As a student at Penn State, you have the opportunity to meet a lot of fun and interesting people. During your freshman year, and possibly during your entire time at Penn State, you have the opportunity to live in the residence halls on campus. Without the dedication and assistance from the Resident Assistants (RA) that […]
Why Special Living Options at Penn State are awesome!
To make your transition to living in campus dorms easier, Penn State offers first year students the option to participate in Special Living Options (SLO). While I did not do SLO myself, I wish I would have known more about SLOs when I put in my housing contract. Like many other students, I was misguided […]
Advice from upperclassmen to the incoming freshmen
Here are a few of Penn State’s upperclassmen, all from different colleges within University Park, sharing the advice they would give the incoming freshmen and their freshmen selves if they were to go back in time.
Freshman 15 (tips to surviving your first year)
You thought I meant gaining the Freshman 15, didn’t you? For those of you that do not know what the Freshman 15 is, it’s a commonly used term to describe the act of incoming freshmen to college gaining 15 pounds when they begin their college journey. However, this is a list of things to keep […]
Life in high school vs. life in college
A transition to a higher level of education is exciting, terrifying and filled with so many unknowns. I’m sure we can all recall our 5th grade teachers warning us that no one was going to hold our hands in middle school. We then received a similar warning at the end of 8th grade as we […]
What to look forward to your first semester
With all of those acceptances coming in, I’m sure many incoming freshmen cannot wait to see what’s in store for them Fall 2015. I’m here to give you a little preview of what you have to look forward to once you begin your college career. Football Season Make sure to purchase your Penn State […]
All about CATA
Penn State is a big school so sometimes it is necessary to find some means of transportation other than using your own two feet and walking. Coming in freshman year I had no idea what CATA was or how to interpret the different bus schedules or routes. In order to not feel overwhelmed, like I […]
An open letter to the class of 2019
Dear College-Bound High School Seniors, “Where are you going to college?” was the question I attempted to avoid at every social gathering I attended my senior year of high school. It was the inevitable question that was so easy for some to answer but for others, like me, not so much. By January of my […]
Supplemental housing
Every year a number of students get assigned to supplemental housing and that often makes a couple of people nervous. Supplemental housing means that instead of living with one other person in a double, like most freshmen do, you are living in a way bigger room with six to eight other people. Many people […]
5 things I wish I had known before attending New Student Orientation
As a current sophomore, I remember my New Student Orientation (NSO) very fondly. It was my first time visiting Penn State after putting my deposit in and my first time feeling like a real college student. But, truthfully, I was still a little nervous to be separated from my mom and to accept the first […]