Great Study Spots on Campus

By: Team K

Penn State has lots of great study space options, from quiet nooks in the library where you can focus on exam studying to collaborative, open spaces like the HUB where you can work together with your friends. It is great to find all different types of study spots: quiet, loud, indoors, outdoors, etc. You may have a type of study spot you prefer, but it is great to have different options for different types of studying. Trying different study spaces is fun because you get to explore, but it also is very helpful to give yourself a new space to help you focus. Whether working on a take-home exam or a group project, you can find the perfect spot for your studying needs at Penn State!

Studying in your dorm room can be a good option for some people. It is your own private space where you have everything you might need. However, we encourage you to find places outside of your dorm room where you can study so that you can keep your studying separate from your down time as much as possible. Also, many people find that they are more productive when they work in a different setting from where they sleep. Almost all dorm buildings and commons buildings have study spaces that are helpful if you want to stay close to your dorm room.

 The library is a popular study spot with lots of different study environments. There are common spaces out in the open with tables and chairs, tech labs with desktop computers, study rooms that you can reserve in advance, and individual desks in the secluded stacks sections. There is also a tech help desk and a Starbucks that are great if you have a laptop issue or need some food!

Westgate is a favorite indoor/outdoor study spot combination. This building is located in West campus and doubles as both a classroom building as well as a bridge over North Atherton. It offers outdoor tables on and around the bridge where you can get some fresh air as well as modern-looking indoor study spots with large tables for group work. There is also a small Panera located within the building if you want to grab a coffee or quick snack! You can catch a beautiful sunset as you finish up your evening studying too!

Empty classrooms can also be great options for getting work done between classes. If you have a free period of class, you can find an empty classroom to work on some homework. The classrooms in Hammond are popular options for this in the evenings! Studying in classrooms also offers the added benefits of having a chalkboard easily at your disposal if you like working on these. There is usually extra chalk lying around the classroom or an adjacent classroom, so you do not have to worry about bringing this with you.

In addition to empty classrooms, you can also arrive at your classes and study early before they start! It is great to socialize before classes as well, and you can work on homework for the class with some friends as you wait for the professor to lecture. This can be a great way to meet new people and can help you succeed in the class. It is always helpful to know at least one person in the class to ask questions or be able to help, and studying before class together can be a great way to foster this connection!

University Park is such a large campus with so much to explore. As you get to know the campus, keep an eye out for places where you could do homework or study. We mentioned some of our favorites in this blog, but there are tons more to try out. You never know where you might find your favorite study spot! You are at Penn State to learn and grow, and it is important that you find spaces to support yourself in learning your coursework. Studying is an important part of being a college student, so find places that help you enjoy this activity and can benefit the most. Explore new study spots to find what is right for you!

Ten Tips for Incoming Freshmen

 1. Befriend upperclassmen.

As you start this new stage of your life, it’s easy to feel like a fish out of water. So many new tasks and responsibilities will be given to you, and you may not know where to start. Befriending an upperclassman or two (like your mentors and envoys) can be one of the best resources for this. We’ve already gone ahead of you and experienced these same responsibilities, asked the same questions, etc. So don’t be afraid to talk to an upperclassman for advice on these things, we’re more than happy to help!

 

2. Be preventative in handling stress.

The best way to handle stress is to try and prevent it from happening in the first place, so you don’t ever find yourself overwhelmed. While these preventative measures may look different for everyone, some basics to follow include blocking out time for proper meals and sleep, practicing time management, and self-care. Even planning out which days you're going to complete your assignments for the week can give you a sense of control over a hectic schedule.

3. Take breaks!

Taking breaks during the day to get away from studying or when you are not in class is very important. Whether you go on a walk, work out, or get lunch with a friend this will help you from getting burnt out quickly. Though it may be overwhelming at first and you may feel very busy, it is necessary to schedule time for yourself. It not only helps relieve stress but also makes you more productive.

 

4. Find your study spots.

Find an optimal place to study that works for you. There are a ton of places on campus that offer different atmospheres no matter your study style. Getting out of your dorm is also a great way to focus and have a change of scenery. Even within every dorm building, there are rooms you can go to.

5. Join a few clubs!

This is a great way to find people with the same interests as you. There are so many clubs at Penn State, including some fun ones as well. This is also a great way to take a break from your engineering classes. Whether you need a friend to play your favorite sport with, sing, dance, or study with, this is a great way to meet so many new people.

