Memories of Penn State (State College, Beaver: spring break, apartment, renting)

[Burgher-Brad]

It's late August and that always makes me nostalgic for my college days at PSU. I attended University Park from Fall 1988 to Fall 1992 (one extra semester to maximize my college experience) and got a B.S. in Science.

Here's my memories of the place in semi-chronological order --- feel free to add your own.

1) Got stuck in a triple room in South Halls my freshman year because my high school buddy backed out last minute and enrolled at CMU instead. Thought I was going to hate it, but ended up liking my 2 roomies and one of them had an awesome Led Zeppelin CD collection. I remember getting misty-eyed watching my parents leave after they helped me move in and got those lonely feels knowing that Mommy and Daddy weren't around to pamper me like a baby anymore. A few days later, I barely remembered I had parents.

2) I was the only kid on my dorm floor to have a TV + VCR, so my room became unofficial "movie night" for Saturdays. Kinda weird coming back to my place after a party and seeing 10 dudes in my room watching "Lethal Weapon 2" or "Predator". And yeah, we did watch pornos on VHS but is that really unusual for horny 19 yr. old college dudes?

3) Took advice of a sophomore on my floor who told me going to class for Calc I (Math 140) was a waste of time because the prof is lecturing verbatim out of the textbook, so I stopped going to class in Week 4 and only went to recitation and felt lost. Got a solid D in that class. Took it again in Spring 1989 and got a B. Took Calc II (Math 141) at a branch campus in the summer and scored a solid A

4) Finding out my meal plan allowed me to buy pizza, ice cream and chips in the dining halls. My Mom told me those meal points were only for "nutritious meals" like chicken salad and fish fillets. I didnt gain an ounce during college because my metabolism and genetics were still working in my favor.

5) Only went to one football game because I forgot to buy a student season ticket. I never went to a football game in high school, so when I entered Beaver Stadium and saw 97,000 people in there, it was quite the experience. I think the Dad from "Rudy" said it best -- "This is the greatest thing my eyes have ever seen".

6) Sophomore year I decided to become a "study machine" since my freshman year slacking wrecked my GPA. I spent nearly every Friday and Saturday night at Pattee with my nose in my Organic Chem. and Physics textbooks. Got mostly B's in my science courses and A's in my non-science electives so my GPA improved to above 3.0 which is where I wanted it.

7) Went to almost all the home football games my sophomore year. Can't remember much except Blair Thomas being pretty awesome. Got our asses kicked by Rocket Ismail and the Fighting Irish at Beaver Stadium but that was expected.

8) Finding out that in college there is a 3-day weekend. I remember studying one Thursday night and one of my dorm buddies asks why I'm studying and I say "Well it's still a school night, right?". He says "In college, the weekend starts on Thursday night". I find out he's right -- the bars are packed on Thursday nights. I don't seem to complain about this newly discovered phenomena.

9) Took a summer session golf class at a branch campus to fulfill one of my PE credits, and I liked it but sorta got hit on by the 40-something female instructor. That was weird and uncomfortable. Why couldnt I get hit on by the cute female grad student who taught my Verterbrate Anatomy class? I had the hots for her.

10) Junior year was a lot of studious behaviour but I did relax a little more than my sophomore year. I enjoyed my classes a lot more because I was finally done with chemistry and calculus! I even took some Anthropology courses and decided to get a Minor in it. It's amazing how much you can enjoy class when you take something you WANT to take, not have to take.

11) Came home sloppy drunk one night and accidentally set off the fire alarm in my dorm (I stumbled and fell and grabbed onto it on my down). It was February so a lot of people were pissed to get shaken out of bed at 2am to stand outside in freezing temps. Noticed some guys had girls with them dressed only in a big t-shirt (lucky fellas). I just stayed quiet and nobody ever found out. I would bet these days they have security cameras on every alarm?

12) The big upset win over #1 ranked Notre Dame was the highlight of the football season. I was watching it with about 50 people in the commons area, and we erupted with bedlam when that Craig Fayak kick went right thru the uprights to seal the victory over the hated Irish. The entire campus proceeded to Beaver Stadium to tear down a goal post and parade it through town. Went to greet JoePa and his team when they arrived back on campus in buses. What a fun night.

13) I practically missed all of the Gulf War because I couldn't get any TV in the dorms (no cable or off-air channels). I can remember hearing Bush's declaration that airstrikes had begun on the radio. I didnt see footage of "smart bombs" until a few years later. I went to a public conference where some military guys were scaring us into thinking another draft might happen if the war went bad for the USA and body counts started rising. Pretty funny to think of that now considering that skirmish only lasted a few weeks.

14) Senior year I moved off-campus to Gateway Center to share an apartment with 3 other dudes. Didnt seem like much of an improvement since we had 4 guys sleeping in one room (2 bunks), but at least we had our own kitchen and bathroom. Still, I wish I would've got an apartment with only one roomie. 4 people living in one small apartment is madness.

