As Penn Staters, we know we’re living the good life. Other schools may argue with us, but we know deep down that we go to the best school on the planet – and we can easily counter any arguments that say otherwise.
There’s a lot that goes into making Penn State stand out from other schools and become so memorable to us. While we’ll remember all four years (maybe more, maybe less) fondly, here are 25 special memories that all Penn Staters will cherish forever:
1. THON Weekend
Obviously, this is an experience that every Penn Stater will always remember. Depending on your involvement, you may remember more from the year-round THON efforts, but even someone who steps inside the BJC for just five minutes will have trouble forgetting the sea of colors and feeling that fills the building.
2. Daylong Season
We’ll always remember spending our spring semesters waking up early on Saturdays, putting on ridiculous clothes and oversized sunglasses, and heading to frats to spend the day drinking beer inside a blue fence.
3. State Patty’s Day
One St. Patrick’s Day just isn’t enough for Penn State students – we have to have our very own State Patty’s Day, even though the day is mostly spent inside hiding while the cops come out in drones.
4. Blue & White Weekend
A little taste of football season right before the school year ends. As much as we love daylong season, it’s always exciting to get back in our tailgate clothes in April and tailgate for one last game.
5. Getting thrown up in the air after a touchdown
You’ll always remember this, especially if the guys who threw you up weren’t that great at it and you were scared for your life. You’ll especially remember it if you were one of those people who still decided to get thrown in the air when the score was above 40 points.
6. Late night Pokey Stix
Even though Pokeys are notorious for showing up exceptionally late (or not at all), they’ll always have a place in our hearts. There truly is nothing better than the feeling of when your Pokeys arrive and you split them with your roomies and floormates.
7. Frat parties
Penn State has always been known for its Greek life, and its parties by association. Whether you go to five frat parties a week or went once to give it a try, Penn Staters can’t forget the crowded dance floors, good music, and sweating that come with frat parties – whether those memories are good or bad is up to you.
8. Toga Night
Speaking of frat parties, toga night is probably the one night that stands out among all others. The most stereotypical college night during the year, toga night during Greek Week is a crowd favorite, and one of the best party memories a Penn Stater will take away.
9. Spending time outside after a long winter
Winter in Central Pennsylvania forces everyone into hibernation. Because of this, one of the best feelings is when the campus thaws in the spring and it becomes nice to be outside again. Finally being able to hang out on Old Main and eat ice cream outside at the Berkey Creamery are probably some of the only warm memories Penn Staters have.
10. Rioting in Beaver Canyon
The last few years have been full of unexpected moments, and for us, that leads to one thing: riots on Beaver Ave. Whether it was for finally becoming bowl eligible, celebrating the Big 10 Championship win, or because a clown was supposedly seen wandering around, PSU students love taking to the streets.
11. The Downtown Christmas Tree
Even if you’ve never seen the actual tree lighting ceremony, who can forget the giant tree right on College Ave? It doesn’t truly feel like the holidays until this tree is lit up, along with the rest of Downtown State College.
12. The reactions when the “We Are” chant comes on at a party
Only at Penn State can an entire party freak out when they sense the anthem is coming on. A Penn Stater will always cherish the memory of an entire party jumping up and down, screaming “WE ARE PENN STATE” in perfect synchronization.
13. Sylly Week of Freshman Year
Sylly Week every year is a magical time – no tests or papers with minimal homework, if any. But there’s something about Sylly Week as a freshman that’s even more special. The utter confusion of Fratland, the difficulty of finding your way back to your dorm, and the swarm of new friends are all new and exciting, and different from every other Sylly Week that will come along.
14. Getting your picture taken at the Lion Shrine
Nothing is like the rush you get on a beautiful day when you see the Lion Shrine is empty, meaning you can take your picture without waiting on line. I always love looking back on the different pictures I took at the shrine each year to see what’s changed.
15. The Willard Preacher
We’re all going to miss this guy on some level. We could never get on board with what he says, and we don’t understand how or why he has spent years trying to lecture students (and why the Willard building?), but he’s been an unforgettable staple of our college careers.
16. Halloweek
Halloween is on a different level in college. Because we’re extra, Penn State students love making a week out of it. The different costumes every night, group outfits, and freezing in almost no clothes are all fond memories we’ll have of a full week of Halloween festivities.
17. Walking into Beaver Stadium and hearing the crowd roar for the first time
There’s nothing quite like walking through the tunnel and seeing Beaver Stadium open up, accompanied by the crowd of 107,000 screaming fans. There’s truly no sound or sight like it. We’ve been named the best student section in the country for a reason, and walking into it for the first time is something that can’t be easily forgotten.
18. Seeing the stadium after driving for hours
Since it’s the second largest stadium in the country, Beaver Stadium is so massive that you can see it from miles away. After being away for a break, there’s nothing like seeing the stadium come out of nowhere after hours on the road while eagerly waiting to get back to Happy Valley.
19. Screaming “We Are!” at a tour group
It’s happened to all of us, and we’ve done it to others. Our tour guides led us to believe that people really do scream “We Are!” on the street all the time, so we have to keep this going for the next round of students looking at Penn State.
20. Hearing people scream “We Are!” around the world
No matter where you go, there’s always someone around to scream, “We Are!” if you’re in any sort of Penn State apparel. With alumni all over the world, it comes as no surprise – but it’s still exciting – when someone calls out the chant from the top of a mountain in Spain or across the Great Wall of China.
21. Waiting for football rankings to come out every week
This is a new one, and it’s pretty great. Ever since the Ohio State game in 2016 that put us back in the competition, we’re full of anxiety between Saturday and Sunday while we wait for the college football rankings to be published. Most of the time, our anxiety is cured by a good spot on the list.
22. Frat Formal Friday
The only night of college that comes remotely close to the hype of high school prom. Finally, a night at a frat where the house isn’t completely disgusting and there are more alcohol choices than Vlad.
23. Movin’ On
An alternative to Frat Formal Friday, Movin’ On is a free concert that Penn State puts on for no reason other than to celebrate the end of the school year. Don’t be fooled just because it’s free – the lineup is always great. Nelly, Big Sean, Walk the Moon, Sammy Adams, Clean Bandit, and All Time Low are just a few headliners that have stopped by the Valley in the last few years. How could anyone forget a free concert in their own backyard?
24. Arts Fest
No Penn Stater could forget going back to State College in the middle of July to daylong in the name of celebrating art. While there is a real arts festival that goes on downtown, it’s doubtful as to whether any Penn State student has ever seen it. Arts Fest gives a little taste of daylong season in the middle of summer to keep you going until it’s time to head back to school.
25. Waiting in line for Canyon
Finally, we will always have memories of waiting on a ridiculously long line in the shivering cold just to get a slice of subpar pizza. However bad Canyon may be (both for your taste buds and overall health), it’s a beacon of light at 3 a.m. on the way home from a long night.
Image source: Gumby’s Pizza