So, to college freshmen,
Seriously, do not think twice about buying season tickets! If you have already purchased them this year, then you can definitely back me up on this. I know that it may be a little expensive, but seriously these tickets are more than just tickets. They are key to your Saturday social life, regardless if you like watching sports or not (and trust me, I could not care less about football)!
I remember that first game day weekend in August like it was yesterday. My friend from high school and I went downtown that Friday and spent an embarrassingly large amount of money on PSU gear. We went from shop to shop buying all sorts of clothing and accessories because we did not own much school apparel at the time. We were so excited and wanted to be prepared for our first time standing in the stadium.
When we got home, we tried on our outfits to get that perfect game day look! We set our alarms for 9 A.M. and were ready to go! It was a noon game, so we decided to go to bed early that night so that we were well-rested.
What I was not prepared for was the large number of people up and ready to go so early in the morning. I assumed that a lot of people would come up for the first game, but nowhere near the number of people I saw. Literally everyone and their mother were dressed up in PSU clothing. It did not matter if you were a student or not because on game day, Penn State pride was for everyone.
That short walk over from East Halls to Beaver Stadium was truly an experience! People were yelling the "We Are" chant at us, and this nice family even offered us a few drinks at their tailgate before we entered. I had seen pictures of the stadium before, but nothing compared to seeing it in person for the first time. It was HUGE, to say the least, and the number of people that showed up for the game was insane.
It is hard to put what I felt standing in the student section for the first time into words. It kind of felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but the cool thing about game day is that it unites so many members of the Penn State community all over our shared love for the school.
I also did not expect it to be comparable to a frat if you closed your eyes. The number of chants and songs played throughout the game was unreal. I had definitely made the right choice to purchase season tickets and could not imagine spending a Saturday at State any other way, as game day was more about the experience than the actual football game.
In all honesty, though, I will admit that buying season tickets is only necessary for your freshmen and maybe senior year (at least, if you don't actively enjoy football). As I got older, I found myself going to the games less and less and tailgating/day-longing more often.
As a senior, I sadly have not gone to any games. I do have season tickets, but the fields are so far and the bars are so close. I have been selling my tickets for a small profit though, so at least they were not a total waste of money.
One ticket that I will not sell though is the Indiana game. There is no way that I am going to miss my last possible football game in the student section!
