Some pictures from the past day

The Leads cheesing at the Lion Shrine. Notice what they're spelling out?

Broomball turned into the Cha Cha slide

DJs DanaB and Sarah Sweetheart jamming

Team Building with Air Products Wrap Up

WEPO is today!!!!

Welcome Penn State Engineering fresh(wo)men!

Today begins our 3-day orientation filled with tons of fun! WEPO-teers (freshmen participants) will be registering up until noon and then they're off to meet with Air Products for a great team building activity!

The Mentors and Rovers are so excited to meet each of you! Tables are decorated with festive accessories all coordinating with our color theme. Check out some highlights below!

Katie and Kati wait for Team M!

Team A, B, C and D's tables!

Team C invites you to the WEPO Royal Wedding

Looking great Team L!

Team J complete with custom cookies and cake!

Don't forget to check out our twitter account, @PennStateWEPO to see live updates and pictures! Let's get #WEPO2011 trending!

Being healthy at school

I know being at school can be very overwhelming at first and it’s easy to just grab something unhealthy that's faster for you, but nutrition is something you need to think of and even have it play into your time managing. I found that living in east getting something quick from the Big O was the easiest breakfast and I could eat it on the bus on the way to class. But eating fat foods not only make you gain weight but they make you tired and lazy too. You need to fuel your body for the day to be able to stay alert for class so here's some tips to make that work for you!

1)      Eat Breakfast! Even if you aren’t hungry because it helps you to stay awake in class and this way if you have class until later on you're not busy thinking about how hungry you are. A good breakfast food to pick is cereal. The whole grains are a great healthy way to start your day and something like an omelet or pancakes can fill you up too much and make you feel sleepy.

2)      Drink water! It's important to flush out any bad stuff your body retains. Make sure you’re drinking your recommended eight glasses as well.

3)      Eat fruits and vegetables! The Big O and West Wing always have fruit cups and vegetables with ranch. Even though the ranch isn’t that great for you it’s important to get your serving for the day so bring one of these to go cups to class with you to hold you over until you can sit down for a proper meal!

4)      Eat early! You should really eat before 7 pm each night because although having a snack while you’re up late studying is tempting, the energy you are fueling your body with can keep you up later than you want it to. Plan to study earlier so you don’t have to want to stay up.

5)      Find a routine that works! The first week or two of college is often overwhelming and chaotic, but once you get used to your class schedule, it's important to figure out convenient times when you are free to eat meals. They will most likely vary from day to day, but creating a routine for each day will help you avoid the eat-and-run.

6)      Exercise! Try to exercise 3-4 times a week to burn off any unwanted calories. A great tip is to exercise in the morning it’s a great way to start your day if you have the time before your classes!

7)      Make smart choices! There are not necessarily healthier but definitely better food options everywhere you go. If you and your friends MUST take a study break and decide to go to the McDonalds downtown, try choosing something like a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a cheeseburger because you’ll save a lot of the calories. Fresh express in east halls has healthier options rather than Roxy's or The Big O.

8)      Get Creative! (I found this one off of a website) Ramen noodles are a staple among college students, so Jolene (nutritionist from this website) has a few suggestions:

-- Drain out some of the liquid portion since it may have half a day's worth of sodium

-- Add 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables before heating up the ramen noodles to get extra fiber, vitamins and minerals

-- Add 2-3 ounces of lean chicken, beans, or tofu for added protein and fiber

-- Reduce the portion size of the ramen noodles when adding in other foods to cut down on the calories, saturated fat, and sodium content.    

Hopefully these tips will help you make better food and exercise choices and lead you to a healthier happier college lifestyle!

Camilla Proffitt is a Junior in Civil Engineering. She will be a WEPO Mentor this year and is also involved in Phi Sigma Rho, SHPE, and ASCE. This past summer she interned with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in Allentown, PA.

One is Silver and the Other Gold

School is almost here. You’ve ordered your textbooks. You’ve contacted your roommate. You’ve packed what seems like your entire life’s possessions into a bunch of cardboard boxes. Now all that there’s left to do is to say farewell to all the friends who won’t be attending college with you in Happy Valley.

It’s ok that this might seem like a daunting task and is why you’ve been putting it off to the last minute. College is a completely new and exciting time, and it can be scary to think that you’ll likely be braving it without your besties right by your side. But if there’s one universal lesson that every college student learns, it’s that balance is key. And that even applies to spending time with old friends from high school and making time to meet new friends in college. 

