Advice for PSU Freshman

For most Penn Staters, the transition from their high school or commonwealth campus to PSU main can be intimidating.  Most high schools and even colleges that many students will transfer from are very small in comparison to the size of Penn State University Park.  This transition will send most students through a very vast range of emotions, from the happiest moments of their lives, to the most lonesome and home sick times they have experienced thus far.

Before You Begin Your Transition
  • BE PREPARED - college classes will typically move at a much faster pace than any class you have to this point
  • It never hurts to do some preliminary research on what your classes are going to involve (both how the class is structured and what material you will learn)
    • Angel is often a great place to start this process.
  • BE YOURSELF - you will get yourself in trouble when your not yourself, and being yourself is the easiest thing you can do.
Move in Day
  • GET THERE EARLY - after moving into the dorms several times I have learned that the earlier you arrive on move in day the smoother the day will go
    • Often the move in day is on the Saturday before classes begin, and most all of the 40,000 students are asked to move in on the same day.  This creates quite the traffic jam come the early afternoon. 
    • Penn State often posts a late morning start to their move in procedures, say 10 a.m., but I have arrived an hour before their posted times, and Penn State Housing was ready for students to arrive and no students were there to move in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
  • Meet your new neighbors - you have to live by them for 8 months
    • You may not hit it off with all of your neighbors right away, but you will often find that some of these people that were randomly assigned to live by you, will become some of your lifelong friends. 
    • Meeting your neighbors can also help in the future to settle issues you have.  The walls between dorm rooms are very thin, and sometimes inconsiderate neighbors can cause problems with your sleeping habits.  You are more likely to get an issue resolved with a neighbor if you knock on their door and at least know their name.
  • Get Settled - Get unpacked and acclimated to your room and new surroundings, also get to know your roommate(s). 
First Week of Classes
  • For the first couple days of class, attempt to sit next to someone that you could see yourself being friends with, for the most part after the first couple days of classes you will notice most people sit in the same area everyday.  This is a great way to make friends, because you already have a class in common, who knows what else you will have in common.
  • Start off on the right foot.  It is all too easy to get behind in your classes. Remember that you are at Penn State to learn, your ability to learn is what got you to Penn State, and it is what will get you through Penn State. 
    • Don' t drink away your chances at a good grade just because it's the first week of class. (You can still have friends, even without partying)
  • If you run into a teacher that you cannot understand or you cant see yourself being able to work with it may be a good idea to change teachers ~ CAUTION!!
    • I would caution you in doing this too much, many of the things you will learn at PSU you will not learn from books.  Learning to work with a difficult teacher may be a skill that you will most likely use in the working field.
  • Keep an eye out for the Involvement Fair - PSU has something for everyone, all you have to do is find it, and the involvement fair is a great place to find the clubs or student groups that interest you.
  • For the most part your advisers can answer some general questions you have.  But ultimately its up to you, the adviser often doesn't care about your college career as much as you do.
    • I have found that the people that are willing to help you the most are the Program Coordinators for the various programs, they are often very enthusiastic about their program, and willing to jump through hoops to help you out.
  • OFFICE HOURS ARE IMPORTANT - often times the professor is able to explain things better on a more one-on-one basis.  So if you don't understand something, go ask the professor in office hours.
Text Books
  • Used books can be a GREAT way to save money
    • You can buy books from the bookstore used
  • For a little bit of research and work, you can buy BRAND NEW books online, for CHEAPER than what the bookstore is asking for the used books.
    • Use the bookstore site to get the book name, edition, author, and publisher info
    • Use a search engine such as Amazon.com to find a ISBN number
    • Once you have an ISBN number go to www.helpineedbooks.com and use their search engine to find your books
      • This site searches dozens of online booksellers so that you get the ABSOLUTE best price for your books.
    • I caution you in a few things with using this method
      • It is IMPERATIVE that you are sure that you are buying the right book, including edition, author, publisher, etc. (it is often very hard or impossible to return books bought online, so as this can be a great way to save money you MUST be careful).
      • Also allow for time for the books to get to you.  I have ordered books that are stored in a warehouse somewhere in China, these books will not arrive overnight (cheaply).  So plan ahead and be prepared to do this early.