6. Refresh on your math skills!

This one is very specific to those taking Math140 and Math141. Remember your Algebra skills from high school. Don’t stress about this but it might be helpful to look up your exponential rules before coming into the course. This will be very beneficial for you.

7. Give your location to your roommate or someone you trust on campus.

If you are going out somewhere it's always good to have someone else know where you are going. Being on your own for the first time can be scary and if something happens at least someone can help you out. Noonlight is a great app to download and add your friends for when you feel unsafe!

8. Don’t panic if you are not doing well in a class.

College is way different from your classes in high school. Get help, talk to upperclassmen if you want but definitely talk to an advisor. There are plenty of people out there who have struggled in these same classes you are taking now. Plenty of successful engineers have failed classes before, but they still became engineers in the end.

9. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions or reach out!

If you are feeling stressed about something, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice! Although it can be intimidating to reach out to faculty or even students that are older than you, the help and knowledge you can receive from reaching out can make a huge difference. For example, having questions about attending your first career fair, having your first interview, or even joining a new club on campus is completely normal and you should ask them! You’ll be surprised about what opportunities will come your way or what connections you’ll make.

 

10. Go to office hours.

Going to office hours may seem like the last thing you want to do after attending classes and studying, but if you need help they are a great resource. The professors and TA’s holding office hours will be happy to see you and answer any questions you have about the class, homework problems, or even upcoming exams. If you have questions about homework problems, make sure you try the problem before you attend and think about what specific difficulties you are having with it. Overall, going to office hours is a great opportunity to make new friends, build relationships with professors and TA’s, and know the course material better.

How to Make Your Dorm Room Feel Like Home

by Team i

Living in dorms is one of the key experiences as a first year student, however often the divide between home and campus life becomes very prominent. Since for many, going home frequently to get that comfort isn’t possible, why not bring that comfort on campus!? In this blog we have provided you with a short list of things that will definitely make your dorm feel more like your comfort place instead of a hospital room.

 

However, quite often you might end up bringing things that are honestly not required, and often are already available in your dorm room, so we have also listed things you should probably leave at home.

 

Remember minimalism is key to a comfortable living space in dorms!

Things to bring for comfort:

❖     Mattress pad - It can be said that the mattresses at Penn State may not be the most comfortable, so grabbing a mattress pad can make it so much better. There are tons of different types that you can buy to be similar to your mattress at home. If you’re used to sleeping on memory foam, then purchase a memory foam mattress pad! You’ll be surprised how much sleeping on it will make you feel like you’re sleeping in your bed at home.

❖     Fans - Some of the dorms at Penn State are unrenovated, meaning they do not have air conditioning.  Even though State College doesn’t stay warm for very long during the school year, these buildings can still remain hot and stuffy during the colder months.  So a fan is necessary to keep your room cool and comfortable!

❖     Chair cover - Penn State provides a chair and a desk which is nice but the chair is pretty uncomfortable.  Bringing a soft pillow or pad for your chair can make it a lot easier to work at your desk for an extended period of time.

❖     Pictures & decor - Covering your walls in pictures of your friends and family and other decor that reminds you of home can help you feel as though they are not as far away. Having that familiarity and putting up decorations that represent you will make Penn State feel like a home away from home.

❖     Cozy comforter and pillows - Having a cozy comforter and throw pillows will make your room even more like home. You’ll want to curl up after a long day of walking to classes in the winter and having these things will make that possible. Just don’t go to the extreme on the pillows because you still need room to sleep!

❖     Extension cords - There are few outlets in a door room and you’ll discover just how many things you may need plugged in at once. Bring extension cords so that you don’t have to be frustrated with not being able to charge your computer and make ramen at the same time!

❖     Air freshener - Having an air freshener in your room is super important. They can be especially helpful in creating a better atmosphere in your dorm because it keeps the air smelling fresh even if you haven’t had the time to clean. They can also come in handy if you or your roommate microwaves a meal or brings food back to the dorm.

❖     Lighting - Make sure to have a small lamp for your table as the main room light can often be harsh. It is recommended to buy a lamp with charging ports and stationary storage attached to it.

 Consider avoiding getting these:

❖     Extra chair - Your dorm room is already pretty small so an extra chair can make it feel claustrophobic and difficult to get around.  Plus you are already provided a chair so an extra is probably overkill.

