When deciding where to go to college, I made a huge mistake. With a mom who graduated from… When deciding where to go to college, I made a huge mistake. With a mom who graduated from Pitt and an older sister at Pitt, I did the unthinkable. I went to Penn State.

With the deadline fast approaching, I chose Penn State because I was attracted to the college-town atmosphere and being away from home.

But I learned the hard way that good ol’ Happy Valley isn’t so happy for everyone. Once I came to my senses and realized that “Pitt is it,” I transferred here for the second semester of my freshmen year.

Any Pitt student would be quick to tell you why Pitt rules and PSU drools. I am one of the few who can accurately be a judge of that, since I have lived the life of both a Nittany Lion and a Pitt Panther.

After a careful comparison of the two schools, I have come up with four main reasons why Pitt actually is better than Penn State.

First, there is nothing to do in State College besides party. If you think Pitt parties get old, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The nonstop party may seem appealing to an excited freshman, but after you’ve gone to every frat five times, you lose the desire to get all dolled-up and make the 25-minute trek to Frat Row.

Getting to the front of the bar requires waiting in line longer than the one at Panther Central during the first week of school. Penn State neglects the fact that, although few and far between, some students don’t like to go to parties and spend their entire weekend in a drunken stupor. Those poor sober kids are out of luck because, unlike at Pitt where kids who don’t party can find as much to do as kids that do party, Happy Valley offers no such alternative.

The next reason why PSU falls short is because the campus pathetically lacks in culture and diversity. In a school of roughly 35,000 undergrads, why does everyone look the same and why does it seem that the only black students are the athletes?

While there, I took a class about the Civil Rights movement and found it odd that, besides the professor, there was only one black student in the class. I took the class because it was discussion-based and I wanted to hear the input of my black classmates. But all I got was a bunch of white kids talking about the struggles black people endured. PSU may hold the title for largest number of alcoholics between the ages of 18 and 24, but when it comes to diversity, it could use some broadening.

That brings me to my third reason: football. Unlike Penn State, Pitt won more than just one third of their games this past season. Nobody cares that Penn State was a football powerhouse years ago because now, with a record last season of 3-9, they are nothing but an embarrassment — definitely not worth the 100 bucks I dropped for those season tickets last year.

Last, but definitely not least, Pitt is better than Penn State because Pitt students are much cooler than Penn Staters. There’s a big difference between being proud of your school and being obnoxious, and Penn State students are obnoxious.

Obsessed Penn Staters have been brainwashed to believe that Penn State is, as referred to by one of my classmates while at PSU, “the greatest place on earth.” Penn State is a good school, but it’s no Yale. The funny thing is, Pitt students have such an aversion to Penn State, but Penn State students don’t feel the same about Pitt. Penn State sees themselves as so much better than Pitt that Pitt isn’t even on the same playing field. Why are they so cocky, anyway? Need they be reminded of their 3-9 football season?

OK, I know I said I had four reasons, but as I recall my Happy Valley experience, there are so many more reasons that come to mind. Squirrels run rampant on the campus, often obstructing your way. There is a lingering smell of cows and manure always present. Only a few cell phones get decent service.

The next time you find yourself battling in the ageless debate over which school is better, save your breath. As far as I’m concerned, victory belongs to the blue and gold. Though I may have been a bit harsh to PSU, it’s only fair to admit that I’ve had some good times there, mostly eating the famous Creamery Ice Cream. But overall, I am proud of my transformation from being a Penn Stater to becoming a Penn Hater.

E-mail proud Panther Anjali Nair at [email protected].