I know from personal experience that looking for the perfect college is hard. With all those choices out there like whether you want to go out of state or commute from home, college searching is rough. Next you have to find the school that has your major and looking at the price is also a must. So how do you find that perfect school?
Before I went to a four year university, I went to a community college for my associate’s degree. It was a huge money saver before I moved to a state university. I live in Pennsylvania and decided I wanted to stay in state but far from home so I can live on campus. While a community college is nice in many ways, I wanted the full college experience. Then, I found East Stroudsburg University. East Stroudsburg is located near the Pocono Mountains in northeast Pennsylvania. The school’s campus isn’t too big and surrounded by nature. The college wasn’t too expensive and only two hours from home so I can live on campus and still visit home on weekends. I knew I would only need to go for two years but I wanted to make the most of it. I got my full college experience and so much more!
If you're looking for a great college, maybe East Stroudsburg is the one for you. Other than just the classes and the teachers, college is also about the adventures and memories you will have. For just a glimpse of what ESU has to offer, here is a list of 10 things that you can see and do there.
Image via Facebook East Stroudsburg University
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10. Shopping
Being a college student means saving as much money as possible. If you ever need cheap supplies, take a trip down to Wal-Mart only about five minutes away. The store is very handy for when you need to restock on the necessities like snacks and shower supplies.
However, if you just want to go shopping for fun, check out The Crossings Premium Outlets just less than 15 minutes away! These outlets have popular clothing stores like Forever 21, Banana Republic, American Eagle Outfitters and many others. Take a walk around the outlets after a stressful test for a relaxing break. See more of what The Crossings have to offer here.
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9. Main Street
Every college has a main street. Main Street has bars, a YMCA, coffee places and other little shops worth visiting. Like the outlets, strolling down Main Street is a great way to relax. Grab a drink at one of the bars (Siamsa and Jock n’ Jill’s are two personal favorites of mine) or maybe a coffee at the Starbucks is what you need before a long night of studying.
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8. Bushkill Falls
I personally have never been here but I heard about how pretty it is. Bushkill is a nature park with waterfalls and nature trails. It shows how beautiful the Pocono Mountains can be. Being a nature lover myself, I loved the scenery around campus. There are positives and negatives to going to school in the mountains and the beauty of nature around you is certainly a positive.
Learn more about Bushkill Falls here. Go here to learn more about the Pocono Mountains.
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7. Camelback Mountain Resort
Camelback Mountain Resort has skiing for the winter and a water park for the summer. During the fall/winter semester of college bring your snowboard or skis and head up to Camelback. If you like adventure this is the place! Check out Camelback’s Facebook page for special deals!
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6. Near the New Jersey border
East Stroudsburg University may be in Pennsylvania but the college is very close to New Jersey. Of course there is a different fee for those out of state but it’s not as bad as some schools. Check out ESU’s undergraduate fee for in and out of state students here.
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5. Study abroad program
ESU has a great study abroad program. You will see students from all over on campus. Learn about culture and eat international food at one of ESU’s cafeterias during their special international food nights. For more information on ESU’s study abroad program go here.
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4. Housing/campus
If you are like me and want to live on campus, here is the information for on campus living. There are also dining plans for those who live there. The campus is on a hill but in a nice area with plenty of grass fields to throw a football around during the spring semester. There are different options when it comes to housing. For your traditional college dorms, look into Laurel, Lenape, Linden, Minsi and Shawnee halls. Hawthorn and Hemlock suites have dorm rooms with kitchens and your own bathroom. For apartment living, look into the University Apartments or the University Ridge.
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3. Extracurricular activities
One thing I was afraid of about moving to college was the making new friends part. At my community college, I made a few friends but I’m a shy person and was never good at talking to people in a classroom setting. I got an email from the ESU music program asking to join their marching band. I was in the band throughout high school and I thought it would be a great way to make new friends. Also, I missed playing music so it was great to pick up a trombone again.
Other than the music program, ESU has plenty of activities and programs to join. One popular program is the radio station at ESU called 90.3 WESS. This past year, WESS won a MTV woody award for best college radio! Yeah that’s a big deal.
If sports are more your thing, ESU has many to choose from. The men’s basketball team recently won the 2014 PSAC Championship.
Here are links to these and other extracurricular activities that you can find at ESU:
East Stroudsburg University bands.
90.3 WESS Radio.
East Stroudsburg University Sports.
ESU clubs.
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2. Price
As sad as this may sound, when I was looking into colleges one thing I looked at first was the price. While I had some help from my parents, most of the cost fell on me. I didn’t owe my community college any money but I have car loans to pay off so the price of the school was important. East Stroudsburg is one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) state schools in Pennsylvania. Here is more information on their tuition and fees. For information on financial aid, click here.
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1. Education
It is important to have fun at college however; you can’t forget why you are there: education. When you look for schools keep your major in mind. If you don’t have a major yet, maybe ESU can help you choose one. Here is a lists of ESU’s majors. If it helps any, ESU has one of the best education programs in the state and they also have a great Speech-Language Pathology major.
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