Some students dream of going away for college, and others find their home right around the corner. For some, their first campus was their first love and they couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Penn State allows you to spend two years at two different campuses or even stay all four years at one campus and students are thankful for that.

One of the students who fell head over heels for her commonwealth campus is here to give you some insight into why she’s loved her time at Penn State!

• Name: Sydney Berger
  Year: Junior
  Major: Early Childhood Education PK-4
  Hometown: Altoona, PA

• Why did you decide to do all four years at a commonwealth campus? When first applying at Penn State, I had full intentions to transfer to University Park after spending two years at Penn State Altoona. After my first semester, my mind had changed completely. I loved everything about Penn State Altoona. I loved the atmosphere, the class sizes, and the professors. I really felt like I was getting an authentic education that I would not have received at a campus with larger class sizes. I have developed personal relationships with almost all of my professors and I know that I can turn to them when I need help, inside or outside of the classroom. I felt like my learning really mattered to my professors here, and that they would go through anything to help me understand the class content. I have met great friends and I have grown very close to all of the students and faculty in the education department here at Penn State Altoona. We really are like one big, happy family. Overall, I feel that choosing to stay at the Altoona campus for my full four years allowed me to grow to the person I am today.

• What are you involved with on your campus? I am currently the Vice President of Student PSEA at the Penn State Altoona campus. We participate in different community service opportunities throughout the year such as Safe Trick-or-Treat and we also attend a conference during the spring semester. During the conference we participate in an event called “Outreach to Teach.” Through this, we are given the opportunity to travel to a school outside of our area and “fix it up.” In the past we have donated books to their libraries and painted murals all over the walls to bring life to the elementary schools. I am also the Treasurer of the Kappa Delta Pi Educational Honor Society chapter at Penn State Altoona. To be inducted, we must meet certain criteria throughout our freshman and sophomore years. With the help of our advisors, we have developed a service project to help the homeless shelters in our area. We make fleece blankets and bundle them with books for the children to take with them when they are able to leave the shelter and go to their new homes. I really enjoy all of the opportunities we are given through these student organizations.

• What are your plans for after graduation? After graduation, I plan on substitute teaching while interviewing for teaching positions for my very own classroom. I hope to teach first grade.

• What is one of your favorite Penn State memories (whether it be an opportunity gained through one of your organizations, an event you attended, etc.,)? I have many favorite memories here at Penn State Altoona. Overall, I have loved making friends and becoming close with my professors. Although we have to be serious and get our work done, we also share so many laughs and heartwarming moments. Together, we have learned and discovered so much and that has really brought us close together.

• Penn State is Penn State wherever you go. Have you ever been to a different Penn State campus and if so, did the atmosphere differ at all? The only other Penn State campus that I have been to is University Park. I think that the atmosphere is different, but in a positive way. It is much bigger, but there is still that connection with one another.

• What advice would you give to students thinking of applying to Penn State (regardless of where they’re applying for)? I would tell them that I think that Penn State is a great choice. Although as a student, you may have to decide which campus is right for you, they all have something for everyone. You just have to find it. College has so many great opportunities. If you are willing to go out and explore and maybe even step out of your comfort zone a little, you will find them. I constantly say that I would not be the person I am today if it were not for Penn State. It truly is a university like no other.

Penn State is home, no matter where you are!