Pennsylvania State University

Penn State is known by everyone. We have the biggest alumni association and connections almost everywhere. I take a while to get to know people but have found a core group of friends that have the same interests as me. the party scene is fun but can get old at times. If you go to class and study for tests you will be fine.The fall semester is much more fun than the spring however, because football season seems to make the campus electric. Nothing better than a fall morning, a few beers, and a big ten football game, gives me goosebumps. We Are.......

3rd Year Male -- Class 2008

Education Quality: A+, Innovation: B

As nice and beautiful as a school Penn State is - I have never seen such a place waste more money. They waste energy with inefficient heating/cooling systems, on their maintenance people (OPP); it's the sort of little things you see everyday that they never crack down on that makes the tuition continually rise higher.

Overall, professors and people alike are great for the most part. People can be a little snooty here and there in the elective classes.

One of the most beautiful campus's in almost all seasons.

5th Year Male -- Class 2007

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Scholastic Success: D

I am still a first year student, so my opinions may change by the time I graduate...
Penn State is definately a great value for any In-State student, given the great reputation that it has around the country, its alumni network, quality of education, and tuition (although it is the highest in state tuition of any state school). As an out of state student, the tuition is a bit high, although for a school ranked in the 50s by most rankings, it is worth it.

Pros that I have found: in general, people know PSU and are impressed based on what they know about the school, which doesn't hurt when job hunting in the future. There are a lot of majors to choose from, and many of them are known to be quite good, such as engineering and meteorology. Admissions is actually not too competitive ( I got in with an unweighted 3.17 gpa, 1980 SATs, 31 ACTS, not too many APs or extracurriculars. They say that for out of state, GPA is 2/3 of the decision...) Social life wise, if you are into huge parties with lots of alcohol, State is the place for you. If you tend to like smaller groups of people, or do not like to drink, you might find the herds of drunken kids that infest the streets of campus and town thursday through saturday annoyying.

If you are looking for a big school, PSU is definately one of the larger ones, which can be good or bad.

Cons: Very few people get scholarships, at least from what I know. I haven't really met anyone from the many people I've talked to who have gotten any aid from the school directly.

Being at a school with over 40,000 other undergrads is definately intimidating, as you can walk around for hours and not see anyone you know. However, if you are friendly and sociable of course you will make friends and it will seem like a smaller place after the first few weeks.

Diversity wise, Penn State is terrible. I am Asian, so I do notice the way different ethnic groups interract with each other, and I was disappointed to find out that white kids tend to hang out with whites, blacks with blacks, asians with asians, and so on. Of course, there are exceptions.

1st Year Female -- Class 2010

Campus Aesthetics: A, Collaboration/Competitive: C