Pennsylvania State University

Nobody owes you a living or a good grade. You must earn attention and respect by the merit of your work. Great work (in school or the work world) comes from intense focus and the ability to finish a job in a professional way. Take a page from JoePa - never give up, never let them see you sweat, and act like you've been in the end zone before.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

I am double majoring in computer and electrical engineering at Penn State. After 3 years of experience, I can say that my Penn State experience has been fun and rewarding, but the courses were certainly more difficult than I anticipated.

Don't go to Penn State (or any college for that matter) thinking that you won't have to work for what you want. Some of the things I love about Penn State are the incredible people and the sheer diversity of the campus. There is a lot to do here and a lot of fields that you can study. Any interest you might have is well represented here. The teachers are helpful if you go in to office hours and get to know them. The classes are interesting and most of the labs are actually relevant and useful for learning.

Some of the bad things are large classes, too many graduate student TAs (not always the best teachers), difficult course loads (which is what you should expect from any good engineering program), and the expenses of college (which you'll pay anywhere, but I wish were from in state). Overall, I'd say Penn State is a good value and given the choice a second time, I'd choose Penn State again. I've made a lot of really great friends and I feel like I'm learning the material well enough to lead a prosperous career in the future. Good luck to all of you.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2007

Social Life: A+, Innovation: C+

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000