❖     Too many throw pillows - Having lots of pillows is a great way of making your bed extra comfy. However, it becomes difficult when having to make your bed every morning, especially if you’re running late to class. Having 2-3 throw pillows is recommended since you can still make your bed cozy without spending a lot of time organizing them.

❖     Mirrors - Every Dorm usually comes with one tall mirror, so you won’t have to worry about bringing your own!

❖     Too many clothes- Depending on which hall you’re living in, the size of your closets and dressers may vary. It is important to bring basics that you can wear by mixing and matching all throughout the semester. One way to optimize the space in your closets is by having a warm and cold weather set of clothes. For the colder months, pack your warm weather clothes into storage bins under your bed or in your closet. This allows for more room for heavier coats and jackets that you will probably be wearing for a majority of your first year at Penn State. You’ll also be receiving a lot of free merch throughout the semester so you’ll also want to have space for that!

❖     Quick cooking appliances - Since you are not provided with a personal kitchen (however, there would be one in a common area in your building) you might have considered bringing multiple quick cooking appliances (such as an egg cooker, air fryer, blender, coffee machine, etc). Refrain from getting too many of these appliances as they take up quite a lot of space however if it’s an absolute must for you to have them then it’s recommended that you and your roommate co-ordinate and split the appliances so there aren’t too many cluttering the room.

Jobs on Campus

 As new students come to Main Campus in the fall, many of them will be looking for part-time jobs. It can often feel overwhelming finding part-time jobs at such a large campus and with so many people seemingly competing for that one position. But we are here to tell you that there are a variety of job positions, and it is completely possible to start earning a little pocket money your very first semester on campus.

 

An envoy for Team H, Shivani, is a Learning Assistant for an introductory computer science course, CMPSC 132 (very excited to see all the Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Electrical Engineering majors in that course!) She has had this job since her second semester and is working through the summer as well.

 

First things first, it’s always good to look at the kind of job that you might be interested in taking on. There is no one-size-fits-all part-time job for full-time college students. Creating a list of your priorities as a college student can be a helpful first step! For most students this includes gaining experience in collaboration, exposure to your major, getting closer to a professor and improving your network, flexible schedules, regular study sessions and academics, or even just earning as much money as possible.

 

Once you have your priorities set down and an idea of how much time you might have to dedicate to your job during the week, then we can look at actual jobs.

 

Some examples of jobs on-campus are

 

1.               HUB Dining

 

 

Students at HUB Dining work for various places like Blue Burrito, McAllister’s Deli, Panda Express, Jamba Juice, Burger King, Hibachi-San, Starbucks, Sbarro, Slim Chickens. Job Openings for HUB Dining are announced on the LiveOn website or at walk-in hiring events during the semester.

 

Most students who work here work three days a week for a few hours each, but it can get a little busy during some times of day! These jobs are paid opportunities.

 

2.               Learning Assistant and Graders

 

Towards the end of a PSU course, students get an email from the professor detailing any openings in Learning Assistant positions. Then, you can fill out the form and apply for those positions. For these jobs, it is recommended to get an A or a B grade in that course. It also helps to know the professor and for the professor to know you. In such a large campus and with so many classes, most professors don’t know everyone in the class so, for them to want to hire you, I recommend expressing an interest in the course and being an LA for the course to the professor.

 

The job description typically varies between different courses but usually consists of attending classes and helping students with concept clarification. It can also include grading responsibilities, extra study sessions, and office hours. These jobs are usually for-credit opportunities.

 

3.               Residence Hall

 

a.               Resident Assistant

 

This job involves living on campus and enforcing university and residence hall rules and regulations. RAs help in responding to complaints, reports, requests, and emergencies. They are also tasked with helping students interact well with their dorm mates and adjusting to campus life. This job also requires extensive training and a course to be taken. The job openings usually open up towards the end of the year. There is at least one RA per floor. Penn State pays for housing and meal plan for RAs and well as providing a single room for them.

 

b.               Housing Area Markets and Edge

 

The Markets at each housing area (Pollock, North South, East, and West) hire front desk workers for checkout. Students are also hired to work at the Edge, a coffee shop at each housing area. These are paid opportunities.

 

c.               Dining Commons

Students who work at the dining commons wash dishes, set up dining hall serving counters, replenish the beverage and condiment stations, serve food in portion sizes, operate kitchen equipment, and assist with inventory and delivery.

 

Job Openings for the Dining Commons are announced on the LiveOn website or at walk-in hiring events during the semester. It is a paid opportunity.

