Almost everyone knows the Penn State slogan… if you wear any PSU gear out and about, anywhere around the world, you’ll most likely hear…
WE ARE PENN STATE
Because it really is a cult community! I did not go to Penn State – I went to Drexel – but I married a Penn State alum, and I’m about to have 2 Penn State alumni daughters!
As my time as a PSU mom ends, I thought I’d put together all that I learned along the way. And it’s been a road with bumps and potholes, but it has been a ride! Hopefully this will help my friends & family who follow in our family’s footsteps and makes the trek to Happy Valley quite frequently.
Incoming students and parents – UGH. Such a bittersweet time. Everything you’ve done until this point has lead up to this – watching them go out on their own. Not gonna lie – it is HARD to drive away. Tears. Both happy and sad. Happy your baby is growing into an incredible young adult, knowing they are starting out on their own journey now. Sad that everything you’ve had up until this point – full beds every night, knowing where they are and who they’re with, keeping them safe, fed and happy – is pretty much over. Yes, they’ll be home for breaks, and you’ll look forward to that. But in reality, that’s all it is – they are home for a finite period of time. 1 week for Thanksgiving / 3 weeks at Christmas / 1 week for Spring Break (if you’re lucky) / 15 weeks for summer (again, if you’re lucky). Seriously, this is the beginning of getting used to saying goodbye over and over again.
OK enough of that. It is going to be an amazing ride….this college thing. Buckle up because it goes fast.
Dorms. Roommates. Professors. Parties. Getting lost. New friends. New experiences. It is a whirlwind for them! And you…so here we go!!
FOOTBALL
The actual CULT of Penn State. It is something to experience for sure, if you can. Go to a game, attend or even host a tailgate! Just be ready to be squeezed into a space on metal bleachers that is half the size you want it to be. Even with seatbacks. Best seats are club seats above student section that are actual stadium seats.
Student Ticket Sales – for football, it is literally The Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor! There is one week in the summer (mid July) where tickets go on sale. Your kid needs to be registered (not waitlisted) for 12+ credits by June 30th to be eligible to buy student tickets. That week, the sale goes like this:
- Monday – Graduate students
- Tuesday – Seniors
- Wednesday – Juniors
- Thursday – Sophomores
- Friday – Freshman
What to know about getting Ticketmaster (TM) Student Football Tickets
Any TM account can buy tickets – does not have to be one with the student’s name or email attached. Make sure the TM account is set up with a payment method on file BEFORE the sale starts. Also, make sure you have the student’s 9 digit ID number ready, as you’ll need that to unlock the ticket. I type it into notepad then copy and paste it to make it faster during checkout.
About 15 minutes prior to the sale (~6:45 am) refresh the page and get into the Waiting Room. At this point, that’s literally what you do – WAIT. Then at 7 am, it will put you into the Queue. DO NOT REFRESH your screen during this! You’ll lose your place in line. Then pray that you’ll get in before they sell out because it is a total crap shoot if you get them!
Here are my tips, as of July 2023:
- Only one device can be logged in using a TM account. If you try to use the same account on multiple devices, it will tell you only one can be in the queue at a time.
- If you set up multiple TM accounts, they all have to be using a different cell number. It will tell you another account is in the queue with the same cell and not let you in.
- Make sure you have a payment card in your account already, and have access to the cell/email linked to the account, to verify payment. So if you give your TM login to someone else to try for tickets, or give your credit card info for someone else to put in their account, you will get the verification code when they check out. Timing is of the essence and you need to enter the code ASAP. It’s best to just Venmo/Zelle someone after if they buy the tix for you in their own account than to have the potential delay in getting the verification code and losing out on the tickets.
If you get tickets, then that’s awesome! TM will put the tickets automatically into your student’s Penn State Athletics account (another app they need to have) sometime in August. Nothing more needs to be done!
If you don’t get tickets, DO NOT FRET! Students sell tickets ALL. THE. TIME. on the student ticket transfer page. Some sell for a lot (because others will pay it) and some sell for ‘face value’ (this year, 2023, student season tickets are $246, and with 7 home games, it works out to ~$35 per game). They will sell last minute when they’re sick, or have a big exam to study for and can’t go to the game, so don’t worry!!!