From orientation activities (like those at WEPO!) and the craziness of move-in day to eating your first Berkey Creamery ice cream cone and waiting in line to get your photo taken with the Nittany Lion, there are so many opportunities to meet new people at Penn State and make new friends. It’s totally normal to miss your old friends from back home, and you should definitely keep in touch with them! But you should also go out and make new memories with new friends. Catch up with high school friends during breaks and take those crazy road trips to visit college friends. 

College is all about balancing. It’s about learning how to budget your time with studying and hanging out, exercising and watching movie marathons, and yes, keeping in touch with old friends, and making time to meet new ones. Like the old adage says, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold.”  

Adriana Phillip is a Sophomore in Bioengineering. She will be a WEPO Rover this year and is also involved in Engineering House, SWE and Neuman Club. Contact Adriana at awp5236@psu.edu.

No Need to Worry

With just a week left of summer, I’m sure that recently school has been on your mind a lot more. You may be worried about classes, professors, friends, schedules, majors… These are all things that are you are definitely going to come in contact with shortly. And I know how hard it is to see it from our perspective when we tell you not to worry. But honestly, all of us mentors, rovers, and leads have been in your exact position at one point. And we can truthfully tell you it's all going to be okay! You have some amazing resources coming your way through WEPO, and a lot of other freshmen don’t have such a great program to take advantage of. By reading these blogs, having a mentor and rover, and coming to WEPO next week, you will have so much insight on what to pack, what to expect with classes and teachers, and you’ll already have some great friendships with girls that may be in a lot of your classes. So fear not, you’re in good hands :)

As far as worrying about majors, you may have already decided, you may not have put much thought into it yet, or you may have been dreading this decision for a long time. I fell into the last category, coming to Penn State as a clueless freshman who had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I knew engineering was for me, since I love math and science and understanding how and why things work. And when I came to WEPO, I thought I might want to be a bioengineer. After hearing what some of the mentors and rovers had to say, they all seemed to totally love what they were doing and highlighted a few neat aspects of their specific majors. Architectural engineering caught my eye, because it sounded artistic and creative, which I’ve always loved. However, I didn’t ask too many more questions to find out more about the career. So I declared that as my major at the end of my freshman year, and became an A E student. After a semester, I realized it wasn’t what I had expected and wasn’t for me, so I talked to some A E and BioE students a little more and researched both careers more thoroughly to help me decide. I should have asked a lot of these questions a lot sooner. I actually changed my major to BioE after getting a much better understanding of what they do, the potential job market, and how they can make a difference in the healthcare industry. I also decided last semester to double major in mechanical engineering. This is definitely a better fit for me, and after taking more BioE and M E classes this past year and after my internship this summer at QBC Diagnostics, I know that I made the right choice.

To make a long story short, you DON’T have to have it all figured out just yet. And as you can see from my story, you aren’t stuck in a major if you choose one, and then decide it’s not for you. Of course, it’s better to decide these things sooner rather than later, but things will work out regardless. You'll eventually find what you're truly passionate about. But take advantage at WEPO next week of having so many mentors and rovers in all different kinds of engineering majors; we’re all here for you guys, and we’d love to tell you more about what we do and how we made a seemingly impossible choice. Ask tons of questions so you get a better understanding of what each major is about, what the job market is like, where these different engineers may work someday… Anything that you think will help you decide what is right for you. We are also going to be available throughout the year, so if any questions come up after WEPO when you start taking classes, feel free to contact any of us with questions or concerns about it. We’re always here to help!

I can’t wait to meet all of you in just a few short days! WEPO ’11 is going to be sweet!!!   :)

Jen Troutman is a senior in Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering. This will be Jen's second WEPO as a mentor. In addition, she is involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Biomedical Engineering Society. This summer she had an internship with QBC Diagnostics.

After WEPO, now what?!

So you have the opportunity to move into your dorms early, head to Penn State (of course the greatest place on Earth) early, and then get surrounded by over 180 girls and barely get time to rest because you’re schedule is so jam packed. And why are you doing this
again?? You get the opportunity to walk out of WEPO connected to 52 upperclassman girls in engineering, see people you are guaranteed to see in your classes and major, and even
make a close knit group of friends!

True, WEPO might make you tired, but hey, welcome to college! Sleep is overrated because getting your work done, rocking your classes, and enjoying your life is what college is all about! You have your classes starting on the 22nd and you’re going to realize some weird things that no one told me about, so I figured, I should share them with you so you don’t look as silly as I did!!

