Dropping my son off at University Park Friday

[MAJoePa]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

 

[MontereyLion]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

My son also told me at 5 year he wanted to go to Penn State but alas it did not happened. At 5 it looked like he would end up a linebacker. Instead he turned out to look more like a receiver...6'2" 175lb. I lived in Hartranft at Penn State. 509 Hartranft to be exact. Great location on campus. Not far from down town and close to the Hub. Also you can't beat those Simmons girl. I hope he has a great 4 years. Congrats Dad.

 

[Bob78]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

Congrats. Hope he and you and the whole fam enjoy the experience.

My HS gf and I both went to PSU. Her father told her that there was a good chance that on her first day there, she would meet someone who would be her friend the rest of her life. I don't know if that happened for her or not, but I thought it was profound (I didn't think of it in those terms at the time, it more like a 'hmm.' for me.... teenage for profound, perhaps). It stuck with me all these years.

It did not happen for me. But, I told my daughter the same thing leading up to her first day at PSU as a freshman, and sure enough, she and the girl in the dorm room next to hers met that first day in 2010 and have been very close friends to this day. And as of now, it looks like that bond will last for a very long time.

Here's to the same good fortune happening for your son.

 

[bwifan]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

First stayed in Hartranft in 9th grade soccer camp when the Bahrs were leadin PSU soccer. Enjoy your time back visiting PSU and around town.

 

[NittanyBlue92]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

Congrats. You must be proud.

I spent my freshman year in Hartranft as well. Room 317. My roommate was homesick and quit school after 2 weeks...they never replaced him so I had a single the rest of the semester! Ah the small wins.

 

[The Stan]

True story:

When my son was about 5, we were vacationing at the Outer Banks. As I was packing the car for our return home, my wife took our kids for a walk on the beach. She gave my son a "if you work hard in school, you can go wherever you want and be anything you want." He then turned to her and said, "does that mean if I don't work hard, I have to go to Pitt?"

He is now 25 and graduated from PSU in Finance. To this day, not being there to hear it is probably the biggest thing in his life that I have missed.

 

[PennState1997]

True story:

When my son was about 5, we were vacationing at the Outer Banks. As I was packing the car for our return home, my wife took our kids for a walk on the beach. She gave my son a "if you work hard in school, you can go wherever you want and be anything you want." He then turned to her and said, "does that mean if I don't work hard, I have to go to Pitt?"

He is now 25 and graduated from PSU in Finance. To this day, not being there to hear it is probably the biggest thing in his life that I have missed.

Smart kid!

 

[nittnee]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

His time at PSU will go fast too. My son is heading back on Thursday to start his junior year. Cannot believe he is halfway through his college experience already.

 

[Zenophile]

His time at PSU will go fast too. My son is heading back on Thursday to start his junior year. Cannot believe he is halfway through his college experience already.

I distinctly remember thinking that 4 years was going to last for an eternity.

Hope he enjoys each day to the fullest.

 

[Mace54]

Good luck to your son. I've gone through seeing my kids off way too often recently. Both my daughter and my son attend Temple; daughter will be a senior and my son will be a sophomore. Still have one in high school.
My daughter just left for Orlando on Sunday morning to participate in the Disney College Program. Won't see her for my birthday, her birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Going to be tough. But it gives me a reason to fly down to FL and spend a few long weekends this fall !

 

[Vermilion]

MAjopa, I assume you are coming in Friday from MA? Curious how the traffic may be coming from Lancaster Friday morning due to new student move-in Thursday and Friday

 

[royboy]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

good to hear; I'm pretty sure I sat next to your son at a Temple vs PSU game in Philadelphia 10 years ago....you didn't make the game for some reason?
sorry if I've got this wrong

 

[NitNE73]

My son also told me at 5 year he wanted to go to Penn State but alas it did not happened. At 5 it looked like he would end up a linebacker. Instead he turned out to look more like a receiver...6'2" 175lb. I lived in Hartranft at Penn State. 509 Hartranft to be exact. Great location on campus. Not far from down town and close to the Hub. Also you can't beat those Simmons girl. I hope he has a great 4 years. Congrats Dad.

