Three Penn State students were in the hot seat and they have given their final answers.

Jahnna Harvey (junior-history and comparative literature), Mark Levin (sophomore-meteorology) and Madhury Ray (junior-premedicine) were the three lucky students selected as contestants for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's college week taping earlier this month.

Although the contestants cannot give specifics about the game's results or questions asked during the show, all three students said they were satisfied with their performances.

"I was extremely pleased with the outcome," Levin said.

The contestants lose the money they won if they tell anyone about the results.

The three Penn State students joined nine other college students. They all received free airfare and arrived at ABC studios in New York City the day before the taping. Levin said the group formed a bond that night and during the shows the next day.

"We all felt a lot more comfortable as friends rather than competitors," he said.

The contestants were chosen randomly, not through a fastest-finger question, and the students waited in the green room and cheered on their peers as they watched them on closed-circuit television.

"You shout the answers at the TV like you do at home," Harvey said.

Ray said that was the most exciting part.

"I was more nervous in the green room than I was on stage," Levin added.

Harvey said that although the studio is smaller than it looks on television, there are still about 150 people staring at you in the hot seat.

"It was a little nerve racking," she said.

When Levin got on stage, he knew he had to be calm and focus to answer the questions correctly.

"My heart was beating pretty fast," he said.

Ray said her strategy was to play the game conservatively.

"That's probably the first conservative thing I've done in my life," Ray added.

"It's kind of hard when losing money is staring you in the face."

Because the students were playing the syndicated version of Millionaire without Regis Philbin, they faced host Meredith Vieira, who is also co-host of The View.

"She was incredibly sweet," Ray said.

Ray said that during one of the frequent breaks while taping, she thought she made a bad decision.

Vieira overheard the producers comforting Ray and immediately approached her.

"She came up to me, took my hand, and said, 'Don't worry, you didn't make a bad decision,' " Ray said.

Levin was also impressed with Vieira's on-stage personality.

"It seemed like she really cared about the contestants," Levin said. "It didn't seem like a fake TV thing."

Overall, the contestants said they were happy.

"It's not an opportunity you get very often," Harvey said.

She added that it was a long, stressful day, and it was nice to go home.

"I was really lucky and I hope I represented Penn State well," Ray said.

Tryouts took place at Penn State on Sept. 2, where students took a 30-question multiple choice test.

Millionaire publicist Trisha Miller estimated 450 to 500 Penn State students took the 12-minute test.

The tests were graded immediately and about 25 to 30 percent of the students were asked to remain for brief interviews. These interviews were used to screen potential contestants' personalities.

"I was feeling good coming out of the interview," Levin said.

When he received the call two weeks later, he said he wasn't shocked, but he was happy.

The two shows featuring the Penn State students will air as part of Millionaire's college week in early February.