Some weird things for me to adjust to were:
1) If you have to go to the bathroom, you just get up and go… you don’t raise your hand and ask your professor, you just...go...

2) When you’re done with a quiz/exam and there’s nothing else to do in class, you get to leave! This is strange but when you get this figured out, you're going to love when you get out early! P.S. I definitely stayed sitting in my classroom after my first exam until class was over because no one told me this fact!

3) STUDYING???!!!! Are you kidding me? I had to study, READ my math book (have you ever read
a math book? Well you're going to start now!) and learn how to do it during those times that you have free, including between classes.

4) I can go to my room, in the middle of the day?? To be honest, I still have a hard time with this one and I’m going into my 5th year…

College is all about learning, whether it’s academically, emotionally, personally, or physically, that’s what you’ll be doing. Because of WEPO, you have a great mentor who will help guide you through these learning challenges. In the end you’ll look back 4 (or maybe 5) years later and realize wow, I’ve come a long way! Welcome to the journey! You’re going to have an amazing time!

Athena Abate is a Super Senior in Electrical Engineering. This year, she serves as Lead Mentor for WEPO 2011 and is also involved Phi Sigma Rho, Engineering Ambassadors and the Career Envoys. She has co-oped with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and had an internship with The SI.
Elizabeth (Liz) Krauss is a Sophomore in Architectural Engineering. She will be a WEPO Mentor this year and is also involved in Vole and SWE. This summer, she had an internship with Gilmore Group in New Britain, PA.

Your Collegiate Guide to School Supplies

With school being so close, I’ve been thinking an awful lot lately about school supplies.  I know it must sound strange, but I love school supplies. I love folders and planner books, note cards and paper clips. I love the idea of organizing my desk- a container for pens, a jar for pencils. I love organizing my desk so much that I even have a small basket for “miscellaneous items”.

It’s like that scene from “You’ve Got Mail”, where Meg Ryan tells Tom Hanks via email that she loves the fall because it reminds her of freshly sharpened pencils. Unlike Meg Ryan, however, I get my kicks from those “Sharpwriter” mechanical pencils with really soft erasers. And I’m not emailing Tom Hanks, I’m blogging to all of you!

Every year, since the summer before I began school in Mrs. Zeigler’s PM kindergarten class, I have had to go out and purchase school supplies. Unfortunately for me, Mrs. Zeigler hasn’t sent me a school supply list since I was five years old, and a box of Crayola crayons, an Elmer’s glue stick, and colored pencils are no longer the necessities.  Nowadays, the shopping list looks a bit more like the catalogue for an engineering library, and a bit less like a Hello Kitty backpack (which is not to say that there is not merit in owning a Hello Kitty backpack).

So how do you shop for college classes? How do you know how to get the right books? When do you buy them? How do you even buy them? Luckily enough for you, I would consider myself an expert on upper level institutional school supplies, and am about to impart some crazy facts all over this page!

Where do I find my books???    

                Oftentimes, your professor or course lecturer will you email with a list of books. In the event, however, that they have NOT emailed you a list, I have provided a step by step process to compiling your own list below!

1.)    Log onto e-lion

2.)    On the left, scroll down to “Student Schedule”

3.)    This is what your screen should look like

4.)    Highlight  “Fall 2011”, select “Course Detail”, and click “Display schedule”

5.)    In the left hand corner, just below your schedule, you will see a button that says “select all”- Press it! You will see a check mark appear in each course box in the “Buy Books” column

6.)    Click “confirm selected books”

7.)    Click “submit to Penn State bookstore”

a.       NOTE: This DOES NOT sign you up for a book purchase through the Penn State bookstore! All it does is redirect you to the Penn State bookstore’s website, which gives you a list of the books your professor has listed as course materials

How do I know which books to buy???

                In the list of books that the Penn State Bookstore generates for you, you will notice that some books are listed as “recommended” or “required”. People love to throw these words around, and they do it like it’s their job (because it is!) They key to knowing what recommended books you really need is knowing how you study! Some people love study guides, some people like solutions manuals, some love both! It all depends on how you learn! If you think you don’t need it at first, but later discover that you do, you can always go and buy it later!

What if it turns out I DON’T need one of the books I just bought?

