by Bailey Freedman
Editor in Chief
Located in State College, Pennsylvania, Penn State is one of the larger Big Ten schools with 41,745 enrolled Undergraduate students according to usnews.com. With chilly winters and surrounding mountains, many NHS alumni find Penn State the ideal place to call their home away from home.
After graduating from Northern in 2022, alumni Savannah Downey chose Penn State as her next academic endeavor following numerous campus tours, research, and applications. “I chose Penn State because it is such a huge school with amazing school spirit, plus so many potential networking opportunities in the future,” said Downey. The prestigious university has many different clubs and sports for students to engage in extracurricular activities outside of the classroom.
Penn State has a student to faculty ratio of 15:1, allowing opportunities for students to ask questions, receive help, and develop relationships with their professors in and out of the classroom setting. Many different classes are available to students majoring from political science to biomedical engineering with class sizes ranging from 20 students to hundreds of students. Undergraduates have choices between which classes they decide to take and how to use their resources to build an academic resume for future endeavors.
State College is an inclusive university through clubs and activities open to all, allowing applicants from many different backgrounds and beliefs the opportunity to continue their education at Penn State. In 2023, 57.6% of students who applied to State were offered admission along with numerous scholarship opportunities according to collegeinfodesk.com. NHS alumni Josh Carter said, “I was very happy when I was accepted into PSU because it has always been my dream school. It was an easy decision to decide to go.”
Many NHS alumni currently attending Penn State believe their time at Northern prepared them for their college experience in terms of classwork and time management. Downey said, “I feel like Northern prepared me pretty well for college but the course load is much more and you really have to make sure you’re staying on top of everything.” These rigorous courses at PSU allow students to develop life skills including organization and school-life balance.
While attending PSU, many undergraduate students decide to participate in Greek life, engaging in activities surrounded by school spirit and new friendships. “Joining a sorority has been one of the best decisions I have made and I would 100 percent recommend anyone to join Greek life, it’s not as crazy as Bama Rush makes you believe,” said Downey.
Penn State University offers many opportunities for incoming freshman and upperclassmen, allowing students to engage in new activities on campus. Looking forward, many students in the NHS graduating class of 2024 have shared their application lists including Penn State as a top school. Admitted students may look forward to the riveting energy at football games, cozy dorms, and specific clubs offered to all students. Penn State University continues to welcome students from all across the world and build a strong community.
