When I had first applied to colleges, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be living at home. I didn’t want to be out of state because I have a very close relationship with my family and it is a part of me to be around them as much as I can. Local colleges were my best bet and I would be able to live on my own but close enough to visit my family as often as I needed to. When I had applied to Penn State Lehigh Valley I thought to myself, “I won’t be going to this college, but I’ll apply just in case.” Little did I know I would end up going here, and it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be and for the people I’ve gotten to know as well.

Most college students want to go off to a medium-large sized university or college and definitely not a small campus. But there are perks of going to one. The classes are fairly small, probably around as many students as you had in a high school classroom. With being a small classroom, it’s easier to ask questions and have the professor really make sure she/he answers you. For a professor to not have to worry about a 50+ student class makes it easier for her/him to help the students that she/he has in the class.

Coming out of high school with a lower GPA didn’t affect you coming in to Penn State’s branch campus (depending on which one you applied to). This is a great way for someone to bring up their GPA if they didn’t have what she/he wanted during high school. It is a helpful transition from high school into college and for going switching campuses to University Park if you are to do the 2+2 program. For someone coming in with a high GPA, it takes some worry and stress away going into a branch campus because for some students, it may be difficult going from high school to a competitive university. This is not to say all students are this way, but it definitely is helpful for the ones that struggle with change.

Around campus, you’ll get to see some familiar faces and eventually you might know a lot of the faculty and staff. Although this is if you are involved on campus and stick around to be a part of clubs or other organizations. This is a great way to make yourself known because if you are involved on campus, they will recognize you and you never know what will come out of a good relationship with someone on the faculty or staff board. Therefor, getting involved in an unintentional networking situation with one of them is a great way to get your name out.

I’m glad I started off here, and I can’t wait to see what University Park has for me.