Finals Week

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Going through your first finals week of your freshman year, you learn a lot. You learn which one of your friends are going to get you to study more vs. the ones that gets you off track. You will see many I mean many meme’s on Facebook about how to survive finals week(picture above). Everything will be more entertaining that studying, even staring into space. Then it is magically all over, you get to sleep and everything seems to be rainbows and butterflies. I hope everyone survived or is surviving finals week. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My College Decision

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It is funny how the smallest things can change your life. The object that changed mine was a Penn State Barbie doll. I was six years old when I got it. My Dad was getting a master’s degree from one of the branch campuses near us. He went to hand in a paper and took me with him, and because I was such a good girl on the ride there he told me I could get something from the school store. That’s when I found my Penn State Barbie doll.

I loved this Barbie! Of course, I wanted to be like my Dad and Barbie so I decided at my Dad’s graduation that I was going to Penn State University. For years to come I always said I was going there even before I figured out what a great school it is.

Once, I hit my tween years I grew out of Barbie’s and I forgot about Penn State.

Then the time came when I started to look into different options for college. I applied to a lot of different school and had to make my decision where to go. It was a very hard decision for me because I once again I fell in love with Penn State but I was scared to move so far away from home. I even had to make a pro and con list because my top two schools I wanted to go to were so different and great in their own way. I felt hopeless I loved both schools so much but for vastly different reasons.

Then everything changed because I randomly found my Penn State Barbie doll. I had not seen it for years and then all of a sudden when I had to make this huge decision, it was there. After, I found that Barbie I knew I had to take the leap of faith and move away from home.

Finding that Barbie doll was my aha moment where I knew Penn State is where I wanted to be.

Finding your Freshman Roommate

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In choosing your freshman roommate you have three options, get a random roommate, choose a friend or find someone on Facebook. The truth is there is no correct or best way to choose a roommate. Every one of these choices is a gamble.

When I was deciding how I was going to get my roommate for freshman year I had no idea what to do. So I am going to give you the good the bad and the ugly stories of me and my friends experiences. I hope it helps you with finding your new roommate for your freshman year.

These are all true stories!

Scenario one: The Classic Random Roommate.

(Chelsea and Chrissy’s Story)

This is my story I have went for the random roommates twice. I choose to go for a random roommate in the summer and fall of my freshman year. My summer roommate and I had a very civil relationship we talked a little but at the end of the day we did not have much in common. I am currently living with my second random roommate Chelsea. Chelsea and I get along very well. We talk a lot and sometimes we even have what we call a “roomie dinner” which is ordering a lot of Papa Johns. Even though she is a Pittsburg fan and I am a Philly fan we get along really well. We have learned to live together and have become really close. She is the one person I cannot hide anything from because I live with her. We don’t hang out much outside of our room but I think that it is good because we are not constantly hanging out with each other. Spending all your time with someone might just drive you crazy.

(John and ???’s Story)

My friend John over the summer did not start on the right foot with his roommate. They did not like each other at all. The room was extremely quiet and nobody talked in the room. They made it through the summer but it was pretty awkward.

Scenario two: Choosing a friend from home

(Jane and Rachel’s Story)

My friend Jane roomed with her mutual friend from high school Rachel. It started out really good but then Jane started hanging out with her new friends from college and Rachel stays in and watch Netflix all the time. Therefore, Rachel is clinging onto Jane and it is causing real problems in their relationship.

Scenario Three: Finding someone on Facebook

(Emily and Mary’s Story)

My friend Emily found her roommate for freshman year on Facebook. The met in person once before they decided to be roommates. Everything was going great they texted a lot before school started and they even decorated the room together. During the first week of school everything was great but then her roommate Mary got a boyfriend and Emily and Mary’s relationship drastically changed. Mary’s entire personality changed because of her new boyfriend. All of the sudden she wanted control of everything. She would freak out if the room was messy at all. She would use my friend for her coffee and T.V. One time she even yelled at my friend for using the T.V. The horror story never ended with this roommate. Emily also had to deal with a third roommate because the boyfriend was constantly over their room.

(Emily and Emilie’s Story)

Two of my good friends live together their names are Emily and Emilie. They meet on Facebook and are now best friends. They hang out with each other all the time. It puts some stress on their relationship spending so much time together but at the end of the day they are best friends and love living together.

There is good and bad for all the situations. I hope these stories can help you make this decision.

Best of Luck!

-Chrissy

ChrissyPSU@gmail.com

5 Things That You Should Get For Your Dorm Room

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Bed Risers – This is essential because the beds are close to the ground and having bed risers gives you storage for random stuff like suitcases.

