The Freshmen's Guide to Penn State

Not much happens the first weekend for freshmen so you guys should be fine. Returning students will be partying and reconnecting with old friends. You’ll be lucky if you can find an open party let alone get into one the first weekend. And I don’t mean it to be rude. I’m just saying that the parties that happen the first week are usually friends getting back together and not these all out ragers that you may have expected.

It depends on the college where you take the course but generally yes. 

Check this out

http://admissions.psu.edu/info/future/transfer/credit/

I’ve had classes with over 700 kids and classes with as few as 6. It all depends on the class and your specific college. Entry level classes are generally large lectures but there are a good number of entry level classes that have small sizes.

I will say that those class with 300-600 kids were not bad. I learned just as much as I would in a normal sized classroom. The thing about the larger classes is that it’s really up to you to make sure that you are learning. You need to make sure that you attend lectures and don’t skip since most don’t take attendance. Make sure you take notes and look over them.

In those cases where the professor moves too quickly or you can’t see the board or you don’t understand or whatever is your dilemma, all professors have office hours where you can personally go to them or a Teaching Assistant for further help or explanation. 

I don’t prefer big lectures but they are definitely not the monstrous issue that small colleges try to make it out to be.

It’s time for me to get on the old soapbox again. And I know I’m going to get a bunch of shit from random college students that read the blog but this is just my opinion.

I firmly believe that those of my friends that have graduated from this University and found jobs did not get the job just because they went here. Of course the name does hold positive weight within the job market but not as much as people think.

What was more beneficial to my friends landing these jobs was the resources and opportunities that this University provided for them. i.e. career services, job fairs and internships.

In addition to that, most of my friends are majoring in areas that have available job opening and potential. I am not going to badmouth any majors but it’s a known fact that some majors qualify you for a career that has better job opportunities.

And many of the people that I call friends and attend this University have great work ethics and just aren’t going to settle for less. Don’t get me wrong I love this place and will give it credit where credit is due, but when it comes to getting a job upon graduating, its all up to you and not the school’s name.

So to answer your question, A good number of my friends that have graduated have found some form or work. This is not just because they went to this school. They still had to work hard and stay dedicated.

Summer session is a very small group of students compared to fall and spring semesters but with that being said there is still enough people here for you to have a good time. It really doesn’t matter which half you stay for as they will both be equally dead when compared to spring and fall. You will have to look a little harder for people but they are certainly here.

A really good friend of mine from home went to a satellite campus and transferred in after two years at a branch campus. Lets just say that she does so well that we only talk when we’re home. She has plenty of friends. Coming from a branch campus will not leave you friendless.

Honestly it’s not that big of a deal. Right from the beginning they split up the parents and students. They take your parents off to learn about parental things and the students off to do student things. Then you get back together towards the end. If having your parents around is a concern then it shouldn’t be… because they won’t be.

If you just want to do the whole independent thing then that’s fine too but I do believe they give the parents some vital information in their little parents session.

No it’s not. This shows another example of the phenomena known as a vocal minority.

When things are going well and great no one says a word. As soon as things don’t go as planned or downhill people start to speak up. This is what happens with roommates. Most people are good and not weird noisy slobs. Even those that are can be worked with by talking to them and letting them know that the things they are doing are not contingent with proper roommate etiquette. 

So to refresh. No random roommates are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. 

This is tough for me. I’ve seen it work in one case and fail miserably in another case. The case that worked was due to the fact that neither of the two people in the relationship actually did anything. They were always together and when they weren’t together they were studying or sleeping. There was no one else to consider so sure the relationship “worked.” I know this because the kid was my roommate.

The other relationship that I saw fail was one where the couple both got involved in separate things. They found separate friends and found themselves realizing that they didn’t have as much in common as they thought. Now unless you and your boyfriend share ALL the same interests and have ALL the same interests then this could happen to you. 

Of course non of this could happen. I hope all goes well.

It’s all about who you know. If you have a good number of friends here already then you guys can have your own parties and make your own fun. As someone that’s coming here for the first time I can’t imagine that you’d know to many people. 

I can say that incoming freshman have a way of finding each other. These groups then have greater chances of finding and getting into parties simply because there’s someone who knows someone that’s having a party and can get everyone else in. 

So what I’m saying is that the parties are happening. As an incoming freshman you are not likely to know about them. So it’s advised that you make tons of friends in hopes that one of them will either be having a party or know someone else that is.

Activities are entirely up to you. There’s plenty of things to do, you just have to figure out what to do.

You can do whatever you want with your food and your meal points. Bring 100 people if you can afford them. However, it should be noted that you are charged extra for guests when buying food in the dining halls. If you buy the food yourself and bring it to someone then you’re kind of beating the system by not paying the extra fee but no one cares what you do with your food or meal points.

I actually almost lived up there. The price is mid range for apartments around here and they are very nice. They tend to be newer and more extravagant but they are far. The distance can be a killer. You pretty much have to take a car or a bus to get to and from campus. There’s no walking. You can probably do it if you have to but it’d take forever and you’d be exhausted.

I’d say no. I’ve seen it work with some people and I’ve seen it fail with others.  I’d say it’s not worth it.

Found this online

State College Fake ID charges often arise in two scenarios: 1) an underage person possesses an altered or fictitious license that provides a date of birth that makes the holder over 21; and 2) a person stopped by police for committing a criminal offense, such as Underage Drinking, attempts to avoid getting into trouble and provides the police with an incorrect date of birth, fake name, or the name of a friend that is over 21. Under the first scenario, it is illegal to possess an identification card that falsely identifies the holder as being over 21, and person is charged withPossession of a False Identification Card.  Under the second scenario, the person is charged with False Identification to Law Enforcement.

Under either scenario, the charges should not be considered minor as they are crimen falsioffenses that can impact future job opportunities, and, if the person is convicted, the court will impose a sentence that could include fines, probation, and a suspension of Pennsylvania driving privileges. 

http://www.mystatecollegelawyer.com/Practice-Areas/Fake-ID.shtml

So there’s actually a fairly large art/theater/film crowd here at Penn State. It’s great because you will most certainly be able to find the  people that are as passionate about your form of art as you are.  

I have like one actual sweater and I just throw it in the washing machine. Not sure what everyone else does…