My First Visit to Penn State

Okay the title is a little bit of a misconception because it was actually my SECOND visit.  My first visit was a few summers ago during a field hockey camp, but I really only got to see the dorms and the fields. The original purpose of the visit was to attend the Penn State vs. Indiana game, but when in University Park, why not explore? This trip was way more intentional and a whole lot more fun. As a branch campus student with intent to transfer to the main campus, I  wanted to see everything my future home has to offer. 

    The trip was about three and a half hours from Behrend to State College, but any long trip can feel like ten minutes if you choose the right travel buddy. I brought my boyfriend along to the game because he is also looking into transferring to main. If you know anything about Pennsylvania, you know there isn’t much to it other than mountains and highways. It was pretty incredible going from no scenery to the mini-city in the middle of nowhere that makes up State College. 

We made it with about ten minutes to spare and immediately hit one of the many merch shops in downtown State College. Once we were all decked out in Penn State paraphernalia, we were on our way to Beaver Stadium. Although we were parked about fifteen minutes outside of the stadium, directions were not necessary. It seems that on Saturdays everyone only has one destination, to go see some Penn State football. Just follow the sea of white and navy blue and you’ll eventually end up in your seats. It could not have been a better day for a game too. Despite the previous week’s trend of freezing temperatures, the sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The energy brought by the fans at the game was unparalleled. Being from Buffalo, I always thought I knew what a real fan base looked like but I think I’ve found the Bills Mafia’s match.  To top it all off, we left the game with another win for PSU. 

    It was now time to explore, the campus is huge and extremely fun to walk around. Everyone is out and about going from their residence halls to any of the many restaurants and vice versa. We ended up eating at a sandwich shop called “Are U Hungry?” that was definitely intended to be a drunk-and-hungry-in-the-middle-of-the-night type place. Despite us being very sober, the food was actually really good. Next we headed for dessert at the only place that seemed right: Berkey Creamery. 

    Contrary to what this article may seem like, we did more than just eat. I am currently enrolled in the Smeal College of Business at University Park so I wanted to check it out. All of the academic buildings are nice, but Smeal really caught my eye and stood out. The building could not be any nicer. Not to mention the fact that the first floor has a cafe with the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.  It made me even more excited to be a business major and to transfer. 

I always knew that Penn State was the school for me but this weekend really re enforced it. I’ve never been more excited to be a nittany lion and I cannot wait for the fall of 2021.

• Penn State