Now that you’ve accepted your offer to Penn State, and maybe even found a roommate, you might be wondering what comes next. If this is you, it’s time to pick your housing option for your freshman year in Happy Valley!

Choosing where you want to live can certainly be a challenge. Each residence hall complex has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. To make your choice just a little bit easier, we broke down the options.

North Halls

North Halls offers renovated suite-style and temperature-controlled rooms in its buildings. With North Halls being the smallest residence hall complex on campus, many students enjoy living in a relatively quiet environment. Living here will put you close to the library, the Palmer Art Museum, and the Forum Building, where you’re almost guaranteed to have a class as a freshman (…if classes are in person, that is).

However, if you want the “classic” Penn State freshman experience, North Halls might not be the right housing complex for you. North Halls students range from freshmen to seniors, and some freshmen might rather opt for an all-freshman environment such as East Halls.

North Halls also offers Special Living Options (SLOs) for Arts and Architecture, the Business and Society House, the Earth House, and LionLaunch Pad. If you opt into one of those, you’ll join a host of fellow students with whom you’ve already got something in common with.

West Halls

If you love the more classic architecture at Penn State, West Halls is the residence hall complex for you. Similar to North Halls, West Halls also offers a quiet environment and a spacious living space. It’s easy to feel at peace when you’re surrounded by the beautiful brick buildings and foliage in the nice weather.

Despite the serene atmosphere, West Halls is the smallest first-year living environment on campus. If location is more of a priority for you, West Halls is still a great choice. The complex is close to the library, as well as most of the engineering and liberal arts buildings on campus. In addition to its great location, Waring Commons also offers the best chocolate chip cookies on campus!

West Halls is home to the Engineering E-House, Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Information Sciences and Technology SLOs.

South Halls

South Halls offers perhaps the most central location on campus. Situated across from downtown State College, South Halls is close to almost everywhere you would need to go. Most of the dorms in South Halls are occupied by sororities and upperclassmen, leaving freshmen to live in Atherton, Simmons, and McElwain Halls. All three halls aren’t renovated but still offer spacious rooms.

South Halls is also home to the Schreyer Honors College, and most freshmen who live in the complex end up in Atherton or Simmons Halls. Students do not need to be a part of the honors college to be able to live in either of these dorms, though! If location is one of your top priorities, you will not be disappointed while living in South Halls.

Pollock Halls

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. Pollock Halls is the second-largest housing area for first-year students, but all of its dorms are left unrenovated. Its rooms are smaller than most, and the communal bathrooms are certainly less than ideal.

On the positive side, Pollock Halls has the best mix between a freshmen presence and convenience in location. Located right next to South Halls, Pollock Halls is still just a short walk from most of the places you might need to go, including downtown State College and the Thomas Building. Finding other freshmen to be friends with won’t be tough here.

Plus, Pollock Commons also offers some of the best food of any dining hall on campus, especially its weekend breakfast buffets. The complex’s quad boasts a few basketball courts and even a volleyball court, both of which are great for hanging with friends on warm days.

Pollock Halls is home to some more SLOs such as the Paterno Fellows House, Millennium Scholars Program, First-Year in Science and Engineering House (FISE), and more.

East Halls

East Halls is the largest residence hall complex on campus and offers Penn State’s traditional “freshman experience” that you might have already heard of. The complex is occupied by only freshmen in all 16 of its dorms. More than half of its dorms are newly renovated and offer far more amenities than any other residence halls. Most rooms are double occupancy with supplemental housing available in every building.

East Halls doesn’t have the best location, though. It’s almost completely out of the way for most classes and a decent walk from downtown. On the other hand, it’s only a short walk to the Intramural Building and the tailgate fields near Beaver Stadium for when football season finally rolls around. You’re almost certain to bond with other freshmen throughout your first year in East Halls.