You're finally at Penn State and in between classes, working on that freshman 15 and waking up in strange people's beds, you're probably gonna want to do some shopping. Here's a hint, skip the Nittany Mall.

Unless you're from some backwoods portion of central Pennsylvania, you're probably used to spacious malls, with plenty of stores to choose from and restaurants and food courts aplenty. Malls like KOP come to mind ... places where you can spend a whole day and leave feeling like you've accomplished something, even if it is just contributing to the capitalistic machine. With the Nittany Mall ... not so much.

First of all, if you're a freshman (or just don't have access to a car) you're going to have to take the bus, and that's just sad. Save the $1.25, and don't say OTR never did anything for ya.

Secondly, while the mall has the typical staples (Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Express, Gap, Foot Locker, etc.) it lacks anything that make you say "WOW!" (unless you're saying "WOW! What a shitty mall!"). You find yourself walking from one end to the other and thinking, "that's it?" Well, there is a cool store that has a life-size (or is it  fossil-size) dinosaur in it. Oh wait, it closed. That's just one of the many empty storefronts now.

Then there's the food choices. Subway? Auntie Anne's? Dino's Pizza-Teria? Not appetizing enough? How about Garfield's Restaurant & Pub? If you're in the Penn State region and you're spending time drinking in a mall, you have serious issues.

So skip the mall. Just go downtown and spend mommy and daddy's money there instead.