The students in 349 Atherton are not your typical freshmen. Together, 16-year-old Aaron Coble (freshman-computer science) and 18-year-old Andrew Giffin (freshman-electrical engineering), usually called "Giff" by his friends, make a perfect match.

Although these two students did not know each other before they came to Penn State, they act as if they have been best friends for years, with a long list of similarities. Both students skipped grades in junior high. Coble, having had skipped both seventh and eighth grade feels that despite his age, his life is pretty typical of the normal 18-year-old freshman.

"Even though I am 16, my life here is just the same as any other freshman. It doesn't feel any different," Coble said.

In the beginning of the semester, these instant friends were not interested in the dining commons food being served that night so they decided to head to Taco Bell, 322 W. College Ave. While there, they participated in a contest sponsored by Beaver 103 and won free Taco Bell food for the rest of the year.

"We just had to run around Taco Bell with a taco on our head without it falling off," Giffin said.

Skipping grade levels and free Taco Bell food are not the only interesting things about these freshmen. Upon arrival to Penn State, both realized that they desperately needed to do something to set their dorm room apart from the others.

Complete with a doorbell, cherry wood lofts, an espresso machine and programmable tube-lighting, Coble and Giffin's room is not your typical dorm room.

"We just wanted to do something different with our room. First we hung lights and then we just started adding more stuff," Coble said.

"We kept trying to make our room better than anyone else's," he added.

The students made the outside of their room unique by putting programmable lights on their door.

"Different color lights and patterns mean different things. We have lights for sleeping, showing that we are out or doing work, 'do not enter' lights, and lights that let people know to just come on in," Giffin said.

The students also have a working doorbell for visitors.

"People actually use the doorbell to say 'hi' and knock when they need something," Giffin said.

Inside the room, Giffin and Coble maximized their space by setting up custom-made cherry wood lofts and huge desks to give them added workspace.

"It took us a while to decide how we wanted to set up our room. We kept sketching up ideas and drew where we wanted our big desks to be," Coble said.

"Eventually it all fit together perfectly," he added.

Black lights and tube lights in a spiral formation are hung above the futon in the "living room area," as they call it. Complete with an espresso machine and two TVs, the area serves as a place of relaxation for the students in Atherton Hall.

"The room is definitely a cool place to hang out. It is so cozy," said Dan Hennessey (freshman-international politics).