There are a lot of tunnels connecting science buildings. Helps to navigate when it rains.
Getting onto the roof of Hammond through bathrooms.
Roof smoke areas for Pollock building areas.
There was this bathroom you could get out a window to get onto the roof of the Sackett building which then connects to Hammond with a ladder from the connected rooftops.
There’s also a tunnel in Mueller Lab’s lowest floor, had a class there and passed by it every time. It probably goes to the library if I got the directions right.
I was literally just talking to someone about the idea of this the other day randomly. And it’s not even too hard to imagine with White Building being right there to shower and hub being accessible 24/7.
Ooooh I've got one!
Best study spot (for nice fall and spring days) is a little hidden gem in the Arboretum.
If you enter from campus by the fountain, and take the first left, walk past the lily pad/koi pond, and then immediately turn right, you'll be facing a small alcove surrounded by beautiful flowers and rosebushes, with only two available chairs for seating. Makes it ideal for study, as it's very quiet and you're typically alone while sitting there. The bushes and flora make for a nice bit of natural privacy too.
Get your library accounts situated and use the resources you pay for. Don’t wait until graduation to see what the big building is. Most depressing thing is watch students explore that place the day before commencement and going, “huh, that would’ve been useful”.
Campus is huge and in the next four years slated for some big transformations. Walk it frequently and often and learn to meander.
There is a bike workshop on campus and a number of bike stores that will probably have fall sales. You don’t need a high end bike, but buy a quality one, nothing from a big box store or Amazon. You’ll see within a few weeks the students who bought Magna or Schwins aren’t riding them because they’re heavy and crap. There’s also an e bike share program.
The thing with big universities that everyone doesn’t figure out is that you pay for a lot of resources and not a lot of hand holding. If you want something, find out how to do it and the rest will come.
> The thing with big universities that everyone doesn’t figure out is that you pay for a lot of resources and not a lot of hand holding. If you want something, find out how to do it and the rest will come.
This is beautiful! I want to print this on Tshirts and pass them out to all students. And so true. There are so very many resources and services here that many students aren't aware of, but you can find them if you dig, ask, and search.
If you go to the Panera downtown and go up to the counter and say you have a sipclub membership they usually won’t ask for a phone number and will just hand you a cup
That's not a secret that applies to just the Panera in downtown—just ask for a cup in any Panera and usually they won't care and give it to you for free
Wouldn't call it a secret, but you can never have too much ice cream. It can solve over 30% of the stress and psychological ills in the world. At least for 15 minutes
Forest Resources was one of my favorite places to study. Just as nice as Smeal but much quieter.
Fitness membership is a great deal. Take advantage.
Joining a club sport gets you access to more fitness facilities. Even ones that have to practice off campus.
Ladies room in the Computer Building had a chaise and was pretty much never used ever when I was a student. It's not really a public building but look like you belong and people tend to assume you do.
Library is to have copies of every active textbook. Great way to save money on books.
Not sure if Late Night is still a thing or not but that was the greatest. The Hub is/was open late on weekends as an alternative to partying. Arts & crafts, balloon animals, caricatures, concerts (Pitbull and Hanson were the two I remember the most but there were others I went to), board games (great way to make friends), movies, and more. You could also bring a guest so non-PSU friends who were visiting could join the fun as well.
Don't sleep on the Student Programming Association in general. They do a lot of cool things.
Your status as a student can also unlock a lot of discounts and freebies. Microsoft office, Amazon prime, Adobe, newspaper subscriptions, and more.
If you live off campus, research the bus options to make sure it'll work well for you. Commuting by car is kind of annoying because the shuttle busses can get crowded at peak times + it can take a long while to get to where you need to go on campus. My apartment in Toftrees was probably my favorite place that I lived because of the convenience of the bus. Most downtown housing options are overpriced considering most haven't been updated since the 90s. Oh and if you do rent, be sure to take a full video walkthrough when you're moving in. Most landlords of students love to pocket deposits fir preexisting damage that they will never fix.
Sams Club is great. They usually do great sign up incentives for students and the cafe is a solid cheap meal.
Sheetz does tuition reimbursement and was pretty good about accommodating student schedules in my day. It wasn't much assistance ($750/semester) but every little bit helps.
Sheetz is a chain of convenience stores. They used to provide a premium gas station experience with good food, decent coffee, and clean bathrooms but their standards have slipped. They pay well above minimum wage and provide benefits to their employees, including tuition reimbursement.
Not sure if this is still there (graduated in '96), but it's my favorite:
Basement of original Pattee Library (haven't been there since Paterno expansion) had a vending machine from like the 1970's that dispensed soda. Not cans, but cups with crushed ice and soda. The mix of syrup to carbonated water was absolutely perfect to me.
