Now you’ve figured out Penn State is obviously the only place you can see yourself for the next four years. Besides figuring out petty things like who you’re going to room with, and whether you want to live in East, the freshman city, I’m sure you really are wondering, how in the world am I going to travel the mile and a half across campus from Beaver Stadium to the Learning Factory? 

Well, you are in luck because today I am going to break down the main forms of transportation on campus, and the assumptions that go with each of them. 

The first, and most obvious form of transportation which every person who attends University Park needs to use daily, is walking. Yeah, fortunately we can’t tune in to all of our classes from our dorms with the loud heaters anymore.  

Walking is a great and necessary option, which you will be grateful for when you walk in front of a line of 8 cars by a 4 way stop sign. Also, it is the most reliable form of transportation, which doesn’t break down and is always running on time… well, as long as you are running on time.

The second obvious mode of transportation Penn State provides is the CATA bus system. You can take either the blue loop, white loop, red link, or green link to make your way around campus. All for the low low cost of totally free. CATA buses also have an app which allows you to see where the bus is, and what time the next bus should stop at your location. These buses are a solid option if you don’t mind your fingers going numb while waiting at the bus stop in the winter. 

Another combo of transportation methods you will often see are the athlete scooter and the illegal (or maybe just frowned upon) electrified skateboard. Along with the sports backpacks, Penn State athletes are also given electric scooters to save their legs and save them time while they ride around campus. Similar to these scooters, electric skateboards crowd Pollock Road between classes, despite not being an approved form of transportation by the University. 

The most popular form of transportation (besides walking) is probably the personal bicycle. If you do bring your bike to campus to cut down on your commute to classes, don’t be the sidewalk weaver that gives pedestrians nightmares. Trust me, some sidewalk users will hold a grudge against you. 

Penn State does a great job preventing bike theft, especially if your bike is registered. I highly recommend registering your bike with Penn State (plus I think it’s a $10 fine if you don’t). Bike racks are in convenient locations and are almost always being used. However, they are sometimes blocked by SPIN bike users. 

Oh, SPIN bikes. Free to use with the app on Sundays or after 11pm. Usually convenient for the user, it basically pedals itself to a top speed of 15mph. These orange bikes litter the campus. They are everywhere. They are great if whoever used them last doesn’t park it in front of your bike at the bike racks. 

Whatever form of transportation you prefer, please be nice to the pedestrians- as that is probably eighty percent of the campus population. If you ride to get to class, good luck trying to avoid the squirrels. They don’t look before crossing the street.