As acceptance letters are gradually making their ways into the hands of future Penn Staters, and these Penn Staters are accepting their offers, they now have an exciting choice to make the college experience really feel real: choosing your residence hall preferences. This gives you a chance to choose where you spend your freshman year, and where many people make their closest friends! Not sure what area you might be interested in? We’ve got an inside look at some of campus’ residence halls!

East

East is made up of entirely freshmen students (aside from the RAs). When students are in their res halls during the first week of classes, everyone tends to leave their doors open so they can bounce from dorm to dorm to meet new friends. Living in East is one of the common ways to make new friends in your year or even major as soon as you step on campus.

East Halls

While the older dorms aren’t known for being the most conveniently located res halls on campus (it’s located by Beaver Stadium, making it perfect for football season, THON and the occasional trip to the creamery!), East is getting a complete makeover. The dining hall consists of all newly renovated stations and even a coffee shop! You can check out some of the newest additions to the Findlay Commons (the East dining hall’s official name), in Victoria’s blog here. How nice are these res halls though? Decorations can make any space feel homey!

Pollock

Pollock room in Hartranft Hall

Pollock is another area that consists of a large number of freshmen. It’s conveniently located near Pollock Commons (Pollock’s dining hall), Redifer Commons (South Hall’s dining halls), the HUB, and downtown State College. Pollock is known for having one of the best brunches on campus, and having it so close to your room is always helpful.  Here’s a peak at my freshman year dorm in Hartranft Hall!

South

Newly renovated halls in South

South Halls / McElwain, Atherton or Simmons Hall

Depending on where you are in South, you might be some of the lucky people who get to live in the newly renovated or older but big rooms in South Halls! South is home to the Schreyer Honors College, and even some members of Penn State’s greek life, and conveniently located right next to downtown State College!

West

West Halls

West Halls holds some of the biggest dorms on campus. They’re the farthest out of these four from Beaver Stadium, but are right next to the Nittany Lion Shrine, and close to downtown State College. West rooms are typically a bit larger than ones in East and Pollock, so if you’re concerned about space, West is a good place to be (but tons of upperclassmen think so too, so you might not get them for your first year, but it still doesn’t hurt to put West down as a preference). Oh, did we mention that West’s Waring Dining Commons has the BEST cookies on campus? Ask any Penn Stater about West’s cookies, and they’ll go on for ages. Trust us, we definitely trekked through snow and rain just for those cookies. (Penn State even made a video about the cookies: 

There are other options for housing on campus, and all freshmen have to live on campus during their first year, but these are the most commonly lived in and beloved residence areas. Each has their own qualities. Which one will you call home?