At Penn State there are a lot of
great special living options that you can get involved in. When I was a freshman, I chose to live in
Pennypacker as a part of the First Year in Science and Engineering
program. I felt like this was the best
option for me because I wanted to have the “freshman experience,” while at the
same time being able to focus on school and make friends who would be in my classes
in the years to come. By living in
Pennypacker, I got to have the best of both worlds – I lived in East Halls
where a majority of the other freshman lived, and I also got to take advantage
of all that Pennypacker had to offer.
Many nights a week they offered tutoring for the core engineering and
science classes, but more importantly my freshman special living option gave me
the opportunity to meet other people who were in the same classes or even major
as me. I was able to make friends that I
could study with or just hang out with because we lived in the same building.
For my sophomore year, I wasn’t
sure if I wanted to move off campus yet, so I decided that E-House (Engineering
House in West Halls) would be a good option since it is similar to Pennypacker. Throughout freshman year, I participated in
E-House social and academic activities in order to get a housing contract there
for my sophomore year. The activities
ranged from watching an episode of TV to study hours. It ended up being a great experience because
I was able to meet even more people that I could study and do work with, and I
lived on West campus which was close to all of my classes.
If used wisely, special living
options can go a long way in helping you both socially and academically. Looking back, I would do it all over again,
and I definitely recommend that you take advantage of them. I’m happy to answer any questions you might
have, and can’t wait to see everyone at WEPO in August!
Sarah Cooperman is a junior in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and she is a Mentor for WEPO '14!
