The Penn State system is huge. It caters to tens of thousands of students and faculty throughout the state and boasts 19 Commonwealth Campuses. And I went to one of these Commonwealth Campuses: Penn State Altoona.

I'll refer to these campuses as branch campuses from here. I know Commonwealth is the correct term, but I came into the Penn State system thinking of these campuses as branch campuses and referring to University Park as "main."

And though I've learned that Commonwealth might actually be the most fitting term, as each Penn State campus is different and not truly like the others, it just sounds lame and insecure.

That said, after attending my first two years of college at Penn State Altoona and realizing that a lot of these branch campuses are similar only in name, I understand why these campuses aren't really "branches" at all.

Sure, there are a number of similarities besides the name: Some professors teach at multiple campuses and there are similar programs, but to someone who transferred campuses, it feels different when you get to main.

When I joined the Penn State "system," I was told by my academic adviser at Altoona that I had to be careful which classes I took there if I planned to transfer to main because not all of my credits could transfer properly.

Frankly, I was flabbergasted.

It didn't make sense to me that some of the communication classes that could apply to my major would not transfer to University Park, and I would have to retake them once I got there.

I find it extremely odd that campuses within the Penn State community are just like other colleges outside of the Penn State network: There's no guarantee that all your credits will transfer.

I spoke with Kathryn McGill in the College of Communications advising department, and although she said she'd have to see a specific example on a degree audit, the reason behind the imperfect credit transfer is difficult to explain. She said one reason could be because majors can differ from Penn State campus to Penn State campus.

She gave the example that at some branch campuses, a student can major solely in communications while that major is not available at University Park. Because of the different curricula needed for different majors at different campuses, some classes won't count toward similar major requirements at other Penn State campuses. All right -- I suppose that makes sense, but shouldn't the transfer to main be more seamless if we're all under the Penn State umbrella?

If we're all part of the same network, there should be no problem with credits transferring. What -- University Park can't trust its own Commonwealth kin to administer valid credits?

Andrea Dubensky -- a Penn State junior or senior, depending on how her credit situation works out -- transferred from Penn State Altoona to University Park this semester and found that she might have to take an extra semester of classes to cover the credit deficit following her transfer. Some of her major-required classes from Penn State Altoona are showing up as electives at University Park; she's a biology major.

It's unfair that her work in some classes is looked over because the curriculum -- biology, no less --might vary between the two campuses, although those campuses share the same institutional name.

So maybe people are right when they say that branch campuses aren't really "Penn State." I mean, if our credits may not even completely transfer between campuses, what truly keeps the Penn State network bonded? Just the name? Sounds like a charade to me.

Chris Bickel is a senior majoring in public relations and is The Daily Collegian's Friday columnist. His-email address is cdb5067@psu.edu.