Ranking the Dorms at Penn State University

For freshman year it wasn't bad. Location is awesome for most first year classes unless you have a ton over on the west side of campus. The rooms, while small and a little sad looking, can easily be cozy with some well planned decor. Bathrooms were clean enough, although we had some cockroach issues throughout the year.

The building i lived in had a few lounges although these spaces weren't that heavily used, and there were dumpsters in one of them (blessing in the winter, curse in the summer). The elevators also kept breaking down which wasn't a big deal for me, but could be if someone is physically impaired.

I happened to live in one of the least-renovated of the pollock halls. Keep in mind there is a big difference between my hall and one of the bigger ones like beaver-- which has new elevators, a big kitchen, study rooms, etc etc. - 4 years ago

I lived in Snyder.

Pros:
- You're close to the IM building, tailgates, and stadiums
- Lots of facilities, food, and access to buses
- You have easy access to make friends with other first-year students
- If you're into that, there's a lot of parties to go to, and the aforementioned tailgates, for nefarious activities.
Cons:
- You're close to the IM building, tailgates, and stadiums. Many nights will be loud, so don't count on having peace/quiet any time before 2:00AM.
- The dorm is all first years, so you get all the problems that come with that (toss-up with whether or not floors not are covered in garbage or if things are destroyed)
- You're pretty far from where a lot of classes are held. At best, you're a 15 minute walk away from the engineering district, arts disteict, and most first-year courses. Probably bring a bike to make it more manageable.
- Water is quite literally unsafe to drink.

The first-year foolery can be funny, sometimes, but mostly it's limited to people yelling late at night, being rude for no reason, destroying things, or otherwise inconveniencing you. Could just be my building, though, but don't be surprised.
- 1 year ago

bathrooms are communal and unrenovated but there's an individual bathroom on the ground floor that allows for more privacy. Rooms are also unrenovated but aren't too bad overall. - 2 years ago

It’s awesome living in Nittany Apartments. Residents in blocks of apartments get close to one another and it’s a nice little community. There seems to be more freedom than being in dorms and the rooms are very nice. The kitchens can use some updating, but other than that, everything is great. Beyond the living room, the area before the bedrooms (where the bathroom and double sinks are) gets pretty dark, but some Christmas lights or a light strip makes it look great. It’s awesome living in Nittany Apartments. - 4 years ago

West has like the perfect balance when it comes to socializing and studying. I personally loved how quiet it was (compared to East) since I occasionally needed to study. The heater is insanely loud and took forever to get used to, but other than that, this housing area was perfect for me. I found it surprisingly easy to make friends that were interested in similar things in my dorm and would usually hang out with them all the time. It is also super close to the library so I could just pop in their in the morning to do homework when I couldn't focus in my room. - 4 years ago

Eastview is expensive, but definitely a great place to live. You get your own bathroom, a/c, free laundry, and the privacy of your own room (so much more space than a double). It's very quiet, so if you want to make friends with all the people on your dorm floor, this is probably not the place for you. Also, it's a bit far from a lot of classes, but close to south commons. - 4 years ago

Lived in McElwain Hall my freshman year. It's an older building and is unrenovated with no A/C so make sure to bring a fan for the summer months. The room size is very big for a college dorm, and when you put the desks in between the beds, you get a real sense of privacy. The bathroom situation is less than ideal and definitely rather old, make sure to bring shower slippers. Location is at the bottom of campus very close to downtown and is also very close to the HUB, where a lot of the food options on campus are. All in all a decent experience, would definitely recommend. - 2 years ago

Robinson hall is so underrated as a freshman!! Rooms have nice furniture and plenty of space for two people. Bathrooms are communal but they are individual bathrooms that are cleaned by staff. Ample amount of study space. Hanging out in the lounge on the first floor helps you meet a ton of people! By the end of the year you recognized who lived there. Felt like it’s own little community.

North dining hall needs renovation but it’s super close to forum and other buildings you’ll most likely need to go to - 4 years ago

I lived with 3 other people and we each had our own room. The living room and kitchen were communal spaces as well as the bathroom but there was two people to a bathroom. There's laundry in unit which was very convenient and the bus stop for the red link was about a 2 minute walk and it has convenient stops like the library, IM building, forum building, etc. The area is a bit dietattched from campus though so for transportation it'll be nice to have a bike or something because it's long walks here. - 2 years ago