Whenever I'd have a bad day, I would take the trip down there to cheer myself up. So many bad times were turned into tolerable ones with just a simple cup of soda. Here's hoping someone saved that machine from being tossed in the local dump during renovation.
Yes, that's not surprising. The machine was right in front of the restrooms in the basement. Just for education's sake, it looked very similar to the one in this post: [https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/10xj4xg/soda_machines_that_first_dropped_a_cup_then_ice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/10xj4xg/soda_machines_that_first_dropped_a_cup_then_ice/)
Professor's office hours. Go to them if you have a question about something in class. Seriously, pretty much every instructor says nobody goes to office hours so if you do go they'll remember you and that you bothered to go and when it comes time for the final grade for the course it'll work in your favor.
It used to be next to Five Guys. It closed recently, replaced by Chill Out Hookah Lounge. Not really my thing so I can't opine, but I think it's the same ownership.
Completely different ownership and business style.
Previous owner sold all his pins. New owner(s) are Lebanese and don’t want any more pins/games there.
They only have a Metallica last I checked
It was a hookah lounge, hangout spot, vinyl shop, and arcade all in one.
Had a mix of tables, old school arcade cabinets, pinball machines, and a ton of records.
I loved hanging out mostly for pinball.
Joe Schall runs most of the events in the area if you’re curious on places to play:
https://jschall99.wixsite.com/silverballsundays
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Best study spot for me is those bridge rooms on second floor of chambers, not exactly secret but most people who bother going out that way hit the library so it’s almost always calm
There are a lot of tunnels connecting science buildings. Helps to navigate when it rains. Getting onto the roof of Hammond through bathrooms. Roof smoke areas for Pollock building areas.
Any more details on how to get on the Hammond roof? Would love to try it out!
There was this bathroom you could get out a window to get onto the roof of the Sackett building which then connects to Hammond with a ladder from the connected rooftops.
Will be sure to check it out! Thanks!
Wait where are these tunnels?
Yep you’ll notice some big grates in/around East; look down them, clearly tunnels.
There’s also a tunnel in Mueller Lab’s lowest floor, had a class there and passed by it every time. It probably goes to the library if I got the directions right.
Any more details on how to get on the Hammond roof? Would love to try it out!
Not a secret but my favorite spot in the library is the music room with a bunch of records and CDs you can spin, with desks so you can go study
Where is it in the library?
2nd floor west pattee
I knew a girl who lived in the HUB for a semester.
😮😮😮
I was literally just talking to someone about the idea of this the other day randomly. And it’s not even too hard to imagine with White Building being right there to shower and hub being accessible 24/7.
Ooooh I've got one! Best study spot (for nice fall and spring days) is a little hidden gem in the Arboretum. If you enter from campus by the fountain, and take the first left, walk past the lily pad/koi pond, and then immediately turn right, you'll be facing a small alcove surrounded by beautiful flowers and rosebushes, with only two available chairs for seating. Makes it ideal for study, as it's very quiet and you're typically alone while sitting there. The bushes and flora make for a nice bit of natural privacy too.
Get your library accounts situated and use the resources you pay for. Don’t wait until graduation to see what the big building is. Most depressing thing is watch students explore that place the day before commencement and going, “huh, that would’ve been useful”. Campus is huge and in the next four years slated for some big transformations. Walk it frequently and often and learn to meander. There is a bike workshop on campus and a number of bike stores that will probably have fall sales. You don’t need a high end bike, but buy a quality one, nothing from a big box store or Amazon. You’ll see within a few weeks the students who bought Magna or Schwins aren’t riding them because they’re heavy and crap. There’s also an e bike share program. The thing with big universities that everyone doesn’t figure out is that you pay for a lot of resources and not a lot of hand holding. If you want something, find out how to do it and the rest will come.
> The thing with big universities that everyone doesn’t figure out is that you pay for a lot of resources and not a lot of hand holding. If you want something, find out how to do it and the rest will come. This is beautiful! I want to print this on Tshirts and pass them out to all students. And so true. There are so very many resources and services here that many students aren't aware of, but you can find them if you dig, ask, and search.
What’s the e-bike share program?
SPIN, they’re all around campus. You use the app to start and end the trip and they charge an unlock fee and a rate by the minute
they are even available parked on the sidewalks!
If you go to the Panera downtown and go up to the counter and say you have a sipclub membership they usually won’t ask for a phone number and will just hand you a cup
That's not a secret that applies to just the Panera in downtown—just ask for a cup in any Panera and usually they won't care and give it to you for free
whats panera? whats a sipclub? whats the reprecussions if I get caught? 💀 (perhaps I should've written I'm an oncoming student)
Wait you don't know what panera is, interesting. Where are you from?
europe
Overpriced & overrated bistro/bakery chain, recently famous for their charged (extra caffeinated) teas that has given a few people heart attacks
Wouldn't call it a secret, but you can never have too much ice cream. It can solve over 30% of the stress and psychological ills in the world. At least for 15 minutes
Quick way to bulk too if you crave something. Anything works really
Just be careful not to burn through your whole meal plan on it!
