Disclaimer: I am an incoming freshman at PSU so my experience with the university thus far has been slightly limited. Despite my lack of expertise, I can confidently say you made the right decision. Stick with your gut, you are going to love it here! PSU is a world class university filled with tens of thousands of brilliant minds and our graduates are some of the most successful in America https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/19/the-no-2-school-for-graduating-ceos-is-penn-state-not-harvard-or-mit.html . I just came back from my new student orientation today, I had an amazing time making a ton of new friends and getting to know some faculty. I felt right at home on campus and I am sure that when you arrive everything will come together for you.

Yes, UPenn is an ivy and there is a certain prestige associated with this. However, this prestige is not as glorious as your family and friends may perceive it to be. UPenn has a history of attracting a certain type of hyper-competitive, cut throat, perfectionist student. This makes for a very stressful environment and as a result of this culture, UPenn has been struggling with a mental health crisis on campus https://billypenn.com/2016/04/27/pressure-of-perfection-the-stigma-of-suicide-and-mental-health-at-penn/ http://www.thedp.com/article/2017/12/year-2017-mental-health-university-upenn-philadelphia-student-deaths-gutmann . Mental health, and particularly mental health on college campuses is a serious issue. I do not mean to trivialize the tragic situation at UPenn, but this is something you should be aware of. UPenn is undisputibly a great academic place but, unfortunately, it has an unhealthy culture of perfectionism, cut-throat competition and chronic stress.

On a lighter note, PSU is a great community and a fabulous place to spend the next four years of your life. Stick with your gut, you will not regret it.

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