Campus and Student Life

Many students fled State College for the summer to spend time with family and old friends, or to travel and work. But others like Morgan Lambert, chose to stick around for the break.

Lambert, a junior majoring in pre-medicine, is taking advantage of the summer break by taking three courses.

“I needed to get my math done with and I needed to do a chemistry lab. And I need public speaking to graduate so I decided to take that too,” said Lambert.

Lambert finds that classes are more valuable during the summer because they are much smaller. Currently there are 12,000 students at University Park this summer, according to the Summer Session Web site.

Not only does Lambert enjoy the summer because of the class sizes but also because they are held more often. Penn State offers two six-week summer sessions. Each course is held Monday through Friday.

“You get to go to class everyday so you really learn the material. And it kind of seems like since you’re learning it everyday, it’s easier to understand,” Lambert said.

Lambert decided to live on campus to be close to her classes.

“I was excited to get my room on campus. That was the highlight of my summer,” she said.

Lambert likes living in University Park during the fall and spring semesters “because there are more things to do but summer is just as fine.”

Jung Hyuk Lee, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry is spending his summer at University Park for the first time.

“It’s not going so bad at all. I’m enjoying being here,” said Lee.

Lee finds the best part of his summer being able to hang out with friends since a lot of them are also taking classes. He said they can hang out more often because they do not have as many courses as they do during the school year. However, he enjoys the fall and spring semesters “because there are more people.”

Despite the difference of fewer students on campus, Hyuk believes that the campus has a similar feel as during the fall and spring semesters.

Others think there are some upsides to a less-crowded State College. Lambert said the break has benefited her because she no longer has to wait in line for a machine at the gym.

During the summer, many students unwind after class by relaxing on the HUB lawn. Students can be seen reading or studying, playing Frisbee, taking naps and sunbathing on any given day.

Some students such as Ray Fredericks, a fifth-year student majoring in physics, slack rope walk as a way to relax after a day’s worth of classes. Fredericks saw a line set up at a rock climbing center and thought it would be a fun activity to practice during the warm days. He has been tying his rope around HUB lawn trees everyday and usually practices for about an hour.

“It’s easier than you think but it’s just a really good way to relax,” he said.