Thumbtacks – Every dorm at Penn State has a cork board so having thumbtacks is awesome because you can actually use the board. It can also help you stay organized or it can just be an expression of who you are. For example, mine is covered with everything from business cards to letters from my Grandma.

Printer – It is a pain in the butt when you finish a paper and then have to find somewhere to print it out. Even though East has a computer lab, sometimes it is just too hard to get there before your paper or project is due. Therefore, having a printer is a life saver!

Extra Food- Even though there are a ton of places to eat on campus sometimes you are too busy or sleepy to go get food. Having a stash of easy mac and soup is a must and some extra candy doesn’t hurt.

Full Length Mirror– Every dorm room comes with mirrors. However, they are not all long mirrors. Therefore, you can’t make sure your whole outfit looks good. I put one on my closet door and I love it.

Extra Help On and Off Campus

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I feel like I see a new part of campus every day! There is always a new place to eat, hide, play, study, and so on. Just recently I have been finding out a lot of information about extra help with my classes. It is a little over half way through my first fall semester so it is about time to really crack down on doing homework, studying for tests, and writing papers. Therefore, I have needed a helping hand through some of it.

On Campus Help:

Office Hours – Office Hours are when you professor is in their office and they let students walk in and ask questions without a scheduled time. I have personally done this multiple times and it is extremely helpful.

Writing Tutors- On campus students are able to get their papers reviewed at a writing lab for free. It is always good to get someone to look over your paper before you hand it in and it is even better because it is free!

Here is a link to a list of all the subjects Penn State has extra help for.

https://pennstatelearning.psu.edu/tutoring

Off Campus Help:

Nittany Notes- I just recently purchased my first Nittany Notes. Nittany Notes are all the notes from a specific class and then a practice test for the exam. Sometimes the “note taker” is in you class so everything is up to date. However, for my two classes the notes were taken last year with the same teacher. I compared the two notes and there was not too much of a difference with the material except for guest speakers.

http://www.nittanynotes.com/

Lion Tutors- I have not used Lion Tutors because they do not offer my courses. However, my friends love it. Like Nittany Notes, they also give you notes and a practice exam. Plus, they also offer tutoring services. They do individual tutoring and they do group tutoring before an exam.

http://www.liontutors.com/services/

PSU Know How – This is very similar to Lion Tutors they have tutors can help you one on one or you can do a large group session.

http://www.psuknowhow.com/psuknowhow-services/

Declaring a Major/College on your Application

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It’s ok to be Undecided about your major!

While applying to Universities you have the opportunity to choose the specific College within the University that you would like to attend. For example, if you want to be a marketing major you would apply to the College of Business. When I was applying to schools I thought I wanted to be a business major but was not sure. I was still looking for a major I would fall in love with. Because I wanted more time to explore the many majors Penn State had to offer, I applied as an undecided student.

Choosing to be an undecided student at Penn State was one of the best decisions I have made. Being in the Division of Undergraduate Studies gave me the opportunity to look at a variety of different majors and ask my advisor questions about the majors. The college was very active and would send me lots of emails informing me about different majors and colleges offered at Penn State.

After spending a lot of time searching different majors on the University Bulletin, I found my major. Just a few weeks ago I talked to my advisor at the Division of Undergraduate Studies and switched to the College of Health and Human Development. My major is Recreation Parks and Tourism Management with a concentration in Commercial and Community Recreation. It took me hours of searching to even find that this major existed but I quickly fell in love with the type of work I do and classes that I take.

I hope you find your dream major and your dream job. Just remember that it’s ok to not to know what you want to do with the rest of your life! It is a huge decision that cannot be made overnight. Going into the College of the Division of Undergraduate Studies is a great way to explore all types of majors and career paths.

Penn State University Bulletin

http://bulletins.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/

Division of Undergraduate Studies

http://dus.psu.edu/

Commonly Asked Questions

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Where do most freshmen live?

Most freshmen live in East Halls; the only upperclassmen that live in East are the residence assistants (RA’s). The second most popular area for freshmen is Pollock Halls. There are very few freshmen that live in West, South and North residence halls. If you are not doing a special housing option, I would suggest living in East Halls or Pollock because there are a lot of freshmen there who are eager to make friends.

(Information about residence areas)

http://www.hfs.psu.edu/housing/housing/residence-areas/index.cfm

(Information on special living options)

http://www.hfs.psu.edu/housing/housing/special-living-options.cfm

(East Residence Halls)

How does the laundry system work?