New in late fall 2022 – ONLY students will be able to get into the Student section. No more sneaking in friends and family. They give wristbands at the student entrance and will be checking ID’s too. There have been too many issues so they had to crack down. Only fair.
As for parents – the tailgating is crazy! Cars and RVs as far as you can see. Host your own if you can and have your kid and their friends stop by! Or join someone else’s tailgate. On Facebook, there’s a Penn State Parents Tailgate group that is great to join!
FAVORITE PLACES & THINGS TO DO
On Campus
Anyone can eat in the dining halls. And there are 5 of them! Students who live on campus are required to have a meal plan. Off-campus kids can purchase a Commuter plan, but really that’s a waste. Just stock their LionCash+ and they get the same discount as the Commuter plan. Parents can also eat in the dining halls and just pay full price for the meal. Each dining hall has its own menu, and they change daily. I know my girls would check it out in the app daily to see where they wanted to eat every day when they were freshmen.
Cafe Laura – north campus near Nittany Lion Inn. This is a hospitality student run spot with great food at great prices! The Hospitality students plan the menus and create the meals. Open for lunch daily and for specialty dinners select nights during each semester. It’s truly a hidden gem on campus and a great place to eat!! Support the students!!
Berkey Creamery – I’m sure you know about this. Ice Cream. Cheese. Coffee. All so verrrrry good! Meal Plan money can be used here so many students who still have $$ in their accounts will spend it at the end of spring semester here. They sell dry ice – and vented cooler bags – so you can bring home some of their amazing ice cream. Their cheese is also all homemade – by Food & Science students too – and oh so good. A must visit anytime of the year!
The HUB has a Starbucks (as does the Library) and other fast food eateries. Some take meal plan $ and others don’t.
The Meat Lab – aka Butcher Block – I found out about this late and I’m mad. This is run by the Ag Science students. They have a big ham sale at Christmas and Easter – you have to email them to get on the list for a ham. They slaughter and process all their own meats on site – they make their own scrapple, and their hotdogs are incredible! Located across from Beaver Stadium and next to the baseball field. Only open Fridays 9:30 am – 3 pm (or until they’re sold out) during the semester. Closed in the summer and over breaks.
Lion Surplus is a great place to visit. Everything sold here came from a PSU campus. They do not throw anything out, but rather bring it here to sell for a very reasonable price. Selection varies daily (they are open M-F); they even sell vehicles and once a year they do a huge equipment auction. Great place to get stuff for off-campus apartments!
RESTAURANTS:
State College downtown: Federal Taphouse | BRGR | Champs | Cafe 210 | Corner Room | Allen Street Grill | Original Waffle Shop | Bagel Crust | Irvine’s | Tadaschi | Lupita’s Mexican
State College area: Otto’s Pub | Barrel 21 | The Greek | Gigi’s Southern Table | Happy Valley Brewing Co | Faccia Luna | Plaza Mexican
TO DO:
- Hike Mount Nittany – this is a great hike! Should give yourself 2-3 hours. The blue route is harder than the white.
- Visit Bellefonte – cute town, good restaurants, breweries and distillery and cidery!
- Walk campus – take a photo at the Lion Shrine, WE ARE Statue, Beaver Stadium, and in front of Old Main.
- Get a passport for the Central PA Tasting Trail – HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Have found some great places we enjoy when we’re in State College and some fantastic beverages!
- Enjoy some wine at any of the local vineyards – Happy Valley Vineyard, Mount Nittany Vineyard, Seven Mountains, University Wine Co… Big Springs Distillery in Bellefonte… Otto’s, Axemann & Robin Hood brews.
CLASSES
Ok the real reason they’re there. For a degree. Or two. Know what is required for each by checking out the PSU Bulletins. Also realize that now your kid is a legal adult, and the school has no obligation to share anything with you. Your kid needs to give you Authorized Payer access to pay tuition in LionPath, and Delegated Access to see their class schedule and end of semester grades and overall GPA. And encourage your kid to meet regularly with their advisor!! Cannot stress that enough!!
Class registration for the next semester starts rather early…and can register on certain days based on the # of credits they have, so for popular or necessary classes, make sure they are aware of when they can register so they get into them.
