Choosing The Right College School Spotlight: Pennsylvania State University Written by Emily Toffelmireon April 27th, 2020 I came to College Coach after working for many years in college admissions and high school counseling. As a school counselor, I assisted students in the college application process and wrote hundreds of letters of recommendation, while also helping them and their families cope with any emotional, social, and academic concerns throughout the year. I transitioned from the high school setting to the admissions office when I joined the University of Southern California as an assistant director, reading freshmen and transfer applications and collaborating on admission decisions for over 150 majors, including the liberal arts, engineering, business, cinema, and the fine and performing arts. I subsequently took on the role of senior assistant director in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, where I coordinated the division's Mork, Stamps, Trustee, Presidential and Dean's merit scholarship selection process, as well as recruitment publications and outreach, and traveled everywhere from Honolulu to Miami presenting to and interviewing hundreds of applicants each year. Learn More About Emily choosing the right college, college lists, There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school! School Spotlight: Pennsylvania State University State College, PA A public research university located in a quintessential college town, Penn State boasts one of the most robust alumni networks, with more than half a million former Nittany Lions around the world. The campus and current student body echo this size: With 12 undergraduate colleges and over 275 majors to choose from, the University Park campus supports a student body of more than 40,000 undergrads. The entire Penn State system includes 24 additional campuses, from which over 50 percent of students transfer to the University Park campus under a unique 2+2 arrangement. Given the large number of majors, it’s not surprising that some are unusual and unique, like energy and sustainability policy, corporate communication, and petroleum and cybersecurity analytics and operations. Highly motivated students who take advantage of the well-known Schreyer Honors College enjoy access to special housing, smaller classes, and guaranteed scholarships. Fun fact #1: PSU’s 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon donated more than 11.7 million dollars this year to the University’s Children's Hospital. Fun fact #2: PSU’s Creamery, which uses milk from the University’s own dairy production center, makes over 50 flavors of ice cream, including chocolate pretzel crunch, espresso fudge pie, and peanut butter marshmallow. Image Credit: Top, Courtesy of Patrick Mansell, Penn State Related Resources Read | Posted on March 26th, 2024 California Colleges and Universities: A Treasure Trove of Opportunities Read | Posted on March 5th, 2024 The Top 3 Campus Safety Myths Read | Posted on March 1st, 2024 Celebrating International Women’s Day: Is a Women’s College Right for You?
