Adults were always telling me that I should cherish my years in high school because they will be the best years of my life. At my graduation, the superintendent even stated this in his speech. However, I was not very satisfied with high school. At times, I felt that if high school was the best years of my life then I was going to have a pretty miserable life after high school. Then, I came to Penn State and I immediately had a different outlook on life. Here at Penn State I have been having more fun than I had ever imagined.

When I first saw the dorms at Penn State I was a little skeptical. There are a significant amount of people crammed into a relatively small space. I was used to a really big room in my house, but I am now living in a slightly smaller room with another person. Living in a dorm has turned out to be a lot of fun, though. My roommate is my best friend from back home, so we get to spend a lot more time together. I also have a really great group of guys on my floor. We do a lot of activities together. We play football and Frisbee together. We occasionally watch movies together. We get meals together. We also go out to parties together. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys on my floor.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to come to Penn State was for the football scene. I had gone to two Penn State football games while I was in high school, and it was a lot of fun. The football games this season have yet to disappoint. The student section at the games is really intense. Shouting at the games until I can barely talk is a great way to get out my negative energy in a positive way. It is really exciting to be part of a crowd that makes so much noise that we distract other teams and make it hard for them to hear their plays. The Ohio State game was one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life. This season the football team has managed to rise up and perform better than anyone else expected. Back over the summer, I never expected that in my freshman year at Penn State the team would be heading towards a possible 10-1 season and a BCS bowl game. With the way the team looks and the good recruiting news, it seems as though I will be seeing more of the exceptional performance from the Penn State football team. This means that there will be even more exciting football games down the road.

In high school, I was never a big fan of going to school almost every weekday and having to go to all my classes. There was much more class time than seemed necessary. Here at Penn State, the classes only meet a few times a week. Many of my classes don’t require attendance, so I only have to go when I feel it is necessary. Most of the grades are based on tests, papers, and projects rather than busy work. There is also a lot more time in college to learn on your own. Every person learns differently, so spending less time in class and more time individually allows for each person to use whatever method suits them best. The extra free time also allows for students to go to their professor’s and TA’s office hours. When I have at most four hours of class a day, I feel more inclined to take the time to go to my teacher for help rather than when I have seven hours of classes five days a week. Here at Penn State I feel like I have more chances to expand my knowledge than I had in grade school.

In just a few short months, I can already tell that I am going to enjoy my college experience at Penn State much more than I enjoyed high school. There are so many new things to experience and so many new people to meet. I can’t imagine anything later in life being more exciting than what I have been doing here at Penn State. College is definitely the best years of your life, and I intend to cherish every moment here.

[A very nice evaluation. I especially liked the conclusion where you point towards the future (as was suggested in class). Also, the paper is well written.]