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Mark Collins, Jr.

Background
With more than a dozen institutions near his hometown, Mark had a lot of colleges to choose from.  Class and university sizes, quality of the education especially in the departments in which he was interested, and whether professors or graduate students taught the classes were Mark's concerns.

Why IUP
Mark applied to and was accepted at IUP, Penn State, and a private university.  He chose IUP because it met all of his criteria.  The classes were small enough for individual attention, but the university was large enough to provide high quality courses taught by professors.  IUP offered Mark what he wanted at a lower tuition rate than the other schools he'd looked into.

School Stuff
Mark has three majors.  (Yes, three.)  He originally wanted to major in Political Science, but once he got involved with the curriculum, he realized how interconnected politics, crime, and the economy are.  So, he has added Criminology and Economics as majors, too.

Things You Do
Within weeks of coming to IUP, Mark joined Student Congress, IUP's student government.  He is now the president of the organization and serves on several related university committees.  In an average week, Mark spends twenty hours doing student government work and sixteen hours at his job in the I-Card office of the Student Co-op Association.  He has a fifteen-credit class load.  Why?

According to Mark, he saw the "chance to impact student life, get involved, and see how a university works."  Mark said the time and effort are worth it because he values "being able to voice the student opinion to the university community."

Around Here
What little free time is left, Mark fills by cheering on the football team at home games and attending other social events with friends.  He enjoys IUP's friendly community and the interaction between fellow students and professors.  In the future, Mark plans to earn a doctoral degree and become elected to government office.  After that, he said, "I'd actually like to come back to IUP to teach."