Laundry is located in different places according to the residence building. Most facilities are located on every other floor but some have one large laundry room in the basement. You pay for laundry through Lions Cash which is on your Penn State ID card. It is currently $1.50 for the washer and $0.50 for the dryer. The washer takes around 30 minutes give or take for the type of cycle and the dryer takes around 50 minutes.

(Lion Cash information)

http://www.idcard.psu.edu/IDCard/LionCash/index.cfm

Should I bring a bike?

I love having my bike on campus- it saves me a lot of time! Penn State University Park is very large campus; a bike makes it a lot easier to get to all of my classes on time without feeling rushed. Some of my friends do not feel comfortable biking around campus because they are afraid they will run into people but most students get used to riding through campus. So depending on where your classes are on campus you might want to bring your bike. If you decide you want to bring a bike on campus make sure to get your bike registered and bring a bike lock.

(Bike Registration)

http://www.transportation.psu.edu/transportation/alt-Transportation/bicycles/registration.cfm

Should I bring a fan?

YES! No matter where you are on campus or the time of year you will want a fan! Most housing on campus does not have air-conditioning, so a fan is needed for those hot days in August. Also, I have not experienced winter at State College yet, however, my brother says sometimes the heater is so hot that he opened his window freshman year.

If you have any questions that are not here please E-mail me and I will try to either respond directly to you or will post the question and answer on my blog page.

chrissypsu@gmail.com

Freshman Summer at Penn State

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As students are looking into applying to Penn State there will be a question they will have to answer on the application form. Summer or Fall. When I was applying to Penn State I had talked to my parents and figured that summer was the way to go for me. I hope this overview of summer life at Penn State can help future students make the decision on when to start attending Penn State.

Classes- The classes students take in LEAP (the Learning Edge Academic Program) is a little different than normal summer session, which is also an option for freshman students. LEAP provides the service of smoothing the transition between high school and college. I honestly think it really did help. I had two classes that had the same group of kids in it. Therefore, everyone had the same deadlines, tests and projects due. There were many study sessions and practicing of the speeches in the HUB the night before a test or speech was happening. Also, a part of being in leap that is different from normal summer session is that leap students get mentors. These mentors kept the groups involved and updated in activities that were happening all summer long. College is a lot different from high school curriculum and there is a lot more expected of the students. So getting thrown into 2 classes instead of 5 could be the right choice for some students.

Social Life- Summer session is only around six weeks long. Therefore, most students decide only to go home once or stay the whole summer at University Park. There is usually more free time in the summer sessions because leapers are only taking two classes. There is more time to hang out with people and there is always something to do! I knew people who worked out all the time, people who got jobs, joined the groups that were there in the summer, explored campus and went to the many places down town. In addition, the weather is really nice in the summer so there are a lot of pick-up games of volleyball and basketball that anyone can usually join in on.

Dorm Life- Dorm life is nice and easy there is a specific meal plan that everyone has to buy for summer. That meal plan gives you the ability to eat 3 meals a day at the dinning commons and have money left over for summer. The dorm room that I stayed in for LEAP was in South residence area, they are very nice and only a short walk to downtown. Most important aspect of summer dorm life is BRING A FAN!! The dorms I stayed in did not have air conditioning. So make sure you have a good fan or you might just want to sleep in the HUB and steal some air conditioning.

Campus in the Summer- The campus in the summer is a bit different than from the fall. Some of the main difference is the amount of people on campus. There is a lot more room just because there are not 40,000 students just wandering around. Also, there are a lot of kids summer camps that go on and a lot of them eat in some of the same dinning commons as the students. Most important thing that happens in the summer besides for classes is Arts Fest. At Arts Fest there is a massive amount of art venders who go down town State College and on campus to sell and display their art.

I truly believe my summer at Penn State was the best summer of my life! I would suggest it to anyone, especially if you are uneasy about starting college because LEAP does a great job at getting your feet wet.

Let’s Talk Professors

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Professors are a huge part of your college experience. I have had a decent amount of professors at Penn State University Park and I have had many different experiences with all these professors.

Characteristics I found most Professors have:

Passion for what they teach

I am currently taking PPATH120 “A Fungal Jungle”. I have never seen someone get more excited about fungi than my two Professors. They described fungi by sometimes calling them beautiful, pretty, cute, etc. Personally I do not care too much for fungi but they have really opened my eyes to the world of fungi. Also, seeing them so excited about the subject makes class a lot more interesting.

The rest of my teachers are also completely immerged in their field of study. They always want students coming to office hours so they can talk more about their subject. For example, my philosophy teacher loves when students ask her questions or when they want to have an in-depth conversation about philosophy. It is kind of like when a 13 year girl who is obsessed with Justin Bieber, never passes up an opportunity to talk about him.

