Apartment lobbies are part of the State College weekend routine. If you’re going out with friends who don’t live with you, the odds are that you’ll spend some time waiting in the lobby of their apartment.

With plenty of experience waiting in apartment lobbies, I decided to rate several of the lobbies in downtown State College.

When I started this assignment, I was excited. Little did I know, landlords aren’t too receptive to random first-time student journalists who want to take a little look at their buildings.

Luckily, I’m a can-do person, and I persevered. I was intent on finishing this article for the good of the State College community. Instead of getting buzzed into every apartment building, I decided I would apply my skills in a comprehensive critique of what I could see: the lobbies.

If anyone is angry with the scores I give, I apologize. I put these lobbies through a very strict criteria, and not all of them made it. It’s just how these things work, I’m afraid.

ōLiv: 9/10

For starters, this place was nice. I couldn’t get in very far by myself, but from what I could see, this place was fancy. There was a coffee shop on the ground floor with some very friendly-looking workers. The lobby gave me the impression that it was more of a lounge area than a simple lobby. There were many places to work and hang out, and the vibe was great. It was very welcoming. I’m a fan.

The Graduate: 6/10

From my first impression, this didn’t seem like such a bad place to live. I was a big fan of the table and the couches, they provided a quality atmosphere. I could imagine friends getting together and knocking out work next to the piles and piles of mail. It’s a nice image. I’m always a fan of having multiple elevators — who can hate quality transportation?

Unfortunately, security measures prevented me from exploring the full extent of the lobby, and I was stuck in the glass prison of the entryway.

The Palmerton: 3/10

I have to say, I didn’t love this one. The mail littering the floor (a common theme) was the nicest thing about this lobby. It looked like it smelled like something, but I’m not entirely sure what. It wasn’t very big, either. It had two elevators, both of which looked like they’d take you to the wrong floor on purpose. If this lobby is an indicator of the rest of the building, I wouldn’t want to live here.

This wasn’t part of the lobby, but the garage (connected directly to the lobby) was frightening. On the top level, each spot was separated by concrete walls, providing a worthy challenge for any parking fans. Plus, the walls were so narrow that I don’t know how anyone without a sunroof gets out of their cars.

The Standard: 7/10

This lobby took some time to uncover. Nearly all of the ground floor was vacant, which gave me the impression I was in the wrong building. I kept looking and found a steady stream of tenants sneaking into an alleyway on the building’s side. I followed them, pretending I belonged, and snuck this picture while none of them were looking.

Once I got in, I was a little disappointed. After my odyssey to uncover the entrance, I expected something grand. That isn’t to say this isn’t a good lobby. It delivers everything needed, except I was hoping for more.

Walking through the halls is a little bit of a maze, but I found my way out after a while. There weren’t many amenities I could see, but there was a leasing office. The lady working didn’t seem to be too appreciative of me being there, so I escaped before any alarms were raised. Overall, not bad.

Alexander Court: 8/10

I was a fan of this one. Nothing crazy, of course, but very practical. Tables and chairs all over, couches, and even restrooms. There were enough tables and chairs for a class to be held, which is saying something. There was even a conference room. I could imagine hiding out in there with the boys and pounding out all the work I’ve procrastinated for the week.

My only issue was the backward PSU sculpture thing. Don’t they know it’s backward? It’s been there a while, and I feel like someone would’ve said something by now. That’ll impact its overall score.

The Diplomat: 5/10

I wasn’t too impressed with the Diplomat. There was nothing to really love, but nothing to hate either. Thankfully, I didn’t see any mail lying around anywhere. The floor was a little dingy, but I liked it, and the two doors (pictured above) were intriguing, especially the one without a doorknob. There wasn’t any furniture, so it’ll lose a few points, but I wasn’t mad about it.

One thing I couldn’t get over was the charging station. Why would they put a charging station in the middle of an apartment lobby? Did they really think it’d be used? I can’t imagine people hooking up their phone and waiting there (with no chairs) until it charges up, and I hope no one leaves it there. I just walked in with no security, so who knows what kinds of phone-stealers there are in this town.

The Maxxen: 8/10

Upon entering the Maxxen, I thought I’d made a wrong turn and ended up in a hotel. The only thing that clued me in was the massive mailboxes taking up half of the room. There was a front desk that sold shirts and a big lounge room with a little coffee area with all kinds of doodads. There were two elevators protected by apartment keys, so that’s as far as I could get. For such a big building, I think two elevators were cutting it a little close.

Outside of the lobby, there was a courtyard in the middle of the circular building. There was an odd-looking stage, a ping-pong table, and some other tables. If it wasn’t so cold out, it might’ve been nice.

While a little fancy for me, I have to be objective here. The lobby had everything a resident would need, and it might not even be necessary to go up to the apartments.

Centre Court: 4/10

If this is an accurate representation of the building as a whole, I wasn’t a big fan. What is with people and their mail? Didn’t they order it? It seems like the landlords put it out to drive away lobby reviewers and although it’s a good tactic, I’m better than that.

Either way, there wasn’t much to see here. An off-putting tile design, some trash on the floor, and all the mail. I strained my neck looking for some elevators, but I’m guessing they could’ve been through that big door. Your guess is as good as mine. The door was locked and a tenant was walking towards me, so I got out of there before he questioned my motives.

Overall, it was not a great user experience, but it got the job done.

The Metropolitan: 10/10

I unfortunately couldn’t snag a picture of this one, as there were way too many people in there. What can I say? I got a little nervous, and who knows what would’ve happened? Either way, though, this was by far the best lobby I reviewed. For starters, there was a front desk with two people working, which was amazing to me. It shows how much they care at the Metropolitan, and I appreciate that.

Beyond the help desk, there’s a small break room with anything you could ever need. Coffee, snacks, and tea were all included. There was even a case of Sunny-D, which took me back to simpler times. I haven’t seen Sunny-D in at least a decade.

There were halls leading to more things, which I’m sure would’ve been very cool if I could’ve seen them. Based on what I did see, though, I gave to give it a perfect score. That’s right.