Expectations vs. reality: a Penn State snow day
That cute snow pic at Old Main vs. when you ate shit on the sidewalk on the way to class
After snoozing your alarm approximately eight times, contemplating whether your bed is worth missing class or not and immediately regretting how ridiculously late you went to bed last night… somehow, someway, we Penn Staters manage to drag our tired butts out of bed. Except after one look through the window, when we realize that there’s a blizzard of snow outside and our morning is about to be a whole lot worse than usual. Sigh.
Snow days at Penn State can be the best or worst thing ever – there’s no in between. Either you’re living it up, having a snowball fight at a daylong and getting prime lighting pics, or you’ll be ice skating to class against your will. Translation: snow days during the week sucks, and here’s why.
When you have classes you seriously like really really really don’t want to go to…
Expectation:
Students: “Maybe my class got canceled! Lemme check my emails.”
Reality:
Teachers: “LOL no, nice try. They’re just snowflakes. Chillax.”
Or if you’re really unlucky, only one of your classes will be canceled and you’ll be stuck going to the other. Or if you’re really, really unlucky your teacher tells you the class is canceled like 10 minutes before and you already got dressed and started walking there. Not cool.
When you take that dreaded walk to your classes…
Expectation:
“The roads will be clear. This is what my tuition pays for.”
Reality:
“Every. Single. Path. Has. A. Foot. Of. Snow.”
When you think the HUB will be less crowded…
Expectation:
“OMG can’t wait for little to no lines!”
Reality:
“Why did all these people show up… WHY???”
When you think the gym will be less crowded…
Expectation:
“I am going to get on a machine easily. No one sane goes to the gym in a blizzard anyway, right?”
Reality:
*Waits the usual 20 minutes in line for a treadmill and silently hates every single person in the White Building*
When you think you’re gonna have a really cute snow day…
Expectation:
“I’m gonna buy hot cocoa and marshmallows and watch Netflix all day. It’s gonna be great.”
Reality:
“I have a paper due tomorrow, a test on Friday I haven’t studied for and I haven’t done laundry in three weeks. Damn it, this was NOT the plan.”
Penn State hasn’t declared a true snow day since 2015, so it looks like we’re gonna be a roughing it for a long, long time. So hold onto your Canada Goose’s and Sorel snow boots and kiss your Netflix shows goodbye, because there’s no escaping this tundra in Happy Valley.