A Commonwealth Campus student accustomed to sitting in a class of 20 students may be more than a little overwhelmed in classes of hundreds in Forum Building or Schwab Auditorium.

But this is only one problem Commonwealth Campus or returning adult students face when coming to University Park, and for this reason students were given the opportunity Thursday night to listen to advice from their peers in order to ease this transition.

A change-of-assignment seminar was held to provide students with a chance to discuss similarities and differences between Commonwealth Campuses and University Park in issues such as on- and off-campus housing, professors and student involvement.

One of the issues discussed at the seminar was whether attending a Commonwealth Campus was the same as attending University Park.

"I can't believe anyone would say Commonwealth Campuses and University Park are the same experience," said Stacy Eakles (junior-early childhood education), a panelist at the seminar. "When I was at a Commonwealth Campus, I did not have the feeling that I was a part of Penn State. Commonwealth Campuses are very separate. There is more of a feeling of being a part of Penn State here."

But Melissa Richards (senior-health education), another panelist, thought the population at the McKeesport Campus was a smaller model of University Park's population. She added that although she is doing things now that she would not be able to do at a Commonwealth Campus, attending one helped her.

"Personally I think if I hadn't gone to a Commonwealth Campus, I wouldn't have been at Penn State," Richards said.

The focus of the seminar was to familiarize Commonwealth Campus transfer students and returning adult students with University Park, said Tim Daniels, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments academic affairs director.

"This is only a pilot program, to see how it goes and see how well it's received," Daniels said. Although less than 10 people turned out for the seminar, he said as far as he knows, the seminar will be held again in the fall.

Michael Ganetsky, Undergraduate Student Government South Halls senator, who worked with Daniels on the seminar, said the panel discussion was very good, but the turnout was less than expected.

"Students asked for this," he said. "Our mistake was not having it earlier in the semester."

In addition to Eakles and Richards, the panelists for the seminar were Jeff Himes, Mike Lento, Ron Kitsko and Cindy Miller.

Panelists were chosen through a brief application process, Daniels said. The questions on the application asked pertinent information such as which campus each applicant had come to University Park from and what types of activities he or she was involved in.

All panelists were Commonwealth Campus transfer students or returning adult students who had been at University Park for at least one semester.