I go to Penn State-Altoona. When people found out that I was not going to the main Penn State campus, I got snarky remarks such as "What's an Altoona?" and "You don't really go to Penn State University", or "That's just the community college for the town, why are you excited to go there?" Well, Altoona is this small town in central Pennsylvania that I wanted to spend four years of my life at. Yes, I really go to Penn State University, and yes it is the community college for the town of Altoona. Although Penn State has a 2+2 major program where you can switch from a commonwealth campus to the main campus after 2 years, I am choosing to stay at my branch campus. It is where I call "home."

I originally was really set on going to Penn State main campus. After all, you hear so many good things about Penn State University in general, and not really much about it's branch campuses. So, I made my parents and brother pack up and take me on a college road trip to see my dream school. Upon visiting Penn State main, I really liked the school spirit and overall feel of the school. It had everything I was looking for in a dream school, and so much more. I loved the fact that I could participate in so many clubs, attend college football games, join a sorority, and how many great opportunities I could have by going to a big school. However, it was just too big. Far bigger than anything I was actually looking for in a school. 97,000 students on one giant campus really scared me. I did not just want to be a number in the system, and I really wanted to have individualized attention in classes. Lectures with 500 kids crammed was definitely something that I was less than looking forward to, and I was worried about how I would possibly even learn in that kind of environment. The campus itself was huge, and it concerned me how I would even make it to class on time if the two classes were on opposite ends of campus. I was kind of discouraged, considering that Penn State had always been my top choice. On that college road trip to Penn State main, we also had a visit for Altoona scheduled. I knew the campus was much smaller, but I even thought to myself "What is an Altoona? Do they eat tuna fish?"

When I arrived on the Altoona campus, I immediately fell in love. Penn State had talked about the right "fit" for a school on their main campus tour. I didn't really understand what they meant by the right "fit" until I stepped foot onto Altoona. Firstly, the campus itself was so much smaller than main campus. All of the buildings were in one convenient location right near the dorm building I would live in. Class sizes, even for freshman required classes, were only at most 50 to 75 people. I immediately realized that the education I would receive at the main campus would be the same one as the Altoona campus- just in an environment that I would be more comfortable in. I went into college as an Animal Science major, so I knew that I would have to transfer up to main campus within two years.

Now, two years later, and I have changed my major. I am now a Criminal Justice- Bachelor of Arts major. I had the option to switch to University Park, and actually am staying out all four years at the Altoona campus. My branch campus has so many things to offer that I just feel I would not get at Penn State Main. I can have a car on campus, whereas a car would basically be useless at main. I can actually wake up 20 minutes before class, and not have to worry about being late to class due to a far walk or long bus ride ahead of me in the morning (TOTALLY not a morning person!). I have great relationships with all of my professors, even ones that I no longer take classes with. I don't have far walks between my classes, and they generally are all in the same building.During my two years at Altoona thus far, I know most of the people in my sophomore class, and even those who I do not know personally, I have seen them around campus many times. Plus, my branch campus is so much cheaper than University Park- everything from housing, to food plans, to the gym (it's free at Altoona!) Every weekend in the fall, I was up at University Park to attend football games, and even went to THON this year. After all, it is only a 45 minute drive between the two campuses! The only downside that I feel sad about staying at my branch campus is that all of my friends are going up to main campus. I have made wonderful friends during my time at school thus far, and I really am going to miss them. However, it is only a short drive, and that I will be seeing them often. Even though I may be at one Penn State campus and my friends at another, I know that WE ARE all part of one giant Penn State Family! I love my branch campus, and I know that I have definitely made the right decision by staying for all four years.