 

4.               LEAP Mentor

 

 

A LEAP Mentor is a current undergraduate student (not applicable for first year students) who assists incoming first-year students enrolled in the LEAP program with their transition to Penn State during Summer Session II. The mentor plans social and academic programming for their pride throughout the summer. This programming includes activities to help the students get to know each other, learn about campus resources, and the State College community. Mentors also plan study sessions and other academic activities for their LEAP Pride.

 

It is not necessary to have taken LEAP courses your first year to be a LEAP mentor.

 

5.               Campus Recreation

 

a.               Outdoor Events

b.               Competitive Sports

c.               Fitness and Wellbeing

d.               Tennis

e.               Facility and Operations

f.                Membership

g.               Stone Valley Recreation Area

 

For more detailed information, you can refer to this link.

 

6.        Center for Arts and Crafts

 

 

If any of you are artistically inclined and enjoy teaching art to other people, working at the arts and crafts center might be the job for you. While you can apply for the job via Penn State’s job application website, the better way might be to check out the center at the Ritenour Building in front of the HUB. You can ask the instructors there about available positions as well as ask any questions you may have about the application and the job.

 

That was how one of our envoys, Christina got her job as a calligraphy instructor. She stopped by to grab a free coloring book with one of her friends and got asked about her art medium of choice. For her job, she designed a curriculum for a 3 part class that ended in a final project and taught beginners how to hand letter their own art piece.

 

a.               Art Instructor

b.               Summer Art Camp Instructor

 

7.               Communications and Marketing

 

Student interns work in areas like marketing, PR, journalism, photography, social media, digital analytics, videography, and graphic design. They can work on projects for a variety of departments like University Health Services, Campus Recreation, Career Services, Student Activities, Diversity Offices and much more. There are for-credit or paid opportunities.

 

Many students also work off-campus at downtown stores and restaurants. Those places usually have hiring signs posted outside their buildings and go through a regular hiring process.

 

Some potential places downtown where students can work are

 

1.               McDonald’s restaurant

2.               Auntie Anne’s

3.               Snap Pizza

4.               Mr. Wish

5.               Downtown Student Bookstore

6.               Family Clothesline

7.               McLanahan’s

8.               Lions’ Pride

9.               Harper’s clothing store

10.           Connections

11.           Urban Outfitters

12.           Target

13.      Yallah Taco

14.      The Waffle Shop

15.      UPS Store

16.      Wegmans

17.      Insomnia Cookies

 

Research is a wonderful way to not only find a job on campus but gain experience in what could be a future career! Whether you begin with research within or outside of your major, the skills you gain will always be valuable and applicable for future job searching. Sydney, a Mentor for Team H has had extensive research experience, which has been a critical part of her journey to becoming a stronger student and contributor to scientific inquiry.

 

However, research can be an overwhelming topic that can be difficult to navigate alone, which is why you have wonderful mentors and envoys to support you! Both Christina and Sydney were able to get started out in Research Labs by applying for the PA Space Grant Consortium Research Internship. This allows you to fill out an application and rank professors within the program. The process will match you with a professor, beginning a two-semester internship. The Undergraduate Research and Fellowship website, linked here, can be a great place to start looking for similar programs or professors who are looking for students to apply! This approach can be combined with searching for professors in your area of interest, emailing them to express your interest in their research, and understanding what opportunities they may have available in their lab for undergraduate students. Please do not get discouraged if you get few responses, professors can be very busy and have little time to respond to students.

 

From experience, one of our biggest suggestions that can help with finding research is by finding a personal connection with your future research mentor. This often may happen by taking their course, and inquiring about the work they do within their labs! However, everyone has their own unique journey to research and it may take some time to find your path.

 

The biggest thing to gain out of any future research, or job that you may obtain throughout college and your future career, is to know your worth and not be afraid to ask questions! Talk with upper-class students and those you trust to ensure your compensation is fair for the work that you do. Your time is extremely valuable and it is important to make sure that you always get paid for the work that you complete. It is always okay to move on from a lab if you wish to learn more about a different type of research and aren’t enjoying the work any longer. No matter what the experience looks like, there is always something to gain and learn.

 

We truly wish you the best of luck when looking for a job on or off-campus and throughout your time at Penn State. The WEP Community is always here to support you in the endeavors that you pursue.

 

We all cannot wait to see the amazing things that you accomplish!

