Pennsylvania State University

PSU is what you make it, you may not have carloads of drinking buddies but you will find your niche and like-minded people because there are over 40,000 of them.

Some of the clubs and sororities/fraternities are very political in terms of who gets leadership positions. But there are so many clubs that you will find at least one and probably several that you will enjoy and where you can gain some leadership experience. I definitely am the type of person who needs a lot going on and you can find that at psu. Make an effort freshman year to meet people and be proactive; find events that interest you and go to all the "information meetings" ~ you can probably eat free for two weeks if you go to all the ones with pizza.

The only thing I regret is not taking advantage of the interview programs at career services, you have to be able to sell yourself to get jobs. Whichever university you go to, it will be an adjustment the first year, and you'll be homesick. If you excelled in high school you may find the academics not that challenging. I thought of transferring, but the activities I got involved in, the general atmosphere of psu, and the benefits from being at a large school (a TON more eating options, tech support staff, free software, guest speakers, concerts) made me stay. I would consider being a professor at psu, that is how much i like the atmosphere and helping new students find their own place there.