Life Lesson Number Seven: Its Okay To Be Homesick

It felt like yesterday my eight best high school friends and I were sitting around our lunch table, complaining about how boring our hometown was. Talking about how we were "so over" high school, the work, and everyone in our grade. Fast forward to about eight months later, and every single one of us would do anything to be sitting at that table again. Surrounded by firmilar faces, Friday night football games under the lights, trips to our favorite diners, hikes over looking the Delaware river and our adventures to Princeton.

College has taught me so many things, among many, I am for sure a homebody. Also, its one hundred percent okay to feel homesick somedays. Don't get me wrong, I love college and I am beyond happy with my decision to attend Penn State. After all, our University offers absolutely everything from stellar academics, to a variety of clubs and organizations. Lastly, lets not forget to mention a pretty insane social seen. However, there are some days, when I miss my hometown, my friends, family, my dog, Jersey pizza, bagels, and of course my bed. The truth is I didn't realize how amazing Ringoes, New Jersey was until I had to leave.

I'll be the first to say that one of the factors that makes me miss home some days, is my big queen size bed. The thick mattress pad really adds to it, as well as all my nice fluffy pillows, cozy blankets and my dog snuggled up next to me. I will say though, I was worried that going from a queen to a twin at college would be a hard transition. However, a thick mattress pad can go along way on any size bed.

State College does have decent food. However, if you have ever met anyone from New Jersey, or New York they will definitely not let you leave the conversation you're having without explaining to you how good their bagels, pizza and subs are. Now, I understand everyone thinks their hometown food is the best but even though I sound like a stereotypical Jersey person, there is something in New Jersey's water that makes the bagels and pizza better than any other out there. Let me tell you about my favorite food in the entire world, Tortellini Pizza. In the part of New Jersey that I am from its a big thing to put Pasta on pizza. Some nights when I'm at State College I crave this pizza, its so cheesy, very filling and I probably should mention not the healthiest food in the world. Lets not forget our to die for taylor ham that we put on our fluffy bagels.

Im fortunate enough to have so many amazing friends from my hometown. Some that I went to school with since kindergarten while others, I met in high school. My high school had about 800 student in each grade, so about twenty of my classmates came to Penn State. Lucky for me, that included one of my very best friends Kiley. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we venture to the gym to not only avoid the freshmen fifteen but chat about hometown gossip as well as our new college gossip. Its crazy to think about how you go from seeing all your hometown friends for about four years straight. Then one day they are only there over texts. The distant hasn't come between my best friends and I. Our home town hero's group chat blows up my phone nearly every hour of the day, making me feel as if they are right there with me every step of the way.    

 So if there are days when you want to go home and sleep in your bed, thats normal. If there are days when you want to be back in your car, blasting music with your hometown friends, thats normal as well. If there are days when you are craving bagels and pizza from home, thats normal. If there are days when you wish you were back under the Friday night lights watching your number one ranked high school football team win a state championship, thats normal to. If there are days when you miss home and just want to go home, thats okay to, we all have those days. Remember though, State College is our new home! 

Life Lesson Six: Try New Things

It felt like yesterday I was walking into the involvement fair in the Hub. The sheer amount of clubs and people in the room was extremely overwhelming. At every presentation event that I attending before coming to Penn State, they explained how the University inhabited more than 40,000 students  and hundreds of different clubs and activities.  These clubs and organizations were what made Penn State feel small.  College has taught me many things among them, never be afraid to try new things even if it doesn't work out at least you tried it.  That could mean anything from trying new foods at the dining hall, trying different study habitats, or joining new clubs and organizations on campus.


Around the second week of school, I decided to rush a sorority. After a week or so, of the same conversations over and over, and my voice was practically extinct. As the week came to a close I learned that I had gotten a bid from one of the sororities. After attending numerous meetings with the girls that would eventually become my sisters one day I realized, that the sorority life wasn't exactly for me. At first I felt so out of place, all my friends loved the sororities they were in. For some reason I just couldn't see myself being apart of this origination for the next four years of my life, let me remind you a very expensive organization. The whole rush experience was one that I was fortunate for, after all, I was able to meet some amazing people through the whole process.