 

Team H, WEPO 2022

Sydney, Connie, Christina, and Shivani

Dorm Life 101

All About Living in the Dorms!

By Team G

 

Living in the dorms is one of the key experiences and core memories of your first year at Penn State. Whether living in a renovated or unrenovated dorm, there are many different ways to navigate dorm life and to maximize your experience. Penn State comprises five housing areas: North, South, East, West, and Pollock. All of these housing areas are made up of multiple halls, and each area has its own dining area/commons. Within the dorms, you will experience living with new people, shared bathrooms, having an RA, and so much more. In this blog, we will highlight what we believe to be the most important and relevant aspects of dorm life: living with roommates, bathroom hacks, navigating dining halls, and decorating your room!

 

One of your first friends at Penn State will be your roommate. For many people, this is the first time they are sharing a room with another person, let alone a stranger. While living with someone new and sharing a small space together can be quite an adjustment, having a roommate can also provide you with one of your best friends and be the source for fond new memories. A lot of you may have heard different roommate horror stories, but my first piece of advice with a roommate is to go into the situation with a positive attitude and without the negative thoughts and fear in your head. Making a connection with your roommate prior to living together is extremely integral in the foundations of your relationship. Whether you met over Facebook or you went random, once you know who your roommate is, make sure to reach out and start a regular stream of communication. I personally had weekly FaceTime calls with my roommate and we used these calls to get to know each other, plan out how we want to decorate our dorm, and generally understand each other’s plans and goals for college. Once you move in, it is always key to be considerate of each other to avoid conflict. Some basic rules of thumb include keeping your side of the room neat and tidy, not being loud while the other is studying, not keeping the lights on late into the night while the other is trying to sleep, and being quieter when the other is sleeping and you’re awake. Some ways to bond in person are to grab meals together, go walk your schedules together before classes begin, and to explore campus together.  

Meeting new people on the floor will also be easier if done with your roommate rather than alone. If you do have plans or have other friends made separately from your roommate, try to invite them if they don’t have other plans. For me personally, my roommate became my best friend and I am very lucky to have met her; however, there will be situations where roommates are not compatible and affects your college experience. If there is conflict, try to communicate in a rational and calm manner. If you are upset or heated from a roommate interaction, take some time to yourself, go on a walk, and try to clear your head and calm down before re-visiting the issue. If problems continue to persist, talk to your RA; they are there to help resolve conflict and come up with a solution. Some of these solutions include roommate contracts, having separate discussions with each roommate, and in extreme cases, changes in housing/roommates. Hopefully this will not be the case for any of you! Another aspect of roommate dynamics is the “in the middle” type of relationship. This is where you coexist with each other in harmony, but you are not close friends - and this is totally normal. It is totally okay if you and your roommate are not close but live together well. Having a roommate calls for a variety of experiences, but it can truly be one of the best aspects of your college life.

           Keeping a healthy and hygienic daily routine is an important step to feeling happy and clean during your first year of college, and it all starts with the bathroom. Penn State requires on-campus housing for your first year, so you will have one of two bathroom options: communal stalls or semi-private “pod” bathrooms. Most common are the completely communal bathrooms housing stalls for showers and toilets. “Pod” bathrooms enclose a communal shower, toilet, and sink in their own rooms, but are still housed in a communal location and for open use. After moving in, I recommend finding the bathrooms located closest to your dorm and over the first week figuring out when the bathrooms are the most crowded and which showers give the best water pressure and temperature. If many of the showers are taken in the evening or early in the morning, you may have to adjust your schedule to their availability. As for things you need for dorm bathrooms, there are two must-haves besides the obvious towel and washcloth/ loofah: shower shoes and a shower caddy. I cannot emphasize enough how important shower shoes are for hygiene and cleanliness. Communal bathrooms are full of bacteria, hair, dirty hygiene products, bugs, and so many more gross things that you don’t want your feet touching. Investing in a pair of flip flops, crocs, slides, or some form of shower shoes is well worth the money. In addition, shower caddies make life easier to carry bottles of shampoos or face products - anything you may want to bring with you to the bathroom. I personally loved the soft mesh shower caddy that had a lot of storage room, but also dried fast. There are also hard plastic versions that can hang in the shower. I recommend finding one with a key clip or some place where you can take your room key with you, as Penn State provides physical keys to enter your dorm doors. An important note, too, is to bring two towels and washcloths - or a loofah, if you prefer. Unless you are diligent with doing laundry on a weekly basis or at a set time, you will need another towel/ washcloth to rotate until the other is clean. If you do not plan on taking a change of clothes with you to the bathroom every time you shower, a robe or towel wrap is highly advisable to maintain privacy. Everybody has different levels of comfort walking around in the halls, but it is better to cover up at least enough to get back to your dorm. Lastly, cleaning up after yourself is a common courtesy in communal bathrooms - unclogging your hair from the drain, wiping down the sink, etc. Keeping a clean, habitable space for everyone in the hall helps with the comfort and cleanliness of the bathrooms that everyone will appreciate.