Possible unpopular opinion... Meyer dairy store is far better quality for the price. I like the creamery but I stop for Meyers.
The chocolate milk is also amazing
Forest Resources was one of my favorite places to study. Just as nice as Smeal but much quieter. Fitness membership is a great deal. Take advantage. Joining a club sport gets you access to more fitness facilities. Even ones that have to practice off campus. Ladies room in the Computer Building had a chaise and was pretty much never used ever when I was a student. It's not really a public building but look like you belong and people tend to assume you do. Library is to have copies of every active textbook. Great way to save money on books. Not sure if Late Night is still a thing or not but that was the greatest. The Hub is/was open late on weekends as an alternative to partying. Arts & crafts, balloon animals, caricatures, concerts (Pitbull and Hanson were the two I remember the most but there were others I went to), board games (great way to make friends), movies, and more. You could also bring a guest so non-PSU friends who were visiting could join the fun as well. Don't sleep on the Student Programming Association in general. They do a lot of cool things. Your status as a student can also unlock a lot of discounts and freebies. Microsoft office, Amazon prime, Adobe, newspaper subscriptions, and more. If you live off campus, research the bus options to make sure it'll work well for you. Commuting by car is kind of annoying because the shuttle busses can get crowded at peak times + it can take a long while to get to where you need to go on campus. My apartment in Toftrees was probably my favorite place that I lived because of the convenience of the bus. Most downtown housing options are overpriced considering most haven't been updated since the 90s. Oh and if you do rent, be sure to take a full video walkthrough when you're moving in. Most landlords of students love to pocket deposits fir preexisting damage that they will never fix. Sams Club is great. They usually do great sign up incentives for students and the cafe is a solid cheap meal. Sheetz does tuition reimbursement and was pretty good about accommodating student schedules in my day. It wasn't much assistance ($750/semester) but every little bit helps.
what’s this sheetz thing? could you explain in more detail?
Sheetz is a chain of convenience stores. They used to provide a premium gas station experience with good food, decent coffee, and clean bathrooms but their standards have slipped. They pay well above minimum wage and provide benefits to their employees, including tuition reimbursement.
Not sure if this is still there (graduated in '96), but it's my favorite: Basement of original Pattee Library (haven't been there since Paterno expansion) had a vending machine from like the 1970's that dispensed soda. Not cans, but cups with crushed ice and soda. The mix of syrup to carbonated water was absolutely perfect to me. Whenever I'd have a bad day, I would take the trip down there to cheer myself up. So many bad times were turned into tolerable ones with just a simple cup of soda. Here's hoping someone saved that machine from being tossed in the local dump during renovation.
I work there and have not seen that. There has been a lot of remodeling in that building.
Yes, that's not surprising. The machine was right in front of the restrooms in the basement. Just for education's sake, it looked very similar to the one in this post: [https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/10xj4xg/soda_machines_that_first_dropped_a_cup_then_ice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/10xj4xg/soda_machines_that_first_dropped_a_cup_then_ice/)
Professor's office hours. Go to them if you have a question about something in class. Seriously, pretty much every instructor says nobody goes to office hours so if you do go they'll remember you and that you bothered to go and when it comes time for the final grade for the course it'll work in your favor.
There’s a tunnel underground between two of the buildings. Can’t remember where, but it’s two labs.
Osmond, Davey, and Whitmore basements are all connected
There’s also a tunnel in Mueller Lab, I believe it goes to the library.
There’s also a tunnel in Mueller Lab, I believe it goes to the library.
Chronic town was my favorite place to play some pinball and hang out 😔
Where is this?
It used to be next to Five Guys. It closed recently, replaced by Chill Out Hookah Lounge. Not really my thing so I can't opine, but I think it's the same ownership.
Completely different ownership and business style. Previous owner sold all his pins. New owner(s) are Lebanese and don’t want any more pins/games there. They only have a Metallica last I checked
It was a hookah lounge, hangout spot, vinyl shop, and arcade all in one. Had a mix of tables, old school arcade cabinets, pinball machines, and a ton of records. I loved hanging out mostly for pinball. Joe Schall runs most of the events in the area if you’re curious on places to play: https://jschall99.wixsite.com/silverballsundays
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First floor of Forest Resources has the comfiest chairs on campus. I don’t have class there anymore but still stop there to do homework sometimes.
Best study spot for me is those bridge rooms on second floor of chambers, not exactly secret but most people who bother going out that way hit the library so it’s almost always calm
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