SOCIAL MEDIA
There are MANY MANY social media, especially Facebook, pages for Penn State. Some of them are run by for-profit national groups that try to sell you t-shirts and such, or gather your info and sell it to others. Avoid those. There are also some run by people with not so great motives and reputations, and look to cause problems for other groups.
There are also many pages about PSU Football ticket sales – some of them are sketchy as well. Do your due diligence when buying anything from anyone online, esp tickets! If you want my recommendations for what groups are good to join, send me a FB Message!
FAVORITE HOTELS
Obviously I’ve stayed in my fair share of hotels in State College. I also have a pretty specific list of what makes a good hotel – clean rooms (DUH!), dark rooms (curtains), HVAC that can run non-stop and not cycle on and off, an electric fan (ventilation) in the bathroom, good breakfast, and good location.
Our favorite, which meets pretty much all of those (except maybe location as it is a bit far from town, BUT it’s right next to Otto’s and Barrel 21 which are 2 of our faves!!) is the Fairfield Inn by Marriott on North Atherton.
PENN STATE PARENT/FAMILY RESOURCES AND EVENTS
First, get the Penn State Go app. There is a version for students, and one for parents.
Then, join the Parents Program online. There is a wealth of info in this program!
- Parents/Family Weekend – typically held in early-mid October, the campus is packed with activities to do for both parents and students! This is also one of the times you’re able to climb the clock tower in Old Main! Tours of Beaver Stadium are also a popular thing to do. Both of those require tickets in advance and they sell out quickly.
- Celebrate their 21st Birthday! Penn State Parents will send your student a birthday card with a gift card to a local coffee shop for free!! Be sure to request it at least 2 weeks before their birthday so it arrives in time. Request Free 21st Birthday Card HERE!
GRADUATION
There are 3 graduations at Penn State University Park – May (spring semester), August (summer session), and December (fall semester). May is obviously the most busy, with 8K plus students graduating – undergrad, and grad programs – over the course of 3 days. August is the least busy, and December is also not nearly as busy.
For May graduations, the hotels open up for bookings the DAY AFTER the current May graduation, so the Monday after graduation, most State College hotels will open up for reservations. BE PREPARED that most, if not all, require a 2 night minimum, pre-payment in full with a small window or no refunds, and a room rate of at least $999 PER NIGHT before taxes. YUP. Price gouging at it’s best. Alternatives are in Clearfield, Altoona, Williamsport and Milroy. Still be prepared to pay a few hundred per night at those locations, but at least it’s not an all-out ripoff. Restaurants also will book out – about 6-8 months before, for lunches and dinners for graduation weekend. There are a LOT of people on campus then. Coupled with everyone moving out of the dorms, and kids leaving apartments for the summer.
August and December hotels are more reasonable (this year about $300 per night, no minimum, no pre-pay, and cancellation up until the day before), restaurants are easier to get reservations at, and it’s just less stressful all around. Both August and December graduations are held in just one day. May graduations start Friday night and go thru Sunday. Schedules are released a few weeks out so you know exactly what time and where graduation will be for your college (Engineering, Smeal, etc).
One thing to note – during May graduation weekend, the Penn State All Sports Museum at Beaver Stadium will allow you and up to 5 people (including your graduate) into Beaver Stadium for a 10 minute time slot, for a $25 donation. You bring your own camera (or photographer if you want) and you get 10 minutes on the field to take whatever photos you want! You can purchase up to 2 timeslots total – so either 2 back to back slots, for a total of 20 minutes, or 2 at the same time so you can bring up to 10 people in with you. “Tickets” go on sale usually in mid-March for this, and they sell out FAST. It’s rain or shine and no refunds, so be prepared. The All Sports Museum is also pretty cool to walk thru at the Stadium, so be sure to do that too!
Alumni Association – one little note about this – it’s a great thing to be a part of! Your student can join even while an undergrad and they are automatically in the Blue & White Society, which has a ton of fun and engaging events on campus throughout the year. In November for Black Friday, they usually offer Lifetime Memberships for a big discount. We purchased a Family Lifetime Membership during that sale – the only time that particular membership is offered. We each have our own card, get a subscription to the Penn Stater magazine, it gives you discounts around town and in the bookstore, has access to so many savings offers (health insurance, etc) and much more. Plus access to the Alumni Directory which is huge!