 

            Each residential area on campus includes a commons area, where you can find multiple places to get food, hang out with your friends, and discover your favorite study spots.  The dining commons offer a variety of foods and locations to get your meals.  In the East Commons, also known as the Findlay Commons, there are 10 different dining options.  Bowls is located on the second level, and offers acai bowls and overnight oats.  The Chef's Table has only in-person ordering and sells customizable burrito bowls.  At the Deli, you can create made-to-order subs and wraps.  Edge is a coffee shop that sells Starbucks Coffee and Refreshers, and also offers pastries and cakes.  The meal plan sadly does not give students a discount at Edge or any Starbucks location on campus.  At Flipps, you can order burgers, chicken tenders and sandwiches, fries, and mozzarella sticks.  If you want to order from Flipps, make sure to order early as their wait time can take hours.  There is also a pasta and pizza location that offers made-to-order pasta or pizza that you can order by the slice or an entire box.  Pure is a dining station that is free of common food allergens and is stationed in a completely separate kitchen.  The most common dining option is the buffet.  The buffet contains an all-you-can-eat style option with its menu posted daily on the Penn State Go app.  Lastly, there is also a convenience style Market, which contains ready to go meals, toiletries, and household items.  The Market does have very high prices, so you can save money if you are able to get these items from Target, Walmart, etc.  The Warnock Commons, located in the North residential area, also has a Deli, Grill, Market, and a buffet.  In the Pollock Commons, you can also find an Edge, Market, and buffet.  The buffet at Pollock offers an extensive variety of foods, and includes an all-you-can-eat pasta and pizza section.  In addition, there is also an Asia Kitchen that offers bubble tea, customizable bowls, and more popular Asian dishes.  In Redifer Commons at South, you can find a Bowls, Edge, Deli, Market, Pasta, Grill, Buffet, and Salad Bar.  One option unique to the South Commons is called Fresco Y Caliente, which offers burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and tacos.  The Waring Commons at West also offers an Edge, Market, Grill that has cheesesteaks, chicken tenders and sandwiches, and deli sandwiches, and a Buffet.  The West Buffet is known on campus to be the best buffet of all the dining halls, from their pizza and pasta section, large variety of drink choices, ice cream bar, salad bar, and their warm chocolate chip cookies.  In addition to the dining halls, there are even more places to grab food on campus.  A very popular spot is the HUB.  With 11 different restaurants, it is a great place to grab lunch between classes and meet up with friends.  There are also four different Panera locations on campus, Starbucks in the library, Cafe Laura, Saxbys, and a Shake Smart at both the IM Building and White Building.  With the large variety of dining options Penn State has to offer, you are bound to find your favorites and share them with your friends.

One of the first things you may talk to your roommate about is decorating your dorm room. When choosing decorations, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind. It’s a lot cheaper and easier to get decorations that will carry through your four years at Penn State. Instead of buying all new trendy decorations each year, you may want to invest in or make some decorations that you know you’ll still like four years from now. Another thing to consider is you want your dorm to feel like home and be a place you look forward to spending time in. For me, that meant that I wanted to walk in and see pictures of all my friends and family, especially the ones from home that I missed seeing. A great addition to any dorm is a photo wall. You can make this in a collage style or hang photos from twine or lights across your room. This is a really cheap and easy way to make your dorm feel like home! One final thing to consider when decorating your dorm is ease of cleaning. In a small space, things get dusty pretty quickly. You want to make sure that your dorm is decorated enough that it’s a fun place to be, but not so much that it’s cluttered and hard to dust and clean. Overall, there are plenty of ways to decorate your dorm in a cheap way that fits your personal style!

 

Overall, living in the dorms is definitely a new environment to adjust to, but it is also quintessential first-year experience. We hope that this blog assisted you and answered some of your questions about dorm life and how to navigate through different potential challenges. We wish you luck in your first year, and hope you enjoy your new home at Penn State!

