Jason Wiedl

Growing up, college never really was something that resonated with me. A friend of mine and I did landscape work in town and I always thought of being an entrepreneur rather than going to school. Both of my parents, having acquired four-year degrees themselves, weren’t fond of the idea of me not going to college, so I attended a university for one semester. After that one semester, I realized that the typical classroom setting wasn’t the right fit for me and there had to be a better option out there. And that’s when I stumbled upon Penn College!

While I was in the process of transferring, I was doing a lot of research and weighing my different options. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I knew I didn’t want the same experience I was currently having. I found Penn College, not having any prior knowledge of the College, through a Google search of “innovative schools” where Penn College was ranked #3 by U.S. News & World Report Regional Colleges North. After scheduling a tour and stepping on campus for the first time, the creativity on campus along with the hands-on learning style really appealed to me.

The education is better. The culture is better. The food is better. All joking aside, when I say this I do not intend to boast about Penn College or knock on my previous school, but if you transfer to Penn College you know what I mean. We take the typical classroom setting that has been around for decades and spice things up with innovative, top-of-the-line equipment to give students a hands-on, real-world education. Our students are passionate about what they do and that passion shows through competitions where our students are excelling. And with multiple dining units on campus, including a student-run restaurant in Le Jeune Chef, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Yes, 100% yes. Everything we do involves risk, so we are constantly determining risk vs. reward. I knew that there was a possibility that upon transferring I would be in another environment where I couldn’t see the future reward. Penn College has squashed that possibility with a 96% graduate-placement rate, and a recognized ROI. Everything we do here at Penn College is preparing for the future and always preparing for what’s next.

I would tell them go for it. You have every right to be nervous, because it’s your future, but you won’t know until you try. Penn College has so many different possibilities and unique pathways. I would encourage you to explore different areas that you may be interested in but never thought about exploring. Now is the time, so jump on every opportunity given, soak up as much information as possible, and have fun while doing it.

Throughout the transfer process I was assisted by our amazing Admissions team, of which I have the opportunity to be a part of through my Student Ambassador position. While still a full-time student at another university, I scheduled a campus tour where I got to see all that campus has to offer. And I was supported by our student body after arriving on campus; they were there to assist with move in, answer any questions I had, and point me in the right direction.