After the sorority experience I didn't know what I was going to do here at State College since Greek Life is a huge part of our University. At this point I didn't want to try anything new, but then my family friend from home, Matt told me that I had to join a Thon Committee, no if and's or butts. In the back of my mind I kept telling myself that if the sorority thing didn't work out then there was no way the Thon Committee would go well. Finding the Human Behavioral and Health building was like searching for gold. I asked about twenty people where the building was located and even used my the  GPS app  on cell phone. I thought for certain that I was going to miss my interview and blow my chance of being apart of Thon. I'm glad to report that I made it there, pretty district but I made. A bald headed guy told me that the kid before did a back flip, and asked what cool talent I had. That's how my interview started but a few later I got the call that I would be a member of the 2015 Thon Operations Committee. This Committee changed the way I felt about Penn State, I met the greatest people who I would spend every weekend with at State College, the people that would eventually become my best friends and family. With them I was able to experience a life changing event, THON.



Like I said before the involvement fair at our school is pretty insane. From friends club to mortal, to Republicans of State College, to Ohana, and PAD law frat, Penn State offers more than anyone has time for. After coming back from the fair with a stack of about 50 flyers, I decided to join Ohana which is a special interest group associated with THON. In addition, the law frat here at State College called PAD really sparked my interest and I found myself at Monday night meetings. Going to the meetings, at first, is intimidating of course, but as the meetings go on faces get more familiar and the people in the room that once were strangers become your best friends.

Penn State has so much to offer, from all its club sports. To organizations that deal with THON, to its tutoring centers. To all the amazing food places downtown such as Noodles, Qdoba, Uncles Chen's, to the Tavern. Our University has it all however, I would never know any of this I didn't step out of my comfort zone and try all of these new things!

Life Lesson Number Five: College is expensive

For many of us, the cost was a factor when looking at colleges, at least, it was for me.  I remember visiting Penn State and thinking by the time my four years are up, my parents will have spent around 200,000 dollars just so I could further my education.  According to the Business Insider, Penn State has the second highest in-state tuition out of all the public institutions across the country. For those out-of-staters like myself, 48,000 dollars a year is pretty grueling as well (thanks, Mom, and Dad). Until I was at college for a few months, I never knew about all the other expenses and they sure do add up pretty quick.

Another expensive part of college is the books.  In high school, we were given books for free.  Of course, my parents paid taxes to fund the school.  When I walked into the book store, the second day of my classes, I found myself flabbergasted by a number of books there were and the cost.  One of my books cost $175.  Of course, I could rent the book, but that was a ton of money and I still needed to purchase four more.  The sad part was, I only needed that book once the whole semester.  The academic part of college was expensive but the social part was too.

The summer before my freshmen year of college I worked at a day camp.  Every time I got a pay check my Mom would tell me to save the money because I was going to need it for college.  At that time, I just yessed her to death.  What could I possibly need that money for?  Little did I know that my bank account would shrink my first semester in college.  Hockey Sticks and Chinese food I quickly learned were the only food places open at four in the morning and those places didn't take meal points.  Every time I would walk into the bookstore or McClanahans I would see some type of Penn State apparel that I needed to add to my closet.  Then I would make my way through the HUB and see the THON apparel.  I needed a THON shirt or two to wear around campus and let's not forget the cute THON hats that everyone wears.  If I wanted to see a hockey game or attend certain sports events that cost money too.  When it came time to travel home and visit my best friend for her birthday I found out that traveling to and from State College wasn't cheap either. The bottom line was my bank account was diminishing and my meal points were as well.

We're pretty lucky here at Happy Valley.  We have a variety of food places to eat at.  From Burger King to Au Bon Pan to Jamba Juice to Chick-Fil-A to Mixed Greens, we have it all, but unfortunately these places, as good as they are, deplete our meal points.  After awhile I realized that my handpicked salad that I enjoyed eating everyday from Mixed Greens cost 7 meal points.  The crazy part is I only get 800 points a semester but pay 2,000 dollars for it.  I learned to not get the salad everyday from Mixed Green and avoid Starbucks as much as possible.  Of course once in a while you have to treat yourself, but treating yourself too often can lead to rationing at the end of the semester, or a phone call home to Mom and Dad asking for more meal points.

The bottom line is that college is expensive.  I learned quickly that I couldn't order Chinese at four am every week or get my favorite drink from Starbucks each week.  I can't buy every cute shirt I see downtown or in the bookstore and that renting my books saves tons of money. Most of all I learned that I'm grateful that I have my summer job again because my bank account needs the money!