I always smile every time I see seniors post Facebook statuses about being accepted into this school and scholarships of all kinds. But I always smile when I see people get accepted into my school. Good Ol' Penn State Abington. Maybe it’s the Lion Ambassador in me that makes me smile or maybe it’s the sense of pride I feel for my school. Nevertheless I want to show you why PSA is such a great school, but for those who haven’t decided on what school to go to, here’s why you should strongly consider Penn State Abington:
1. WE ARE!... PENN STATE!
Yes I know its cliché to use our school chant but our school’s is different. Penn State is one university, regardless of location or program; we always bleed blue and white. I never really realized this until I attended All-U day, which is the football game where every PSU campus is represented during half time up at main campus. Everyone is family here at PSU and here at Abington, we’re the crazy Italian family. Our school is only 4000 strong (and that’s an estimate) but we are closer than ever.
2. Appearance
Sometimes when looking at colleges, seniors take appearance into affect. Fear not, Penn State Abington is one of the most aesthetically pleasing campuses in the greater Philadelphia area. Our Sutherland building used to be the Ogontz School for Girls and has a lot of beautiful historic architecture. Not to mention, our infamous pond right outside of our Lares and Woodland buildings that also connects to the creek that cuts through our campus. Our campus is also in the beautiful Abington Township, which is a very natural suburban area with lots of trees and possibilities to go exploring!
3. Our Students
A lot of people think going to a Penn State means large classes. To be quite honest, at Abington you’ll probably take maybe three to four large classes and they’re probably going to be from fifty to one hundred people max. Other classes are more likely to be less than thirty students and some are forty depending on if you’re taking a general education requirement such as math 021. Since our classes are smaller, it’s going to be a lot easier for you make friends here, just like at any other college.
4. Our Clubs
Our clubs only extend our closeness as a student body! We have over forty working clubs right now and a lot of them are forty plus students. So if you do find yourself struggling make sure you join a club within the first two days of class. Often times there is a club for your major, like the Psychology Club! Even with the amount of clubs and new friend groups you’ll join at college you’ll always be apart of the Penn State Abington family.
5. Location, Location, Location!
Unlike our Main campus, which is in itself a college town (State College/University Park), we are located in the heart of Abington Township. We’re 10 minutes away from nearly everything. If you’re an out-of-state student and have to commute from New Jersey, we have a shuttle that takes you to the Rydal train station (West Trenton Line). There’s a SEPTA bus stop (Route 55) down the street from campus, and one at our off campus parking lots. Hint, there’s a shuttle that’ll take you from the parking lot to school. We’re also ten minutes from the Willow Grove Mall and the PA Turnpike. if you take York Road all the way down it turns into Old York Road, then Broad Street; you’ll eventually be in Center City. We're even within a few minutes walk of Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health, formerly known as Abington Memorial Hospital!
6. You’ll never have professors like ours.
About half of our professors are from the city or out skirts and I know of at least three that also teach at Temple or Chestnut Hill. Often times in the winter months our class gets canceled because of them not being able to get here so don’t take these professors for granted. All joking aside, our professors are the best things since sliced bread. They’re probably the most caring compared to others I’ve heard about from friends at different campuses as well as personal experience. Professors at Penn State Abington will respect you like the adult you are and help with what ever they can.
7. Just because we’re a commuter campus doesn’t mean we don’t have events!
(Editor's Note: Penn State Abington is doing away with all common break periods, any events will now take place in the late afternoon or evening. Effective Fall 16 Tuesday & Thursday common break was eliminated. Info sourced from credible University sources)
We actually have a designated time each day to meet with our clubs and attend events, especially weekly ones. Recently we had our No Place for Hate week and we had numerous speakers coming in to talk about equal rights. Not to mention, the insane amount of performers we have come, one of them being Todrick Hall! We’ve even had the woman who plays Flacka from Orange is the New Black visit our school back in the fall! There are also tons of events like our witching hour in October where you can get a tarot card or rune reading, or even just charity events like our Empty Bowls event. We also participate significantly in THON, Penn State’s forty-six hour dance marathon that raises money to help research and fight against pediatric cancer.
8. We do not have "Freshman 15"
Often days its hard to turn down a chicken caesar wraps or buffalo chicken pizza, especially if its from our cafeteria. No seriously, our cafeteria has amazing wraps and pizza. Even though there’s so much more to factor in, especially if you’re a huge Waqa connoisseur or you just took the Target shuttle to get Chipotle. You will never gain weight at Abington. Our campus has a lot of hills, so even if you choose to live at off campus apartments such as College Station or plan on living in our new dorms in 2017; you won’t have that chance. Even if you do start to pack on more weight we have a FREE gym in our athletic building if you choose to work it off. Word of the wise, ALWAYS BRING YOUR PSU ID, you can’t get into the athletic building without it! If you don’t think lifting weights or the treadmill is for you, our Nurse offers FREE yoga during the week as well.
9. Our History
Some students like to know the history of schools. Well, ours is actually very historic and holds a lot of interesting history. As I said earlier our Sutherland building used to be the Ogontz School for Girls. In case you didn’t know here at Ogontz girls were shaped and formed into the amazing women they are today. However I bet you didn’t know this, but Amelia Earhart attended Ogontz before she became a pilot. We also kept the living quarters of the head mistress, Abby Sutherland, and converted into half of our Lares building.
10. Its more than just college it’s a life experience.
Here at Abington I’ve never felt more accepted, happier, healthier, and more intelligent then ever before. I’m a second semester freshman and I can honestly say Abington has changed my life in the best way possible. Sure it gave me an attitude adjustment, but I’ve definitely learned from attending here that college and life is no joke. So if you’re looking for somewhere that will help you grow as a person or maybe help you figure out who you are, I highly suggest Penn State Abington.
#WEARE #PENNSTATE