Monterey...I was in 519 Hartranft in 1968 and part of 1969. Might we have been there at the same time?

 

[MAJoePa]

Thanks for all the well wishes, its very exciting and I am looking forward to more excuses to head back. I still vividly remember my drop off day and the excitement and nervousness I felt. I have a house rented for Penn State/Michigan and tickets on the 50 yard line all lined up. Can't wait!

 

[MAJoePa]

good to hear; I'm pretty sure I sat next to your son at a Temple vs PSU game in Philadelphia 10 years ago....you didn't make the game for some reason?
sorry if I've got this wrong

You are correct! If memory serves, it was surgery on my daughter that stopped me from making that game.

 

[MAJoePa]

MAjopa, I assume you are coming in Friday from MA? Curious how the traffic may be coming from Lancaster Friday morning due to new student move-in Thursday and Friday

As this is my first drop off up there, I have no clue what to expect . But I would think with classes starting next Monday that it will be a little crazy.

 

[Prindy]

My Dad dropped me off 48 years ago...I thank him in my prayers every day. Congrats to you for doing the same!

 

[MontereyLion]

Monterey...I was in 519 Hartranft in 1968 and part of 1969. Might we have been there at the same time?

I was there in 73, 74...until March of 75. Great times.

 

[PSU77sh]

The Stan - love your story!!!

Both my brother and my son lived in Hartranft. Great location. My son, who lived there in 2012-13 said it was a combination of athletes (swimming, track, gymnastics, Lionettes), internationals, and geeks! My brother had a great stories about being pennied in before a final and someone leaving raw liver on the radiator before Thanksgiving break.

 

[lyndj]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

My son was in Hartranft his freshman year. He was an athlete. Daughter was in Porter Hall last year but will move off campus this year.

 

[lyndj]

The Stan - love your story!!!

Both my brother and my son lived in Hartranft. Great location. My son, who lived there in 2012-13 said it was a combination of athletes (swimming, track, gymnastics, Lionettes), internationals, and geeks! My brother had a great stories about being pennied in before a final and someone leaving raw liver on the radiator before Thanksgiving break.

Right--forgot about the geeks! Yes, they're there as well

 

[PSU77sh]

lyndj - which sport? My son was a swimmer.

 

[heckmans]

Congrats. Hope he and you and the whole fam enjoy the experience.

My HS gf and I both went to PSU. Her father told her that there was a good chance that on her first day there, she would meet someone who would be her friend the rest of her life. I don't know if that happened for her or not, but I thought it was profound (I didn't think of it in those terms at the time, it more like a 'hmm.' for me.... teenage for profound, perhaps). It stuck with me all these years.

It did not happen for me. But, I told my daughter the same thing leading up to her first day at PSU as a freshman, and sure enough, she and the girl in the dorm room next to hers met that first day in 2010 and have been very close friends to this day. And as of now, it looks like that bond will last for a very long time.

Here's to the same good fortune happening for your son.

23 years later, my freshman roommate and I are great friends and have been in each other's weddings. It happens

 

[lyndj]

lyndj - which sport? My son was a swimmer.

He was on gymnastics team.

 

[LafayetteBear]

MAjopa, I assume you are coming in Friday from MA? Curious how the traffic may be coming from Lancaster Friday morning due to new student move-in Thursday and Friday

Roll outta bed early, Vermilion. You do it to go fishing, right?

 

[LionJim]

You are correct! If memory serves, it was surgery on my daughter that stopped me from making that game.

I remember your posting a picture of her (Anna?) here and asking for prayers for her recovery. That was a good thread. I hope this means that you're going to be posting more often, now that you've got one out of the house. You're a good man.

 

[Vermilion]

You are correct Bear, and very impressed you spelled Vermilion correct

 

[bkmtnittany1]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

Congrats! It will be the best 7 yrs of his life!

 

[LionJim]

Congrats! It will be the best 7 yrs of his life!

Dude, you'll scare him off. Remember that he's paying out-of-state tuition.

 

[joeparules]

As much as I dreaded the tuition payments, my older daughter's four years (2011-15) went by in the blink of an eye. I loved having an "excuse" to travel to HV as many times as possible those four years. Taking her up for homecoming weekend and we're going up Thursday so we can have our 4th Annual father/daughter bar tour.

