Pros and Cons of a Never-ending Winter

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love winter and those who hate it. No matter whose side you’re on, we can all agree that there are definite pros and cons to having a long, never-ending winter.

Pro: Penn State’s campus looks gorgeous covered in snow.

We’re all guilty of posting tons of filtered pictures of a snowy campus on Instagram, but we can’t help it – we go to one of the prettiest schools in the country. Walking home when the sun’s down (or walking to class when the sun has yet to rise) is one of the most peaceful feelings ever.

Con: You get to experience it first-hand because class is rarely canceled.

With the exception of the last few weeks, University Park never cancels class. Even when they give us a delay or early dismissal, we still have half a day of classes to go to… or when the dismissal is at 2:15 and you’ve been done with class for a few hours, you still had a whole day of trudging through the snow.

Pro: Heated sidewalks.

At least PSU gives us some sidewalks that aren’t covered in ice or snow. Sometimes it’s the slushy stuff and other times they’re completely dry, but I’ll take either one of those over trying not to die walking to class (shout out to the people who ski to class though).

Con: Penn State doesn’t salt or take the snow off of every sidewalk.

I know, I know, “heated sidewalks,” but if you’re not going to cancel class, at least make sure every sidewalk is taken care of. In theory, if we’re given a path to walk on, it should be cleared… right?

Pro: You have the ability to play in the snow.

In the three years I’ve been here, I don’t think we’ve ever had this much snow on the ground at once. If you have even an hour of free time, get your friends and go outside to embrace your inner child. Make a snowman or have a good ol’ fashioned snowball fight. If that isn’t your thing, take a trip to Tussey and go skiing or tubing.

Con: The amount of snow on the ground doesn’t change while walking to class.

In a perfect world, the roads, sidewalks and everywhere in-between wouldn’t have snow during class time. If only.

Photo by Jessica Korch