The bookstores have an awful return policy. In many cases, you can only return books within the first two weeks of school. This is why it is important to be sure which text books you really need. Ask one of your mentors- I can guarantee you that they, or one of the other WEP mentors, took the exact same class!

What about buying online?

There are lots of websites that sell textbooks at reduced prices. I personally favor half.com, which is an extension of Ebay. You sort of have to take a gamble though, because they don’t always come right away. Personally, I think saving a hundred dollars is worth it- but it really depends on how comfortable you are with buying textbooks online! If you have questions or concerns, feel free to ask me!

And renting?

Both the Penn State bookstore and the Student Bookstore offer textbooks for rent. I know a lot of people who really prefer to rent textbooks. Only consider this as an option if you KNOW you are not prone to losing and/or damaging textbooks! I like to keep all of my textbooks, because I like the idea of having an “engineering library” all to myself, so I myself have never rented one. I’ve heard, however, that it’s a pretty good deal!

And selling them back?

You can sell textbooks back! The bookstores at school tend to buy them back at a very reduced price, but it’s still something! If you’re looking to recover more capital, I would recommend selling them back online. Again, if you’ve never treaded those waters before, ask a mentor!!!

And school supplies?

WEP hands out an AWESOME coupon booklet to the Student Bookstore at the end of orientation. You get a great discount on school supplies- so I would recommend waiting to buy things like paper clips, folders, notebooks, printer paper, and Penn State apparel until you are up at school. The Student Bookstore offers some awesome deals- you just have to catch them! For example, I bought printer paper last spring for $0.49/pack!!! Also, as far as printing goes, the school offers 100 free sheets per semester at the labs. When you print at the labs, be sure to print double sided- it saves paper!

I feel like this is getting a little lengthy, so I’ll sign off here! I can’t wait to meet you all at WEP!!!

Elizabeth (Liz) Krauss is a Junior in Architectural Engineering. She will be a WEPO Mentor this year and is also involved in Vole and SWE. This summer, she had an internship with Gilmore Group in New Britain, PA.

The "Pennypacker" Experience

Move-in day, Freshman year. I don’t know the campus, I’m leaving all my friends and family behind me and I’m in a nerd dorm. I applied at my mom’s persistence for the housing of First Year Science and Engineering dorm in East Halls and on move-in day, that was the last place I wanted to be. I couldn’t help but think- no one will talk to each other, they will all be weird, I won’t have any friends but at least it will be quiet. And quiet it was, I was barely around the first move-in day because I was already moved in and I wanted to be with my WEPO team because they are the only friends I knew at State. But I retreated back to my dorm for the mandatory ice breaker activities. Preparing myself for the worst I sat down to a girl who looked pretty normal and I turned to say hello. We bonded over how weird Pennypacker sounded. Academic football competitions? Tutors in our building? Then to top it off, the next day we were dragged out of bed at 7 in the morning to get pictures in our Pennypacker shirts. We were miserable but at that I met her roommate. Our bonding was complete and both of those girls ended up becoming my best friends at Penn State. From then on Pennypacker just grew more awesome. It was more than just another hall in east. It was more than that. I was able to extremely close to so many people because they were taking the same courses as me and in a lot of my classes. I had class with almost every one of my Pennypacker friends. It made studying and homework so much easier because I could just go up a floor to ask my genius friend for help. We all had a surprising amount in common and never got sick of each other. By the end of the year my group of friends from Pennypacker were glued together. Now I know that this isn’t the first time this has happened. I’ve met many past and present Pennypackerians that feel the same way as my friends and I. I don’t know how that building does it, maybe it is everyone’s stereotypical dread on move-in day, the early morning wake up call, our common hobbies or the magic of the building but The “Pennypacker” Experience went from something so dreaded to something my friends and I will miss very much. And now I’m moving into another hall and I’m nervous now that I have the opposite problem of too high expectations, I guess I can thank Pennypacker for that.

Maggie Golden is a Sophomore in Architectural Engineering. She will be a WEPO Rover this year and is also involved in Vole, SSAE, SWE and THON. This summer, she had an internship with Brinjac Engineering as Lighting Design Intern in Harrisburg, PA. 

Blancing School and Friends

Hello future Penn State Women Engineers!  I am Victoria Heasley, and I will be a sophomore this year, so I just went through everything you will face during your freshman year.  Being an engineer is a lot of work and requires a lot of studying, so I was frustrated at first by the fact that many other freshmen were always hanging out with friends on week nights, and it seemed like they all had less homework and studying to do than me.  I wanted to tell you some tips and personal experiences that I had during my busy freshman year, and how to keep everything under control.  Try to balance work and fun each day to try to keep your stress levels down.