FIT for First Year!

 The beginning of college is a very busy time and sometimes your health slips to the “backburner”, when it should always be a top priority. Amongst getting acclimated to campus, making friends, and starting classes, you also need to be sure to check in with your physical and mental health. While it can sometimes be overwhelming, there are a lot of opportunities to exercise, eat well, and mentally decompress to ensure you are feeling your best!

Mental Health:

Mental health is the cornerstone to your overall health and success for your first year at Penn State. Being away from home for the first time and having a new normal is challenging. We personally struggled a lot the first semester of college and these are some of the tools we acquired for the second semester onward. 

• Impromptu calls with friends and family: All three of us were used to seeing friends and family everyday at school or at home. None of us knew anyone on our first day (other than WEPO friends) and we tried planning calls, however, these kept being rescheduled due to our opposite schedules. Calling while walking to class or taking a quick study break has worked the best. This way we didn’t feel as bad about missing calls and could talk to them more often even if it was for a short period of time. 

• Schedule breaks: Signing up for clubs, campus rec classes (more to come below) or making plans to grab dinner with friends are a great way to get out of your desk. We felt these activities were more productive than the breaks from your computer, on your phone. Team F Envoy, Lucy Traub, and her WEPO friends and joined a curling club to meet once a week and have fun trying a new activity. She finds when someone else is also counting on me to take a break, she’s less likely to not do it. Mostly taking breaks away from electronics and socializing helped her make friends outside of the academic world and feel more comfortable at Penn State. Mentor Katie Maloney suggests putting these breaks in your calendar like you would a class or assignment–it gives you something to look forward to when planning your week and also forces you to take time for yourself!! 

Team F Envoy, Lucy Traub, bottom right, alongside her WEPO friends at the curling club.

• These can be every day or once a week depending on the activity and your schedule. For instance, Team F Mentor Jodi Patterson sets aside time for a run with the Club Cross Country Team every day while only attending other events/breaks intermittently. You can always play around with this and see what works best for you and what is most important to you!

Team F Mentor Jodi Patterson, far right, running alongside her Club XC teammates at the Nittany Lion Invitational.

• Being on top of your schedule/making lists: College is very different from your high school schedule because it is not the same hours every day nor the same assignments. All three of us were very overwhelmed looking at all the work we had to do, but it was more manageable when writing everything down in one place. Lucy said that when she had her schedule written out and timed out assignments, she no longer was missing assignments and doing them stressed the night before. 

• This can be done using anything from Google Calendar to a physical planner, which is Jodi’s go-to! She loves crossing things off, and often sets reminders for the following day on her phone.

• Remember to laugh at life and enjoy your own company sometimes. Your friends are amazing and a great source to vent to and destress with, but enjoying time with yourself is also important! Katie found the independence in her first semester was liberating, but at times also riddled with loneliness and anxiety because it meant spending time alone. If she was eating by myself, or walking to class alone, or working out solo she felt like everyone would think she was friendless and weird. The saying “everyone is thinking about themselves way more than they are paying attention to you” is cliche, but it is so accurate. After we stop thinking about everyone else’s perception, we were able to enjoy these moments and use them as a time to collect our thoughts. Using this time to take charge of independence and get to know yourself is incredibly beneficial to your mental health and overall happiness!

Exercise:

While it is different for everyone, exercising at PSU was a great way to make friends and a fun way to take your mind off classes. There are plenty of ways to stay active on campus- so here are some of our favorites!

• Free campus rec group classes: You can download the campus rec app and see when and where group classes are being held. Katie’s favorites are cardio kickboxing, power remix (dance workout!) and cycling, but they also offer HIIT, zumba, and many more! These classes are a super welcoming environment and Katie had a BLAST letting loose, not caring what she looked like (see the photo below haha), dancing or kickboxing and forgetting all of her worries of the day!

Team F Mentor Katie Maloney FEELING the music at a power remix dance workout class. This picture was in an onward state article but we promise you there will not be photographers at all of the classes!

• Walk around campus: While it might be tempting to take the bus to forum or doordash dinner, walking is a great way to stay active. It will wake you up in the morning before class and it's calming to listen to music or call friends. Taking walks around campus recreationally is also a great way to learn where everything is and explore campus with your new friends!

• Club or IM sports: For high schoolers who are used to after school sports everyday, it is weird to completely stop that form of exercise or do it alone. Almost every sport you can think of has a club or IM team. 

