Why Mont Alto?

This is probably around the time I made my choice on going to Penn State Mont Alto. I remember limiting my choices to three or four schools – Penn State Mont Alto, Drexel, Widener, and Salisbury State.

The first school I looked at was Drexel. The campus was very deceiving because it looked very regal and classic, which was a plus. However, it was surrounded on all sides by a part of Philadelphia that not even Mike Tyson would want to get lost in. The price of the education at Drexel was a little high, but the school had a great reputation. Plus, one would have to buy a computer (an Apple) in order to go there (at the time, computers were at most optional for students at most schools). I just never got a good feel for going to Drexel. Maybe it was because of stats like this – the guy to girl ratio at Drexel was 6-to-1. Or maybe it was that they couldn’t guarantee that your car would be safe, even on the campus.

Next, we looked at Widener University. Again, the price was a little high, and truthfully – it was a little too close to home. I really wanted to get away from Delaware County, and meet new people. I knew that if I went to Widener, I would’ve been hanging out with a lot of Interboro people – and even though that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I really thought it was time for me to experience another place.

I looked briefly into Salisbury State, but the place was never really a place I took seriously. After all, the name sounded like something I would order at Outback (Hey-yo!). I also looked at West Chester, but I really didn’t get a good vibe out of it.

I finally took a trip to Penn State Mont Alto, thanks to the suggestion of my guidance counselor. The campus was far away from Delco – approximately three hours to be exact. It was much more rural than the surroundings I was used to. In Glenolden, I could walk 10 minutes in order to get to a mall, but in Mont Alto, it would take a 25-minute drive to reach a shopping area. Hunting, woodsmen games, horticulture, and forestry were big-time in Mont Alto. Sometimes people “hunted” doves if they traveled a little in Delaware County.

So, why would I ever choose a place like this to go to? (A) it was far enough away that I could find new friends, yet close enough that I could keep in touch with old friends. (B) They had a soccer team that wasn’t very good – which means I could gain confidence and flourish (which ended up happening to an extent). (C) When I toured the dorm rooms, we went into a room where a guy was playing Atari and listening to the Stones – if there was ever a sign that I should choose Penn State Mont Alto, that was it.

I don’t think it took more than a week for me to apply, and after a month, I was accepted to Penn State Mont Alto (I was also accepted to Drexel and Widener, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go there).