Each day after classes, I had a lot of homework and studying to do.  However, I wanted to also see some of my friends.  An easy way to hang out and talk with your friends each day is to plan to all go to the dining halls together for either lunch or dinner.  This way you can eat together and still be able to talk and take a break from the work.  Last year, I would plan on meeting with some friends each night for dinner, it was a great study break, and I had to eat anyways, so why not eat with some friends?!  By being able to talk about my day and just relax for a little, I was able to relieve some stress each night during dinner.  Another idea is that if you have a club meeting that night, plan on meeting some people from the club beforehand and eat dinner together. This way you can eat a quick dinner and all go to the meeting together.  

Another great way to manage your stress and your time is to take a little bit of time each day to go the gym.  Each night, I would schedule about forty minutes when I would go to the gym.  My friends and I would go to a class together or we would just go and work out together.  I was a great way to spend time away from studying.  And if you can’t go with someone else, don’t worry about going alone. I often went alone last year, and I loved having time to just get away from studying and being able to blow off some steam. 

By scheduling sometime in the week to be with your friends, you can have a break from all of your school work.  But, don’t feel like you have to every night.  Last year, I felt that I had to be able to hang out with friends, study, join multiple cubs, workout, and still manage to sleep at some point.  Obviously, I became overwhelmed.  Find a balance between school work and seeing your friends.  You don’t have to do everything.  

Some fun study breaks to do during the week:

•          Plan dinner with your friends
•         Go to the gym (with your friends or by yourself)
•         Attend club meetings with your friends!

Now after the school week, you will want to take a break.  Luckily, your first semester is Football Season!  This is a great opportunity to have a fun Saturday with friends and helping to cheer on the Nittany Lions.  Fall was my favorite time, because everyone looked forward to the games on Saturday.  Have fun with these and make sure to dress in all PSU spirited clothes! (Also, make sure you don’t paint your face with something that might cause terrible tan lines, this was a past experience of mine…I actually had PSU tan lines on my face for two weeks!!!!)   And when it isn’t Football season, there are many other sporting events that you can go to on the weekends, like basketball, volleyball, and hockey. 

Another great idea for the weekend is to all go to dessert!  There are so many places at State College where you can find something sweet to eat late at night.  My friends and I often visited Insomnia cookies, Kiwi frozen yogurt, Happy Valley Freeze ice cream, or even the creamery.  It was a great treat after a long week, and we always had fun picking which place to go.  

On the weekends, my friends and I also loved to have game or movie nights.  We would all go to someone’s room to play board games or watch a movie and of course ate snacks and talked!  It’s a great idea to pack some of your favorite games and movies to bring to college.  (And if you don’t have any good movies, the HUB has a free movie every weekend!) 

The weekends should be a time to relax and have fun with your friends, but remember that you can also get a lot of studying and homework done during that time too.  It is important to do some work.  With these tips, hopefully you can plan time with your friends that you will all enjoy and still have time to do work, so you won’t be too overwhelmed during the week.  

Weekend fun:

•          Football games (or other sporting events)
•          Dessert nights
•          Game or Movie Nights

I hope all of you enjoy your first year at Penn State, and remember that you don’t have to do everything, and don’t get too overwhelmed with school work.  Take some breaks and get to know your friends.  You will have a wonderful year! 

Feel the burn!

There’s no doubt life is going to change when you come to Penn State and begin your journey to become an engineer.  One of the myriad of things that could change is how you exercise.  Maybe you played sports in high school, were a dancer, or stayed in shape on your own by lifting weights and going to the gym.  Maybe you never really exercised at all, but want to get started on improving your fitness (which is highly recommended!).  I have good news—whatever your fitness fancy, you can continue doing it at Penn State and find some awesome new ways to exercise.

