Pennsylvania State University

I wish I would have majored in something useful - at least pursued a specific degree (such as engineering, accounting) instead of a general education (general math). I would have been much more likely to find employment.I also wish I had utilitzed the career fairs at the school more wisely. There are hundreds of employers there, lots of opportunites to get feedback on your resume, interview skills, education and courses taken so far.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Penn State has a wealth of opportunites. You have to learn to make the most of it, to ask for what you want, and to push yourself. No one is going to hand you anything on a silver platter. No one is going to care about your success but you. The administration sponsors numerous excellent programs, but they are not well advertised and you have to look for them yourself. PSU is what you make of it. You can easily slide through with a C average, or work harder and get A's.

Some departments are easier than others; classes can be easy or hard depending on the professor, so it often feels like luck of the draw when it comes to grades. Professors run the gamut from helpful and extremely friendly, to assistants with poor english skills, to super-busy researchers, to advisers who actually run to avoid meeting with students.

It's extremely easy to cheat in classes and still do well - professors usually look the other way, and I had a least one class every semester where blatant cheating was overlooked. Many professors are very trusting, and will generally help you with projects, help you with homework, or give you extra time to work on projects.

Most people stay at PSU more than 4 years - there are so many choices, and a laid back atmosphere, that there isn't too much pressure to be aggressive about graduating, getting ahead, or picking a major. Most people take more than 4 years, and 5-6 is not uncommon. It's a comfortable life, and many people are willing to stay a little longer.

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As far as social life goes, there are lots of parties every weekend. If you aren't a party person, there is also lots of cool things to do in town. PSU sponsors a lot of late night activies, free movies, games and crafts, which can be a lot of fun. Finding people to go with you can be a problem, since non-drinkers do meet with a lot of derision on this campus.

I think people who fit in the best at PSU are social-party going types who easily make friends and don't stick too far out of the mainstream. If you are a little shy it can be hard to make friends, since the outgoing types can find more of their own, and won't take time to get to know you. I wish I had gone to a campus with more nerdy-shy types, I would have been happier.

___________________________________________________Overall, PSU has a good reputation, even out of state. Many people were impressed that I went to this school, and it has become a talking point in interviews. That being said, there are many types of PSU degrees - some are worth more than others, but overall it's a good school, better for outgoing self-promoters, but with a place for everyone.

5th Year Female -- Class 2003

University Resource Use/ spending: A, Useful Schoolwork: F

Penn State had its ups and downs. I liked attending a big university and experiencing the typical college lifestyle, such as the college town, football games, and the party scene. However, a word of advice about going to PSU. I recommend starting at a branch campus to get acclimated to college life and actually having your gen eds taught by real professors who go out of their way to help, plus the benefits of smaller class sizes. Main campus treats the freshman/sophmores like crap (from what I've heard) since I started at Penn State Altoona I had the benefits of main campus being so close and the personal attention from advisors and faculty at Altoona campus. My upper level classes at main campus were relatively small and taught by professors except the only difference was that most of the profs in the psych dept were difficult to contact which is why the TAs are the prof's bitches. I always perceived arrogance from the psychology professors because they spend most of their time researching and writing text books. WORD OF ADVICE: You have to be a good self-advocate in the psych dept because it's such a huge major. Personally, I didn't have a problem because I knew how the system worked and had my career goals in place. WHAT SUCKED: Getting profs to write grad school recommendations. I had one of my references rejected because the letter sucked and then had another professor avoid me for 3 months when I would ask if he had written the letter, he finally did it after months of reminding him.

4th Year Female -- Class 2003

Campus Maintenance: A, Faculty Accessibility: B-