Connor Thompson
Major: Engineering
Graduation Date: May 4, 2024
As Connor Thompson prepares for commencement on May 4, he reflects on his time as a student at Penn State Brandywine and the unique experiences he had.
“I chose to attend Penn State because I was able to do both engineering and baseball,” he said. “I was originally going to do the 2+2 program and transition to University Park, but I fell in love with the campus and decided to stay.”
During his time at Brandywine, Thompson was a pitcher for the baseball team and a member of the golf team, worked in the Blue Apple Café and was a part of the engineering club. Due to his performance in both academics and athletics, he received the John Egli Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, which he notes as his greatest accomplishment in his college career. The John Egli Outstanding Student-Athlete Award is given annually to one outstanding male and female student-athlete in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).
“Winning that award was definitely my greatest accomplishment during my time at Brandywine,” he said. “It’s the highest award in the PSUAC, which consists of 14 campuses, so being recognized out of all the sports at all the campuses is really cool.”
He also commented on the benefits he received from being involved on campus, noting how he was able to form so many connections.
“Being involved has allowed me to meet so many new people. I’ve noticed that people who are less involved are more likely to say they don’t feel like they fit in anywhere,” he said. “But being so involved, I’ve met so many different groups of people, even compared to my teammates, just by being in the engineering program at Great Valley and working in the Blue Apple Café.”
When reflecting on his favorite memory at Penn State Brandywine, the baseball team playing in the Small College World Series during Thompson’s first year came to mind.
“When we went up to the Small College World Series my first year, it was the first time in the program’s history that Brandywine was up there,” he recalled. “Even though we only won one game out of three, it was still a great feeling to be up there.”
Thompson said one of the most valuable lessons he’s learned during his time at Brandywine is that to have fun, you need to focus on your grades.
“Just from watching some teammates become ineligible for their grades, I learned that it’s important to work in order to have fun,” he said. “If you want to have fun, that’s great, but you can’t slack off or skip on your schoolwork to have that fun. You still have to be productive and earn the right to have fun.”
Take the first month to focus on classes and come up with a proper schedule. The fun is going to come, but if you put yourself behind early on, it’ll be hard to catch up later on.—Connor Thompson , fourth-year engineering major, Penn State Brandywine
When advising future Brandywine students, Thompson emphasized the importance of staying focused on classes and establishing a routine before getting involved in too many activities.
“Don’t come into college having too much fun because you can get behind really quick,” he said. “Take the first month to focus on classes and come up with a proper schedule. The fun is going to come, but if you put yourself behind early on, it’ll be hard to catch up later on.”
