll also always remember what it felt like to realize I had found my group of friends that I'd know for the rest of my college career, and probably my life among the thousands of people here. The most frequent student complaint seems to be about having to walk far for classes. But most people avoid the freshman fifteen that way, so it's not so bad.

The big big campus and the greenry. The Engineering building. It is very large. They seem impressed. IST building my department. It is a college town. PSU administration is very good and understand. The PSU Islam facisim weeek. Yes there is a lot of school pride. Its a very old university and you can see amish people. The PSU Vs MSU game. The tution is too high

Penn State is in the middle of nowhere. Literally located in the very center of Pennsylvania (in Centre county) completely surrounded by mountains. We have a tiny little town attached to it, which is quaint. But the college is HUGE. Being in the middle of nowhere means you're basically trapped there most of the school year, and that limits who comes in and out. But boy, do we sure know how to throw parties. It's small town mentality with a big town population (when you include all the students of course).

The best thing is the extra curricular and academic opportunities that are offered to the students. I would change the weather. This school is the perfect size. People get excited when I tell them I go to PSU. There is a very large amount of school spirit. I will always remember the football games.

The campus is really pretty but one thing I would change would be the atmosphere, where drinking is such a major part of the school and its student life. people always react well when I tell them I go to PSU, they say "yeh, thats a good school". There definitely is a lot of school pride, and that is one thing I admire and love about PSU. I will always remember the experience of THON and having a THON family to take care of and interact with. The most complaints would be teh fact that tuition is so high and honestly, it doesnt seem like we benefit from the money. Being on main campus, we do not have the same normal benefits other branch campuses have. Such as free printing, etc.

The best thing about PSU is the people. I wouldn't change a thing. Size is just right. People always compliment the school when i tell them I go here. Most of my time on campus is in class. great college town. Administration is efficiet and organized. Controversy on campus....don't know. Tons of school pride. Nothing unusual, I'd say it's just like any other large instituiton. I will always remember football games. Football tickets selling out is a big complaint.