·         Club Sports:  From equestrian team to soccer to club croquet, we have every club sport available under the sun.  Here’s the cool part:  Club sports at Penn State are not allowed to cut anyone.  Even if you’re going out for a sport like soccer or volleyball, the clubs usually have some kind of league that incorporates all of the people that can’t travel with the team.  Depending on the club, I like to compare the level of commitment of club sports to that of high school sports.  The season lasts a few months, and practice is every day (but not necessarily mandatory).  Check out this website for a full listing of club sports: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recreation/clubs.asp

 

·         Intramural Sports:  IM sports are FUN FUN FUN, and usually include your standards like soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football, etc.  They give you the opportunity to try out new sports and be goofy with your friends.  So grab all your dorm buddies and start a team! For more info., click here:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recsports/

 

·         Fitness membership:  If you’re more of an iron pumping, elliptical trekking kind of gal, we’ve got a pretty sweet deal for a fitness membership.  It costs $103 for both fall and spring semesters, and $54 for one semester.  With that, you get access to all 4 of the school’s fitness centers, 2 indoor pools, and tons of fitness classes (aerobics, washboard abs, yoga, hip hop, zumba).  Click here to read more about the membership and how to pay for one:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/psustrength/index_rec.asp

 

·         Fitness instructors:  If you like the aerobics, hip hop, and zumba classes so much that you think you’d like to teach them, you can do that too!  All of the fitness instructors at Penn State are students.  You complete several semesters of training before you start teaching classes, so you obtain your Kines credits from that.  For more info.:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/fitness/employment.asp

 

·         Dance clubs:  Penn State offers several dance organizations in all different styles such as Volé (ballet), Ram Squad and Whiplash (hip hop), and Orchesis (jazz/ballet/modern).  Some of them even perform at university events like Homecoming and THON.   Click the club names for more information.

·         Outdoorsy Activities:  Taking advantage of the beautiful scenery in Pennsylvania is easy to do (hiking up Mt. Nittany anyone?) with the Adventure Recreation Program.  Click for more info:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/advrec/index.html ).   Adventure Rec. provides trips throughout the year for students, and they also provide gear rental if you’d like to plan your own trip.

Exercise is so important to maintaining your wellness, and it even reduces your stress levels.  I urge you girls to take advantage of all things fitness Penn State has to offer.  So, get out there and start movin’, WEPO!

Katie Mulvaney is a senior majoring in Engineering Science. She is a Mentor for WEPO 2011 and competes for the Club XC team.  Contact Katie at kmm5644@psu.edu.

Making State College your Home!

Nearly everyone at Penn State has their own opinions about things you must do while calling State College home. As with everyone else, I have my own thoughts about fun things to do between classes and to relax with friends in the evenings.  And so I have included 3 little nuggets of info about the hopping metropolis of State College, which according to Wikipedia (reliable??) is the 3rd safest 'Urban' area in Pennsylvania! As any of my friends know, I have a secret passion for the following.  While simple and perhaps silly, I am thrilled to share some insider info about them at Penn State. And they are...shopping, studying at Starbucks, and shows (as in musicals, but the alliteration just seemed more clever).  I am sure by the time your own four years are up in Happy Valley, you will have your own little list of favorite things and places filled with lots and lots of studying/learning, sweet memories and tons of laughs.

1. Shopping:  While Center County is definitely no Manhatten, there are still plenty of stores to quench your thirst for a few good bargains.  The Nitany Mall is just a few miles down College Ave and while accessible by bus, its much quicker to catch a ride with a friend who has a car. (5 min vs 25 min...we learned the hard way).  The mall includes a Macy's, Express, American Eagle, and the Gap.  Right off of Atherton by Wegmans is a Target, Ann Taylor Loft, and Black House White Market. And for all of you organic food gals, rumor has it that a Trader Joe's is opening behind the Walmart sometime this fall!  Of course, downtown has plenty of stores as well, such as the Clothesline and Lions Pride (PSU apparel), Urban Outfitters (new this year!), Abercrombie and Fitch, and Appalachian Outdoors (similar to REI).  At Barefoot on College you can pick up a new pair of the PSU necessities-Uggs, Sperrys, and rainboots.

2. Studying at Starbucks: While occasionally the studying part is swapped for chatting with a friend, Starbucks is the perfect living room when you are in a dorm room for the semester.  There are three in State College, one on College Ave across from Hammond the engineering building, which is perfect when you need that boost while  finishing up your EDSN 100 project!  The other is across from South Halls on Gardner St and has the most available seating.  The final one is across from Wegmans off of Atherton and, for the lucky ducks with a car at school, features a drive-thru.  So for those of you who are as much as a coffee-holic as I am, you are all set! And if you have never tried an iced chai with peppermint, order it next time...its delicious!

