Penn State University Park Visit Report by clearlight

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - Ours was a very informal visit to PSU, we didn't set up an interview or arrange a tour. We did however meet with an admissions representative.

Information Session: Yes - Our admissions representative was terribly nice and arranged everything we wanted for us. However, if she had cut down on the pre arranged advertising for PSU I would have been alot happier.

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Campus:

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In our wanderings around campus we lost our way a few times. There were always friendly students that helped us find what we were looking for.

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Like I mentioned earlier, while the staff was very friendly and nice, I felt like a lot of what they said was pre-made advertising for PSU.

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The campus itself was really well maintained and nice looking. I think it also helped that we had come in spring.

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In sharp contrast to the outside, the inside of the buildings was often dirty and industrial looking, not pleasant at all. The regular classroom buildings were most often this way.

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We didn't visit them.

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In the time that we were there I never felt in any way unsafe, however it was a weekend and in the morning, that or school had let out already.

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A very pretty campus, still growing larger from the looks of it, and a pleasant place to be in general.

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Off-Campus:

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The small downtown area that we saw looked relatively average to good. It seemed incredibly close to campus, but still it seemed like a good, safe place to visit.

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We didn't see much of it, so I can't judge very well.

Campus Visit Notes for Penn State University Park

Visit Description:

Our trip was a relatively short and informal one, but we did end up seeing the campus and exploring a bit. We also managed to stay free of most of the PSU advertising we probably would have gotten on a tour or informational session. After getting there (a lengthy trip since we were coming back from a family holiday in North Carolina), I was immediately impressed/intimidated by the size and number of their stadiums. Being not much of a sport lover myself, it seemed a little excessive, but I'm sure most people like them. The other buildings were a mixture of old and modern that seems to be common in colleges these days. Nothing special really.
The campus was, as expected, enormous, and we got lost a few times. (not to mention our map was either outdated or just blatantly incorrect) Students were always willing to help us find things, which was really nice. After meeting with an admissions officer for a short time to answer some important questions we had about PSU, we just wandered around for a while, poking through buildings. The parts of Penn State that they don't try to show you stood out clearly, but nothing was exceptionally bad. Just dirty and in bad shape, often.
We had to leave after that, and we failed to stop at the Creamery, although my mother wanted to immensely (I understand that we commited a grievous error. No one else that goes should miss it supposedly).
All in all, it was simply pleasant. It didn't stand out particularly, except for the sheer size, from other colleges, but it wasn't disappointing in any way either.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

The one eatery that we went to (across from Sackett hall, but I can't remember the name) was decent, but nothing special.