15) Became quite lazy with "senioritis" and so I skipped about half my classes. Still managed to get mostly B's, but that's because I had Nittany Notes for 2 classes and had to withdraw from the Endocrinology class I was failing. Took a required Statistics class and actually liked it. Overall, took a small hit to my GPA but still above 3.0 where I wanted it.

16) I avoided using computers my first 3 years at State because I hated them and saw no need for them. However, my senior year I took a Technical Writing class and the prof. required us to submit papers via email. I found myself starting to hang out in the computer labs during my free time and learning word processing and graphics and even dabbling in the primitive internet on the mainframe. I remember some of the Macs had speakers so it was cool hearing 16-bit music on a computer. I was now hooked on the Computer Age. I was tempted to by my own PC in 1992 but back then even a cheap system would set you back $2,000 so I passed.

17) Finished up my senior year with only 6 credits still needed to get my degree and I was tempted to take them during summer session, but decided I deserved one last full semester to enjoy my college career. Luckily, one of my friends was looking for a roommate in an off-campus apt. so my housing needs were solved. Senioritis was a full-blown mental disorder for me at this point, so I deliberately took 3 classes that had Nittany Notes coverage and only 1 science class that I didnt attend and got a D in but didnt care at that point. I think that entire semester I only went to 8 or 9 total classes --- pretty much stopped going after Week 3.

18) Had my most drunk night ever in October 1992 after guzzling down three Long Island Ice Teas in quick succession followed by 2 or 3 beers at Cafe 210. I puked on the Loop bus after getting a whiff of some kid's pizza next to me. I was so wasted that I had to be dragged home unconscious by 2 buddies. Woke up at 9am the next morning with my head next to the toilet and puke all over my jeans and shirt and some on the bathroom tile. Took about 3 days to recover from that one.

19) Went to commencement at Rec Hall on a cold blustery day in early January 1993. I remember not liking it because the College of Science, Education, and Agriculture all shared the same ceremony. Then, I had to go to some back room to pick up my diploma. Overall, a sheeple experience that you can only get at a large state university to close out my college years.

20) Stayed in my apartment for a couple months trying to land a job in State College but wasn't having much luck. Decided to save money and moved back in with the parents during Spring Break 1993. I finished moving right before the Blizzard of '93 struck in early March and paralyzed all of Pennsylvania for a few days.

[MathmanMathman]

Didn't attend Penn State, but I visited, and I remember most of all the Creamery. Best ice cream at an affordable price.

[Tallysmom]

Ours was the Cattle Car -- best sandwiches EVER. Got our wedding rings at Kranich's.

About three years after we moved out here the calls started coming. We want your money, we want your money.

Rather resent being nothing more than a donator.... PSU can suck that.

One had the bright idea to ask me about all the good things at State College. I replied I married the best thing out of Penn State... didn't need to go back to find him, he was (and is) still with me.

[gg]

Thanks for posting your experience. Sounds like a good time overall.

[erieguy]

"Breakfast" at CC Peppers after a lonnnnggg night of the funniest times I ever had.

[charisb]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Ours was the Cattle Car -- best sandwiches EVER. Got our wedding rings at Kranich's.

About three years after we moved out here the calls started coming. We want your money, we want your money.

Rather resent being nothing more than a donator.... PSU can suck that.

One had the bright idea to ask me about all the good things at State College. I replied I married the best thing out of Penn State... didn't need to go back to find him, he was (and is) still with me.

I am sure the undergrad work-study student who called was very interested.
You know you can just tell them not to call you again and they won't.
(I was a work-study student who had to make those calls years ago, but not at Penn State.)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Burgher-Brad

And yeah, we did watch pornos on VHS but is that really unusual for horny 19 yr. old college dudes?

Depends. Did you all beat off together?

[Burgher-Brad]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Didn't attend Penn State, but I visited, and I remember most of all the Creamery. Best ice cream at an affordable price.

I actually only visited the Creamery once the entire time I was there. Makes me think I had a thing against ice cream back then, even though I love it now.

I also never climbed Mount Nittany. Got tempted several times, but always chickened out. Maybe I will get around to it someday.

[Burgher-Brad]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Ours was the Cattle Car -- best sandwiches EVER. Got our wedding rings at Kranich's.

About three years after we moved out here the calls started coming. We want your money, we want your money.

Rather resent being nothing more than a donator.... PSU can suck that.

Stop being a crybaby. I got a lot of letters and calls asking for donations, but I did the smart thing and unlisted my phone number and then I enjoyed the silence.

I feel like donations sometimes end up going to the wrong projects or fattening the paychecks of some bureaucrat administrator. Do they really need to build multi-level parking garages all over that beautiful campus just so lazy, fat employees don't have to walk more than 50 ft. from the car to the office?

I get a little more nauseous every time I visit and see how how many trees they cut down to put up a building.

[Burgher-Brad]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Depends. Did you all beat off together?

Now that I think about it, it was kinda strange to have 10 dudes sitting around and watching porn with all our clothes on as if it was an Oscar contending flick.

I also found it odd that only one video store in town was renting out XXX tapes back in those days. You would've thought PSU was a Christian university.