<p>You may be thinking “is he crazy??” Actually, yes, I am. First, let me explain.</p>
<p>Ok, so, my profile’s looking like this:
- 2.6 GPA
- 1300 SAT without writing
- 1 perfect AP english class
- all academic level courses through high school</p>
<p>The only reason my GPA is as low as it is, is becuase for the latter bit of my freshman year, all of sophomore, and 3/4 of junior year, I had ALOT of problems at home, and financially, and almost lost my home, did lose our car, and had utilites shut off numerous times; I sank into deep depression for mostly all of that time period, and started to miss school, etc, my GPA went from 3.8 to 2.2 and I got it back to a 2.6. I began to get sick all the time, couldnt figure out why and I even had to see a psychiatric doctor because of my stress and anxiety, and it was determined that I have a severe form of generalized anxiety disorder, which was making me sick, and was a big part of the reason for my grades being as low as they were. My teachers all know that I’m capable of so much, and am very smart, but they knew there was something not quite right with me during my HS years. I have letters of rec, etc, and I want to start a pre=pharmacy track.</p>
<p>My question: If I made this the focus of my admissions essay, and explained this to them, and got a doctor’s note, do you think University Park would accept me?? I know I’m capable of doing great things, I was just dealt some bad cards during my HS career. </p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Definitely write about that in your personal statement; it will make a HUGE difference. Make sure you focus on your grades this year. Try and get your overall GPA to a 3.2+. Sign up for all the PSU events you can do. The more dedicated you look, the better. Best of luck next year!</p>
<p>Personally, I think that private schools would be much more forgiving. Penn State’s admission is basically a formula based solely on GPA (~2/3) and SAT (~1/3), and your GPA will probably hurt you beyond redemption, even if you manage to bring it up a little bit. Then there is always the choice of transferring to main after 2 years, which can save you lots of $ and actually help your GPA. But you never know, and you can hope.</p>
<p>I hope you the best…</p>
<p>Thanks, but which private schools do you think would be more forgiving?? I am looking to go to college in either Pennsylvania or Central Florida. I know it isnt private, but do you think the University of Central Florida would be easier than Penn State UPark???</p>
<p>My guess is that it would be around the same difficulty to get in (assuming you would be out of state). Some private schools that might forgive you…I was thinking along the lines of Drexel or Ithaca College, which care much more about essays and supplements than number-obsessed state schools.</p>
<p>To tell you the truth, big universitys arent “forgiving”. It seems today, colleges are all about bringing their stats up and becoming more competitive. So, I would be suprised if you were accepted to University Park, but its worth a try!! You have a greater chance of getting into an alternative campus at PSU. And you can always transfer after a year or two to the main university. </p>
<p>Also, just so you know, PSU requires the written portion of the SAT or ACT. So if you havent taken that part already, Id start studying to try to bring your scores up!</p>
<p>I would advise that you attend another university if you have financial problems!! PSU is the most expensive university and gives very poor financial aid. Not sure if you are in or out of state, but tuition next year for OS will increase to about $29,000 for only tuition! I would guess it will be somewhere around $17,000 for tuition instate. Thats crazy money to pay back!</p>
<p>It’s not that big universities aren’t “forgiving”. They simply don’t have the resources to do the kind of holistic admissions that smaller schools do. Last year Pen State received over 100,000 applications system-wide. They do not have the manpower (i.e. $ to pay for it) to read through and consider essays, ECs and personal stories that smaller schools do.</p>
<p>Another place I had thought of, which I only live about 10 miles from is Slippery Rock University of PA. I’ve been there quite a few times and it seems like an ok college. I know people that have gotten in there with 2.3 GPAs, unfortunately, though.</p>