My Transition to Penn State University
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I come from Shelburne, Vermont. It is a town of about six thousand people, where we share a high school with five other towns. The populations of Penn State and State College combined are approximately the same as the largest city in Vermont. Needless to say, my transition to Penn State has been a large one.
When I first began looking at colleges, I was set on finding a small or medium school. We were visiting family in Pennsylvania and my mom decided we should tour Penn State. I thought she was crazy. “I’m never going to go to a school that big!!!” I said to my mom, but she managed to convince me to come and look. When I got here, I fell in love with the school. I know that Penn State is huge, but the immense size of the university never hit me until I attended my first football game.
I remember looking out over the stadium and realizing that the 106,000 fans in the stands were equivalent to about a sixth of my entire state. Surprisingly, I have not had that feeling of being overwhelmed again. I find that it is easy to create a bubble for myself inside the 40,000 students at this university.
The largest change for me has been the amount of work I put into my music. Every day, I aim to practice for about two hours. Besides that, I also have schoolwork to get done. In high school, having a full day, from eight o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the evening was a big deal. Now, I find myself having days that last from eight o’clock in the morning to at least six or eight o’clock at night. The amount of work is immensely different, but I am adjusting to it well.
When I accepted my offer of admission to Penn State, I knew I would like it here, but I had not realized how much. The balance that I have found between academics and my social life is just about perfect. I have made a great circle of friends and I try to take advantages of all the great resources that this large university has to offer. The following pages give a glimpse into the transition I have undergone as a new student at the Pennsylvania State University.
Musical Life – Academic Life – Social Life – Tasks of Living with Others.