Then my younger daughter picked (gasp) Rutgers over PSU, but transferred to Altoona after one semester (I posted about the many issues we both had with the RU Screw). I look forward to her next three years and know just how fast they will go by.

Enjoy every moment with him!

 

[bkmtnittany1]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

I loved every minute of my daughters four years. One of the saddest days was picking her up in August, she graduated in May, and left State College. She lived there all year her last 2 years and I had a blast. To this day my wife and I miss it dearly. We still go back, but when you have a child in school there for some reason it has more meaning. ENJOY!

 

[Cosmos]

He told me when he was 5 he wanted to go to Penn State and in a blink the day is upon us. Wound up in Hartranft Hall, so he has a great location to start with.

I am still not sure who is more excited about this between the 2 of us!

Congrats! Relive the experience!

 

[The Stan]

My oldest two were set on Penn state from the time they were 5. The youngest said he would never go to Penn state. He started at Penn state this summer and loved it. He will be in Hartranft this fall. This is year 7 of ten straight years of having a kid at Penn state.

 

[PhillipintheValley]

Hartranft Room 407 Fall 1979 - Spring 1981. Great location. My kids were destined for Penn State as well. Obviously, being children of a University employee and growing up in State College the odds were that's where they would go, but they didn't want to go anywhere else. My son's graduated and finishing grad school in DC, but my daughter still has a couple more years. It is a great feeling as an alum to have your children appreciate their Penn State experience and grow and mature from it like you did way back when. My daughter lived in Hartranft her freshman year, exactly one floor below in room 307. Moving her into her dorm room, all I could think was I'm sure glad these walls can't talk, lol.

Congrats to you and your son. Treasure this time. As others have said, it will fly by.

 

[MAJoePa]

Dude, you'll scare him off. Remember that he's paying out-of-state tuition.

So much. He knows the well runs dry after 4 years and he owns the rest!

 

[bkmtnittany1]

So much. He knows the well runs dry after 4 years and he owns the rest!

Tuition payments to the Rathskeller were a killer!

 

[katchthis]

Dropped my daughter off today. If you are bringing any extension cords, make sure they are the 3 prong type. The four corner boosters for the legs of the bed are helpful to allow underneath storage. Campus looked beautiful after the nice weather this summer. Make sure the stuff is packed in such a fashion you can easily carry it. If you can fit a dolly or a cart in your vehicle do so. I was the pack mule while the ladies set up the room. Messages posted on each dorm room door, zero alcohol , 21 or not. Fish and the Colorado boys, zero pot tolerance too. Had a great day to travel. Got in and out of UP easily.

 

[Zenophile]

Messages posted on each dorm room door, zero alcohol , 21 or not.

Interesting. Anyone know if this is new?

 

[PSU77sh]

Interesting with the note on the door. Know my daughter's sr year (2012-2013) was the first year they banned alcohol for 21 yr olds in the dorms. Know a guy who went to a small New England college. Granted, he's in his early 70's, but they were allowed alcohol on campus, because to get to town, you needed to drive. The admin figured better to keep them happy on campus than have them driving under the influence to get it elsewhere. PSU is just driving the alcohol usage to apts and houses where it is less easily dealt with and where there are balconies, etc to deal with as well. Katch - hope your daughter has a fantastic year and loves UP as much as we all do!

 

[MAJoePa]

Dropped my daughter off today. If you are bringing any extension cords, make sure they are the 3 prong type. The four corner boosters for the legs of the bed are helpful to allow underneath storage. Campus looked beautiful after the nice weather this summer. Make sure the stuff is packed in such a fashion you can easily carry it. If you can fit a dolly or a cart in your vehicle do so. I was the pack mule while the ladies set up the room. Messages posted on each dorm room door, zero alcohol , 21 or not. Fish and the Colorado boys, zero pot tolerance too. Had a great day to travel. Got in and out of UP easily.

Thanks for the advice. We have our boosters {with USB ports to boot } and we have our dolly in the car ready to go. Not surprised about the lock down. Typical bureaucratic response to a horrific event last spring. All or nothing makes it easier on them to respond. Good luck to your daughter!