<p>so obviously penn state has a reputation for being one of the biggest “party schools” in the country. what gives penn state this reputation? like what iis the campus like during the evening that gives it this distinction? (type of partying, etc) also, how loud do east halls get during the weekend as i know they have a reputation for being rowdy.</p>
<p>probably because students have created drinking holidays like “State Patty’s Day”, and “Cinco de State”. also if you walk downtown during the weekend nights, or during those drinking holidays, you will see hundreds of drunk people walking around and you will see huge lines for food establishments (pizza) where everyone is drunk. and also because tailgating is a huge thing, a lot of people go drunk to the football games and just party for the rest of the day.
Penn State makes it very easy to balance partying and school work.
And east halls depends on your floor/building/neighbors.</p>
<p>Ived lived in two different buildings. One where the floor was not close with each other, so no one was in the halls, and you would just heard music blasting from a couple of rooms. And the other, the whole floor was very close, and so they would all run around and yell and be rowdy. It also depends on your next door neighbors. If they dont party, then you wont hear music. But if they do, then every friday and saturday night you will probably be hearing music blasting from 8-10pm when everyone pregames in their rooms and then goes downtown to party. You dont really have to worry about people having a full blown party in east because the rooms are so small and the RAs will probably come find out.</p>
<p>Yeah, the RAs don’t do much, especially at East. Why? Because no one listens to them.</p>
<p>Stay away from East!!</p>
<p>Hey Scribbles, I’m going to have to disagree with you. First off, east is not all that bad as people on here make it out to be. Sure there are some groups where people can get out of control but really that can be easily avoided if you do not want to partake in suc activities. There are several SLOs in east where the community of teh floor is really tight0-knit and such problems do not exist. </p>
<p>As a current RA, I take offense to your statement that “no one listens to the RAs.” That can’t be any further away from the truth. It is obvious from your statement that you have never been in trouble with an RA. Because if you have and “did not listen to them” you would of been reported to the coordinator and/or police. If I am wrong and you have disrespected an RA and got away with it then he/she wasn’t doing their job.</p>
<p>Scribbles, it sounds like you had (or are still having) a bad experience in east, and I can sympathize. My son hated east and couldn’t wait to get out of there. (It’s a matter of personal preference, though, because some students really love east.) We were amazed at the noise level and partying which went on 24/7, even at, say, 3 a.m. We had mistakenly believed there were “quiet hours” that were supposed to be observed/enforced. </p>
<p>However, as with anything else, I think we should avoid making generalizations based on one experience. While weren’t impressed with most of the RAs we encountered in that hall, I know there are many RAs who do take their duties very seriously, and really make an effort to help students and make the dorm a positive environment. We have since met several such RAs at Penn State. </p>
<p>If you are having a bad experience in east and if you feel like you’re surrounded by people who just care about partying and couldn’t care less about school I would urge you to hang in there and wait until next year when you are in a different dorm (or living off campus) to see if you have a better experience. You may just need a change of environment, and if you’re around a different crowd next year, it’s likely that you will meet some kids whose personalities mesh more closely with yours. While it may not seem like it to you right now, there are plenty of non-partyers and/or serious students at PSU. </p>
<p>My son is in a different dorm now, and seems to be a better fit with the kids in his current hall (although we still have yet to see “quiet hours” enforced at all, LOL).</p>
<p>Our son recently sent in his acceptance to PSU. This discussion of the rowdiness in East and the realization that he may have no choice but to be in East, possibly in one of the 8 person overflow rooms (he waited until after other decisions on April 1), does give us concern. “Hanging in until next year” through the noise and late nights just doesn’t seem acceptable given the difficulty of first year engineering and the not inexpensive out of state costs. We were feeling pretty good about the PSU decision until now.</p>
<p>It really isn’t all that bad. </p>
<p>First off, the A LOT of the people who go in supplemental choose to stay in there even when offered a place in a regular single or double. The community you build with the other students in the same situation is supposedly very strong. Even to an extant where some look to request supplemental housing for the following year with the same people (its cheaper than regular housing). </p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t go in thinking that the noise and parties is the norm everywhere in East. It till vary depending on the RAs and the residents on the floor. I think it will definitely decrease in the dorms next year as some new policies take into effect. There are a lot of other places to study on campus besides your room too. Personally, I can’t study in my room, it is very distracting. I tend to go to one of the quiet study lounges scattered around campus or the library.</p>
<p>mdbdad, you might want to look into the possibility of switching your son’s housing preference to one of the Special Living Options, such as E House in West.</p>
<p>mdbdad - I agree with 1moremom. I would look into the engineering SLO.</p>
<p>Is pennypacker (FISE) quieter?</p>
<p>Already applied to all three engineering SLO’s but we understand they fill up quickly as well. Other posts to this board suggest one is out of luck with respect to housing if you accept in April. It’s hard to understand that, if freshmen MUST live on campus, why they are not given first priority.</p>
<p>I know of many incoming freshmen who have requested East as their #1 Choice! These are students who study hard, but also like to make as many friends as possible from the get go…but, it does depend on major in several cases.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of anyone not getting in to a requested SLO; will you let us know how it turns out?</p>
<p>My daughter did not turn in her PSU accetance until the last week in April last year and got her requested SLO housing. Be hopeful, it will all work out.</p>
<p>Thanks to all, the situation certainly sounds much more encouraging.</p>
<p>cwryan1, you make some good points. We know some kids who were in supplemental - and while they initially were unhappy about it, they ended up having a good experience. For one thing, the odds are in your favor that you will click with at least one or two of your roommates, whereas in a normal two-to-a-room setup, if you and the other person don’t mesh well, you’re out of luck. </p>
<p>And you’re right, there are lots of quiet places to go to study. My son often went to the library or computer labs. So that’s a possibility if the dorms are too loud and the student needs a quiet place to go. </p>
<p>I’m glad to hear about the new policies going into effect. It sounds they could make a difference.</p>
<p>What are the new policies regarding housing? Our daughter will be an incoming freshman this year…</p>
<p>i think its like no alcohol allowed at all in dorms even if you are 21. since 95% of the people who live in dorms already are under 21, its kind of a moot point. Only seniors are 21 and very few seniors live in dorms</p>
<p>I believe the new policies will enforce stricter punishments if you are under 21 and caught with alcohol.</p>
<p>I never intended to offend you. I am just speaking from my experience and what I have seen. I don’t doubt that you’re a terrific RA, but there are a few others who are a bit passive. I admit, it was wrong of me to generalize all the RAs into one.</p>