It happened freshman year when I was just starting to get used to the idea of attending school in a foreign place, a place smack dab in the middle of central Pennsylvania.

A professor, much like others at Penn State University, wanted the small English class to get to know each other through the intense ritual known as "icebreakers." Each student had to stand up, say their name as loudly as possible because of the apparently non-working hearing aid of the professor, and describe themselves in five minutes or less.

To describe myself, I just mentioned the most minimal details — where I'm from, what my interests are (I included soccer and the X-Files), and that I'm really happy to be at Penn State instead of Rutgers (one state school for another). In case you were wondering, icebreakers are not usually known for five-minute diatribes on why Shakespeare is the greatest playwright who ever lived.

Without much to say besides my freshman-year status and why Trivial Pursuit is my favorite game, I also quietly mentioned my hometown of West Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of Newark. For those who don't know, Newark has either been the grand theft auto or the murder capital of the U.S. The nickname varies on what newspaper you might read. A small reputation about the supposed "gangland" of Newark has spread to the smallest towns of Pennsylvania.

A well-coifed girl, who looked the same age as me, tapped me softly on the shoulder after I gave my somewhat stunted speech. I turned innocently to see what this random girl needed to say, risking the wrath of our professor if caught.

"I've heard things about New Jersey, especially Newark. Do you have, like, a gang tattoo?"

Yes, this is a true story. A real girl asked this question in one of my very first classes in my very first year at Penn State. Why do people have such peculiar ideas about New Jersey when rarely do people see it as more of a wasteland of toxic dumps, gangs and ghettos? Born and raised in a small suburb only famous for being the town where Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera and maybe Ian Ziering of Beverly Hills 90210, I had a relatively easy childhood with no sightings of gang colors, gang fights or even gang scars (though I could use my scar on my forehead from falling into the corner of a table to my advantage). I was convinced that because my high school years went without any gang wars, no one could really believe the reputation Newark or Jersey for that matter had gathered as being a ghetto.

My sarcasm won out over silent disbelief, so I told the girl that my parents made me remove it after I had been arrested for assault. Her wide eyes caused me to giggle hysterically, leaving no doubt in my mind that the girl was from some small backwoods Pennsylvania town without much news to read besides a random murder in Newark. She never spoke to me again.

A column could be about the most serious of topics. I'm giving you a simple one. New Jersey is a good state, a strong state, and it even ranks better than Pennsylvania on some levels.

I'll get hate mail for this since I go to the biggest school in Pennsylvania, but think about it. In sports alone, Jersey has the Giants (they play in New Jersey, anyway) while Pennsylvania has the Eagles. Who made it to the Super Bowl (though we won't mention who actually won the Super Bowl)? The Devils versus the Flyers, always a heated debate. Who won the Stanley Cup last year? Regarding sports, I have one final question. Why is it that Pittsburgh natives only like sports teams from Pittsburgh? Have you seen the Pirates play at all? It's amazing they don't turn someone into a hard core Yankees fan within a few minutes of play.

Why is it that Jersey is seen as a ghetto, yet Pennsylvania has Philadelphia? I'm not bashing Philly, it's a cool city with places like South Street, but it does have its ghetto moments. Some may say Pennsylvania has what Jersey doesn't, a solid reputation for excellence in education. You've got University of Pennsylvania, so what? We've got Princeton. Last time I checked, that was an Ivy League school too. What about Pennsylvania being a cleaner state than Jersey? But Pa. isn't so averse to waste dumps either. You may be shaking your head as to why a Jersey student could bash on a state that gave her four years of education, albeit an expensive one. Easy. I like football.

New Jersey has been called many things across the United States from a toxic wasteland to the hard core ghetto. But, we do have some good things. Newark isn't the psycho city it once was. We have one of the few female governors in the United States (though she is now leaving to head up the Environmental Protection Agency for President-elect George W. Bush — pretty good for a governor from a state that is apparently hazardous to your health). The Sopranos even tape their show in Jersey.

The point on this diatribe on dense girls and Newark's reputation is to point out the obvious: An out-of-state student in a school as big as Penn State where the majority of students are from some small part of Pennsylvania is a sometimes difficult life to lead. Encounters with anti-Newark fans, New Jersey Devils-haters and even hunters who don't understand why the first day of hunting season isn't allowed off in the New Jersey school system usually lead Jersey students to mass insanity.

My roommates Emily and Laura once told me that I frequently slip in and out of my "Jersey girl accent" when I get really angry. Laura has even taken to calling me Jersey (especially after watching the rise of a small-town Jersey girl in the poor excuse of a movie Coyote Ugly) because that is how I define myself and how she sees me.

To be original in a school such as Penn State is tough, but in order to do it, I defend my Jersey home to the death. I use my "Jersey girl accent" with such words as "wawder" and "tawk" as much as possible. I dare to support the Devils in Sports Café during a vicious game against the Flyers. I even tease a friend about how NEPA (Northeast Pennsylvania for those who are unaware) is the Podunk capital of the world.

To be different, even if it is bringing your love for your home state against out-of-staters, you may deal with ignorance, a lack of intelligence, and even bizarre questions such as whether a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tall girl from the Jersey suburbs was ever in a gang. A tattoo? My father would have kicked my ass.