Both the students and faculty are very kind. The environment is relaxed such that you go at your own pace. However, there is a high dropout rate. Advisors will let you spin your wheels forever. Above all, there is a culture of advisors taking on students and then dropping them later on for personal reasons (i.e. not enough capacity). This happened to me twice. My first advisor said he didn't have time to advise us anymore. My second "left" the university only 3 months after agreeing to advise me.
You go in without knowing who you'll be researching with or what your topic is. Also, there is no research in year 1- only coursework. If you're deciding between Penn State and another program, unless that other program is bad, then I'd advise you to steer clear of this program. There is no recourse for you when something goes wrong.
