Moving to a new city for a summer internship can be a stressful experience, but students interning in Harrisburg have one less thing to worry about -- finding a place to live.
Penn State Harrisburg rents duplexes to interns from Penn State and other colleges and universities who are working in the area, said Ann Coleman, manager of Housing and Food Services at the campus.
Meade Heights, or "the Heights," as it is called by students, "is just like a regular neighborhood," said student Katerina Thomas (junior-marketing). There are volleyball courts and playgrounds for families of married students that live in the complex.
Trees line the Heights' five streets, including the Stanley section, where graduate students usually opt to live because it is designated "the quiet section," she said.
Thomas lives in the complex this semester and said the Heights is about a two-minute drive from campus or, for the more active, a 10 to 15-minute walk.
Before it became student housing, the Heights was an U.S. Air Force base, so every unit is exactly alike, except for the siding, she said.
Each duplex consists of a kitchen, a living room and three bedrooms. They house three or four interns, Coleman said. The units are available from May 14 to Aug. 7.
Because of their proximity to the city, the duplexes have become a popular location for those searching for living arrangements on student budgets.
"It was cheap and it was nice," said Paul Saito (junior-business logistics and international business), an intern living at the Heights this summer.
Saito was referred to Penn State Harrisburg by United Parcel Service, where he is going to be an intern.
Most interns hear about the campus housing from companies they are working for. They come from a variety of schools, including Juniata College and Rutgers University. Coleman said that as long as spaces are available and the students are affiliated with a school or company, they can arrange to live in the complex.
About 10 to 70 interns, working for state departments and agencies, Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company, United Parcel Service and other companies, usually live at the Heights during the summer, Coleman said.