They are very Intelligent

These professors are extremely well educated and have great backgrounds in their fields. All but one of my Professors has their doctorate degree in their field of study. Most of them have spent large amounts of time in their field. Some are currently researching different ideas and theories at Penn State.

Easy to talk to

Just because they give you tests and grade your papers does not mean they are hard to talk to. All teachers have office hours which is a set time where professors have an open door policy for students to come in and ask questions. I have gone to office hours before and have gotten a lot of one-on-one time to go over class material that I did not understand.

The best advice I can give you about teachers is to look them up on the website Rate my Professor. This website has helped me countless times to find great professors. All in all, I have really enjoyed the professors on campus and look forward to taking more classes with these outstanding individuals.

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=758

PPATH120 “A Fungal Jungle” Class

My First Canning Weekend!

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Friday

It all started when I finished my last class… I rushed home to pack for the weekend trip of canning for THON. While I was walking back to my dorm, I ran into my friend Karlie, who was also going on the trip with our group. We were worrying about our first weekend with things like what to bring and what to wear. We finally finished packing and left to go meet up with everyone from A-7, A GREAT THON Organization! When we met up, we found out that we would be riding in a car with Matt and Will. We had a blast during the car ride and we even had more fun when we stopped for dinner!

Sonic was a great stop for a food break and we even met up with another group that was headed to the same house as were! We all got great smoothies, burgers, and more. However, the funniest part about Sonic did not happen until we left. Will was so happy to get his Cherry Slush. However, after waiting for what seemed like forever to get his Slush, Will finally got it and we were soon on our way. Then, after everyone was in the car and we began to leave, we heard the infamous “ka-plunk”! Yes, you guessed it, it was Will’s Slush hitting the pavement. Apparently, with all the excitement of trying to be the first group to be back on the road, Will forgot his Slush on the top of the car and needless to say, it was history. Will was very sad about not having his slush and talked about that for a good hour. Unfortunately, the rest of us in the car found it quite funny because it seemed like a scene right out of a movie!

After a few more hours in the car, the 5 hour drive was completed! We arrived at Chris’s parent’s home and were welcomed by his amazing parents. Our group was the last to arrive but we all ate pizza, snacks, and ended up watching Zoolander until we fell asleep around 1:30 am.

Saturday

We woke up around 6:30 AM and there was a homemade breakfast waiting for all of us upstairs. Although we were all still sleepy, somehow, we still managed to eat a lot of food. Then, before we knew it, we were off to our canning destinations.

My group ended up in North Jersey canning. I was with my friends Karlie, Nick, and Josh. We all split up to take different side streets. I was on a pretty busy road and I was doing really well my first day. It is amazing the stories you hear when you just have a minute to talk with people at a red-light. I had so many people thank me for canning and collecting the money for this cause. That really touched my heart because I was taking their money and they wanted to thank me. Some of the most memorable people I met were the people that did not have a lot of money to donate but were eager to donate to such a good cause. I also met a Mom and her son. The Mom proceeded to tell me that her son had brain cancer at the age of 8 and is now a survivor.

After about 4-5 hours of canning, we all went to a local place to eat and to sit down for a little bit. Sitting down was the best feeling in the world because standing that long really hurts your feet! After a short lunch, we went back out to canning for another 5 hours. During our last 5-hour shift, Nick and Josh got a donation from Mike “The Situation” from the TV show Jersey Shore. You never know who you will see while canning!

Then, 5 o’clock hit and it was time to go home. We went back to the house to count up all the money we raised that day. We were amazed to find that between the 11 of us, we raised over $3,000 for THON! After, we finished counting, we ate an amazing home cooked meal, played games, and then watched TV. After TV watching, everyone started to fall asleep because of all the activities we had done that day!

Sunday

We once again woke up super early, had an amazing breakfast, and started on our way to do our last bit of canning. I was with the same group again except this time, Will joined our group because we were so busy the day before. We canned for about 3 hours until we had to go back to count the money. Once we arrived back “home”, we were once again greeted by great food. We had a great last meal together and then we announced that our house made around $5,000 for the kids (FTK)!. Then, it all happened very fast, we took pictures, thanked our hosts, and headed back to State College. On the way back I was with the same group of friends so of course we made the correct choice to stop and get Will a replacement Slush from Sonic and this time, it did not fall of the roof!

All in all, it was a great first experience to go canning with such a great group of people. It was extremely tiring but extremely rewarding. I am just so thankful that I can help make an impact for such a great cause.

FOR THE KIDS!