• Club sports offer all the same benefits as Division I sports but on a smaller scale and open to individual participation. Club sports allow Penn Staters to go to games, meets, and tournaments much like typical sports teams while even having the opportunity to travel out of state. Most teams allow you to participate as much or as little as you would like and are open to people of all abilities. For instance, on the Club Cross Country Team, we have people who have never run before joining as well as people who chose not to run in Division I because of hard majors. Most people are between the two extremes. Another interesting advantage is that most club sports do not have a coach, so practices are student-run (in our case literally) and non-mandatory.

• Intramural sports, on the other hand, allow students to compete against other Penn State students and/or clubs or organizations. This can be especially fun when you get your friends to sign up either together or against one another. The other cool thing about intramural sports is that they’re totally free and occur on campus which makes them easily accessible to all students. There’s even lots of unique teams and games to compete in, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, start your own league. Penn State is generally very open to new ideas! For instance, Jodi had never played badminton in her life but she joined the IM league and had a lot of fun! She also joined pickleball and got so into it she slid to get a ball and tore her pants! 

• PSU fitness centers: the IM building is closest to East dorms, Hepper is closest to west, and the white building is the central campus. The gyms are open very early to very late and can accommodate virtually any schedule. This is a great option if you have specific personal goals or you have a certain routine you enjoy. Katie recently got more into weight lifting and she loves going to Hepper before her classes! She liked going before class because it was a productive kickstart to the day and couldn’t make excuses like “I have too much homework” or “I don't have time before my club meeting” because it was already out of the way! Another “trick” she used her first year was ALWAYS wearing athletic clothes to class (I mean I would have done this anyways haha) because then she could go to the gym in between classes or directly after her last class. She knew if she went back to her dorm and sat down she would never get the motivation to go to the gym, so always giving herself the option to go by being “gym ready” was helpful.

• Outdoor activities: Some other advantages of living in Happy Valley, PA are being surrounded by so many gorgeous mountains and farms. For fellow runners, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts, this is a dream come true. Hiking is a great way to exercise, and there are so many places to explore from Mt. Nittany to Rothrock, the world is your oyster! The only downside is that many of these locations are not easily accessible without a car, so plan out your hikes in advance. You can also join clubs such as Penn State Outing Club (for hikes), caving club, skiing club, or others to coordinate rides with upperclassmen. 

• One other cool State College exclusive exercise is Tussey Mountain. For skiers and ultra-marathoners alike, Tussey is one of the best places to visit. There’s lots of great ski and snowboard slopes throughout the area, and it is home to Tussey Teasers which are local (VERY hard) mountain races from 5Ks to 50 milers! 

All in all, Penn State is a great place to exercise whether you’re trying something new or continuing with a tried and true favorite! There’s truly something for everyone!

Food:

• Go to Restaurants: Roots, Panera (multiple locations on campus), Irvings, Chipotle, Soup&Garden (in the hub)

• Pack snacks: We find when we are in between classes and have to grab a snack quickly in the hub, we will choose a less healthy option than if we already packed a granola bar (can find these in the markets!).

• Eating at the dining halls: There are lots of options but it is just as easy to eat unhealthy at the dining hall as it is to eat healthy- so as with everything it is all about balance! You can look up the menu each week and plan if you like the food each day. It was nice to go into the dining hall with a game plan for each meal and not have to make on the fly decisions. This works 80% of the time (for Katie) and it's important to still be flexible when you will unexpectedly grab food with friends or when the West cookies look too good to pass up! 

• Buying snacks off campus: Our go to is always the Target downtown (only two blocks away from some of the engineering buildings!) because it was only a quick walk/ bus ride away. It's nice to have a small amount of fresh fruit and easy snacks like popcorn and pretzels in your dorm. 

• Be aware of how what you are eating makes you feel! This definitely doesn’t happen to everyone, but first semester Katie started getting horrible stomach aches and cramps and bloating and just overall was not feeling great. She called the doctor and they asked her to keep a log of what she was eating and how that made her feel. She had never had any issues with dairy or gluten in her life but, as the doctor explained, being in a new environment can change how your body reacts to different things, and she developed slight intolerances to them. She still enjoys her fair share of cheese and pasta, but now she is more conscious of what she is eating and how she feels- it's important to be intune and listen to your body!

Link to Campus Rec Website: 

https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/campusrec