Although there’s no place quite like Penn State, sometimes you just need to get away.

After a year of partying with the same crowd, studying in the same corner of the library and eating at the same dining commons, even Happy Valley can become a little boring.

It seems that with Christmas break long gone and the glorious summer nearing, this is the time of year when we yearn to see our high school friends. Instead of making the three-hour drive to Pittsburgh or Philly, depending on which metropolis you almost definitely hail from, many people take a weekend to experience a high school pal’s college.

I had one such wonderful opportunity this weekend when I traveled to a half-hour deeper into the boonies to Juniata College in Huntington. It was Pig Roast, the annual beer festival at Raystown, where 70-year-old professors can be found doing keg stands and the rather sheltered population of students shed their inhibitions and drop their pants to relieve themselves of gallons of beer in the woods.

The shock of a school where almost everyone knows each other intimately left me thanking God I go to such a large university. There were countless instances of awkwardness when ex-hookups had to encounter each other at the beer tap. At least we can escape our mistakes by running down College Avenue with our stilettos in hand, never to see the gentleman again — except that inevitable encounter somewhere near the mall … but you can hide behind your sunglasses so it’s all good. These unfortunate souls will be reminded daily of their indiscretions.

We Penn Staters are also fortunate in our opportunity to party any time of day, any day of the week. Rough exam on a Tuesday? Not a problem in State College. Somewhere there’s an apartment full of Beast and a band of your peers who are in the same boat you are.

At schools as small as Juniata, however, you’re pretty much a huge floozy if you can’t limit yourself to partying only on the weekends. This was apparent in the lack of control many Pig Roast attendees displayed. Girls were passionately pinned to beer pong tables, park rangers futilely attempted to quell fights over the insufficient supply of solo cups and boys in spandex undies ran around with slabs of pork. It was like Blue-White Weekend on crack.

While it’s certainly refreshing to get away from the crowds of students on our campus for a few days, it is little visits like this one that remind me why I chose to attend Penn State in the first place. I don’t know what I would do without a good pair of sweatpants and the anonymity of the Forum on the morning after a heavy drinking binge. How my high school friends can show their face in a class of less than 20 in such a situation is beyond me.

I’m grateful for every random frat party I’ve attended, every cup I’ve flipped and every time I’ve slipped into a class 45 minutes late, but still in time to hand in my paper. We may not always be in complete control of our actions or our bodies, but we are Penn State — and that’s the way I like it.

- Mary