Mary’s Top Ten at Penn State

So I know that everyone and their mother has a top ten list to do here at Penn State. During welcome week they are in the newspapers, on bulletin boards, here, there, there are really to many so… I am making another one!

#1 Go to the Arboretum. Seriously though, its beautiful, especially in summer or early fall, but still just any time of the year go and see it!

#2 Take a picture at the Lion Shrine, twice! My suggestion is for you to take a picture at the Lion Shrine for your first week of school and your last. It may be kind of a cliche at this point for Penn State students, but it only go that way because it is a really good idea, and its a cool keepsake for when you graduate.

#3 Go to the sports games. Which games you may ask? Really, just go to any of them, I mean any of them because so far I really haven’t had a bad experience. Go out and explore them, go see something that you never though you would be interested if and only if just to say that “I got to meet the golden snitch at a quidditch game,” or “I didn’t know that this school had Frisbee team.”

#4 Just have a plain old, run of the mill movie night. I am not saying stay in every night and watch a movie, I am just saying that every once in a while don’t be afraid to have a lazy Saturday with friends.

#5 Find a favorite spot on campus. Just go out and explore campus, go see every facet and aspect of it, and then find somewhere that just makes you happy to go and visit it. Trust me, you will thank me during finals week.

# 6 Take a bus off campus. Everyone should do it sooner rather than later, learn the bus system, or at least how to get from campus to Walmart on a bus in case you ever find yourself needing something.

#7 Eat at every meal time. This means make sure that at least once on campus you go to not just the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also the fun and delicious brunch and late night that have all of the junky and really good foods.

# 8 Eat at every dining commons. On campus we have East which is great for the Big O, West which has a really good buffet, North for the Gyros in the buffet line, South for Late Night with all of its tater tot and curly fry goodness, and Pollock where they have really good Brunch, but beware of the lines.

#9 Eat the junk food off of campus. There are some great and memorable places off campus to eat, like Gumby’s for Pokey Sticks, Corner Room because its a class, The Diner for its grilled stickies, R U Hungry for its giant weird Sandwiches, Insomnia for some great late night cookies, and D.P Dough for some pretty good calzones.

#10 Be open to new things. I can’t really nail down any specifics for you, but when the time comes and you think “ew sushi is gross” or “I don’t want to go to the gym, its gross” just go and try it, you might find that you like it, or you might not.

 

9 thoughts on “Mary’s Top Ten at Penn State

  1. Khushboo Attarwala

    I definitely think this is a great list! I’ve already done many of the things on here and that makes me feel pretty accomplished. I definitely agree with all your food related suggestions. My friend and I have this mission to eat all the restaurants downtown before we graduate! Hopefully they don’t open too many new ones.

  2. Brittany Ayers

    This is really cool. It’s a different type of top ten list. I like it. It’s all the things every student really should do. Oops. I haven’t gotten a picture with the Lion Shrine yet. I’ll have to do that in the next two weeks!

  3. Jacob Cordell

    #5 is the most important I’d say. Find a place, explore its facets. See what makes you happy there. Move on. Do it again.
    It’s a great way to explore campus and have a fun time.

  4. Josh Larimer

    I want to go to the arboretum! Number 7 concerns me though. I think that is how you gain an absurd about of weight, the Freshman 15. I think you have to forgo some meals in order to keep a lean physique.

  5. Carson Morey

    I’ve also done almost all of these! I think the biggest thing is, like you said, to be open to trying new things. It’s amazing to see what great things you can discover here when you’re willing to seek them out.

  6. Helen Tang

    #5 is the duck pond for me! Those ducks can always make me feel better : ) The arboretum is awesome too, though it’s a bit far to visit it on a daily basis. Also, fun fact, the first time I tried to take a picture at the Lion Shrine, I almost fell off the lion…

  7. Marcus Erdman

    I’ve actually never taken a picture at the lion shrine, I should do that. I’ve also never eaten at North, which is something I’m slightly curious about (but not curious enough to walk all the way up to north)

  8. Brad Pechin

    I like this a lot. I feel like most people miss out on a lot of great things at Penn State because either they just stick to their routine and never try anything new, or they are close-minded and think what they have experienced is the best. But they’re wrong! The thing you said that I agree with most is definitely the suggestion to eat at every dining commons. They are all different, and they are all good for different things. For instance, the warm cookies at West are insanely delicious, and the pizza at the Big Onion is the best in any commons. People really do need to explore all of Penn State, or they will miss out on a lot of amazing experiences.

  9. Jennifer

    I’ve actually done most of these! My favorite place on campus by far is the duck pond. It is so peaceful and can take all my stress away. I think finding that spot will help everyone get through their college years with a little more ease.

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