The Freshmen's Guide to Penn State

6 Things about Penn State You Won’t Find on a College Tour

     Before choosing which college to go to, many students base their decision off of their college tours. Sure you’ll learn about the graduation rate, classroom size, and on-campus living, but who really cares about that? We want to know what college is really like, not what the school wants us to know.

     Having almost finished my freshman year at Penn State, I have learned things about Penn State that no one had told me about before. So, let’s take a look at the things that Penn State does not want you to know about:

On the Sunday before finals week, Penn State seniors (and others) show a little more than their Lion Pride during the Mifflin Streak. In a tradition that began in 1977, the Mifflin Streak, named after the street on which it takes place, is considered to be a requirement before graduating. While Penn State does not offer any credits for this event, it is still a very valuable experience for those involved.

After being at Penn State for about a week, I experienced my first weekend White Loop ride. During the day, the White Loop has the innocence of a child, however, at night everything changes. The innocence of that child is stolen away by hundreds of drunken people heading to frats and other parties. At night, barricades are set up at the stops to keep the hundreds of people in line (or from falling over). A CATA employee is also sometimes found at the bus stops with a megaphone to keep things under control. Hundreds of people cram “behind the yellow line” in hopes that they won’t have to wait for the next bus. The bus also becomes filled with a lingering aroma of alcohol.

While on the bus, you are bound to hear students singing Journey’s, Don’t Stop Believing or Zombie Nation’s Kernkraft 400, both songs played at football games. All of these things combine for one amazing experience that everyone should see at least once.

Before I came to Penn State, I usually referred to those people who are overly consumed with themselves as ignorant and conceited. However, at Penn State (and I’m sure other colleges) we have labeled them as Frat Stars and Sorostitutes.  According to Urban Dictionary, Frat Stars are

“The cream of the crop of college life. This superior male can be found enjoying fratty light at the frat castle wearing dockers, sperry’s and a seersucker blazer. Always a gentleman, frat stars go out of their way to open doors for ladies but never shy to take a slam piece to pound town.”

The accuracy of this definition varies in the eyes of different people. However, what is true is that there are people like this and they are at Penn State along with other colleges.

With Frat Stars come Sorostitutes. Sorostitute is the name given to those girls in sororities who are generally thought of to be stuck up and self-centered. Such girls only go out with Frat Stars and look down upon GDI’s (God Damn Independent’s). As a GDI myself, I am pretty happy not being in a frat, even if I’m judged by Frat stars and Sorostitutes.

(Photo By:http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/278940/)

 (Picture Taken By Linette Lopez)

Just like the White Loop, Penn State’s Downtown is much different during the day then it is at night. As seen below, Allen Street (road that runs towards campus) has a peaceful environment that would be fitting for children and their parents.

However, at night, shit hits the fan.

If you’re ever looking for something fun to do on the weekend at Penn State, go Downtown at night and watch the people walking around. After spending hours drinking and dancing, crowds of people flood downtown looking to satisfy their beer munchies. The 24Hour McDonald’s is like a magnet for Frat Stars, Sorostitutes, and G.D.I’s. While downtown, you might be lucky enough to see Boom Box Guy sitting on a corner listening to his 80’s music or the Dub Step Biker riding around with his neon lights. However, if you’re really lucky, you might even see one of these:

Penn State has become well known for its riots in the past few years, as well as our ability to flip vans. However, despite criticism from the media and many others, we will most likely continue to demonstrate our excellence in revolting.

Tunnels? Underground? Yup. Even though this might not deal with streaking or drinking, I thought it was fucking awesome. After voyaging to the basement of our dorm building, we came across one door that led us to this: an extensive series of tunnels, connecting the buildings around East Halls (where most freshmen live at Penn State). This picture came from my phone.  It was like stepping through the wardrobe leading to Narnia; so obviously we had to explore our newfound realm. With some hesitation, we entered this unknown territory and began our trek. As we went further and further through the tunnels, we knew it was too late to turn back so we kept on. At some points, the long walkways grew smaller and smaller until we reached another door to another dorm building, far from where we came from. We held in our excitement until we reached the ground level of Pennypacker Hall. And then we yelled, “Hell Yea! We made it!” while Pennypacker residents looked at us like snobby 8^th graders, wondering why we were so happy. After our conquest ended, I decided to look up why these tunnels, which connected all buildings in East Halls, were here.

After doing some research, I found out that the tunnels were originally designed as fall-out shelters during the Cold War era (Reeser 1). They were filled with supplies in case an attack was to take place. Now, the tunnels store Micro-fridges and extra furniture from the dorms. They also allow for employees to easily transport things from one building to another. However, to my friends and I, the tunnels will still be a sphere of the unknown.

(Photo By: http://www.theschoolphilly.com/top-10-events-at-penn-state-2/)

In 2007, St. Patrick’s Day would occur over Penn State’s Spring Break and who wants that? Therefore, a few students decided to create a Facebook Event to move St. Patrick’s Day to the week before Spring Break. Now, this Penn State holiday has grown year after year, drawing in people from all over. Stores downtown stock up with their green gear and brace for the holiday (aka shit-show). Drinking starts as early as 8am with Kegs and Eggs, and can last until 4am. Last year’s State Patty’s Day brought 234 arrests, 14 D.U.I’s, 14 alcohol overdoses, and 34 disorderly people. Not bad for one weekend. So, get your green out and come to Penn State, to see what it’s really like here.