Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks in Reading

I went here for my freshman/sophomore years and loved every second of it (excluding calculus). Some of the campus has been updated over the past few years but when I went there (04-05) it seemed sort of outdated. Good professors (if you put in the effort)!

The most soul sucking place I've ever been, I can't believe I spent multiple years there and made it out alive and in tact. If you come here don't let the tours fool you, there's nothing to do. 2/3 of the campus commutes so the campus is dead after 5pm on weekdays and all weekend. Events on campus are usually on Thursday nights because on Fridays around 4pm it clears out and you won't see anyone till Monday morning.Having a dead campus after normal working hours is one thing but the fact that even when there are people most of them will ignore you. You're more likely to get cigarette smoke or diesel fumes from a lifted truck blown in your face than an actual conversation. You can just feel how on campus nobody takes pride in actually being here - it's an ugly overpriced community college operating as a satellite campus for a faceless education corporation overlooking a decaying city permeated with violent crime. You won't have to worry about crime near the school just don't go to Reading at night.I would be lying if I said it's all negative, though. Being a Penn State student means you'll be able to get better professors and better research opportunities than the other schools in Reading (Alvernia and Albright). Also there are lots of good restaurants around but if you don't own a car then you'll probably not want to walk to them.1 star because Berks is a soul asylum and if you let yourself get sucked into it, it will break your heart.

Loved this campus so much that I went back for a second degree. First degree I went to Berks for two years then transferred to Main Campus. There’s nothing like Main Campus but if you are a homebody like me and like smaller ,more intimate classes, Berks is the perfect place to go.

I love this campus. It is a campus where you can get nearly all of the perks of going to Penn State, but with smaller classes and professors who, generally, care more. There are plenty of 4-year degrees so that you needn't transfer to main campus if you don't want, and plenty of programs that make it easy to transfer. There are also many resources available to a far smaller group of students that make them more readily available and able to be tailored a bit more to anything you need. I personally am fond of the fact that many of the professors in my major (Business) are not people who went to school to teach, but people who were (and often still are) in related fields. This allows them to teach you what actually matters rather than all of what some book says you should know.

Got a bachelor's degree and two minors from there, best years of my life! Whether living on campus or commuting, this campus gives you a big name degree with small and interactive classes; it's the best of both worlds.