3. Shows: Yes, State College has plenty of opportunities for you culturally inclined girls!  Not only does the Penn State musical theater program produce professional level musicals, but each year a few National Tours come through town. I am pretty excited because "In the Heights," a new musical featuring a mix of Broadway tunes, hip-hop, and reggae is coming to the Eisenhower Auditourium (the largest theater venue..and where you just might have a final exam for a large class) this fall!  Also, an amateur student group, the Penn State Thespians put on a musical each semester.  Get your tickets here for most events: http://cpa.psu.edu/events/index.html

As you can see there are so many fun things to do at Penn State and out and about in State College! The ideas are endless-movies at the dollar theater, hiking, sporting events, the Arboretum, and concerts. Just remember, your time at this fabulous school is precious and always make the most of classes, simple memories with friends, and the excellent education such a massive university can provide.  Good luck and can't wait to meet all of you in a few weeks!

Rachel Schartner is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. She is a Mentor for WEPO 2011, and is also involved in SWE, Reformed University Fellowship, Women's Chorale and Tennis Club. She has co-oped with DuPont in Richmond, VA.

Greetings from the Navy Yard!

Hello future Penn State women engineers (Yes, there’s a difference between an engineer and a PSU engineer)!  Now that you know what great opportunities lie ahead of you thanks to the wonderful ladies who already shared their advice and experiences, I thought I’d let you know what to expect on your first day of classes. 

Most people feel so nervous about the first day that they even have dreams about oversleeping and being late.  Luckily for you guys, I’ll give you the step by step guide on surviving your first day.

1.       What should I wear?  EVERYONE tries to look their best on the first day.  To make your morning manageable, pick your outfit out the night before that way you waste no time figuring out what shirt/pants/shorts/shoes combination you want to wear.  (This is especially important for those with 8am classes when time is very minimal when getting ready!)  Having your outfit picked out not only saves you time but also keeps you stress-free when you go to bed knowing you have one less thing to worry about. 

2.       What should I bring?  Depending on how many classes you have will determine what kind of bag you want to carry on an average day.  If you have more than 2 classes in the morning and can’t make it to your dorm in between classes, its best to use a bookbag.  If you only have 1 class, then a small bag could probably be used.  Personally I use a bookbag in both cases J.  On the first day though, a pen or pencil and notebook should suffice for all your classes, unless your professor emailed you notes to print out from ANGEL (which you will learn more about at WEPO!).  Not much is learned the first day of classes, although there have been some classes that jump right into the material. 

3.       When should I leave for my class(es)?  Keep in mind that it takes an average person about 15 minutes to walk from the eastern side of campus (buildings such as Thomas and Life Science) to the western side (buildings such as Sparks, E-House, Willard).  Many times people go to the first class fairly early (about 10 min before) so you can get settled and avoid having to walk over people in lecture halls.  This extra time also gives you some leeway just in case you get lost inside the building or going to the building. 

4.       The campus is so big!  How can I avoid getting lost?  Before you leave your dorm I would glance at your campus map and put the map in your notebook/folder in your bookbag for future use.  When you get to your first class, I would glance at your map again to see where your second class is and so on.  This way you have an idea about where to go without looking like a ‘tourist’ on campus pulling out your map while walking to classes.  I would also do a walk through to all your classes the day before so you have an idea of what the buildings look like (ask your mentors/rovers if they can take you!).

5.       I’m in the classroom/lecture hall, where should I sit?  Depending on the type of person you are dictates where you sit.  If you are really interested in the course and want the professor to notice you, sit in the front center!  This way you are forced to pay attention and the professor sees your dedication to the class.  If you are more of an observing student, the middle of the room should work, this way you can focus without feeling pressured in the front row.  Don’t be afraid to sit next to people!  The first day of classes is stressful for everyone, so relieve the stress and start up a conversation with your neighbor before class starts.  Some common conversation starters:

“Hey, what’s your major?”, “which dorm do you live in?”, “what class do you have next, maybe we can walk there together.”,  “where are you from?”

Hopefully with this survival guide you will feel much more comfortable going to classes and can focus on meeting new people and of course your classes.  Just remember, there are thousands of other students just like you on the first day of classes, so it’s okay to be a little nervous!

Can’t wait to meet everyone at WEPO!

Megan Kraus is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. She is a Mentor for WEPO 2011, and is also involved in SWE, THON, EHouse and serves as an Engineering Envoy. She has completed two  internship rotations for the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Contact Megan at mxk5171@psu.edu.