Thank you - the test hasnâtâ been taken yet and will likely not be available to be received and processed by Nov 1 which is why I am asking. For Rigor there are 10 honors/DE/AP up through jr year and a few more on the sr schedule.
In that case, heâs better off applying test optional because applying by the Nov1 deadline is more important.
(Everything should be submitted by Oct 15).
Students who apply after Nov1 have to share the remaining places once all EA students have received a decision. As a result their odds are much lower.
Thank you - I appreciate it
He called admissions to inquire, because once youâve submitted your app and STARS, you canât go back in and look around without help. The web site in fact tells you to call admissions for help. Heads up, itâs a 45-minute wait in the queue. 
He stuck it out and they told him that it is correct that MyPennState app does not have a place where you can submit those AP test scores. Itâs too bad, because it seems like the very thing theyâd love to see in an applicant, a great score. Once admitted, you of course have College Board send them over. So, nothing to do now but wait and see! Thank you for your suggestion though. That would have been a good way to get it in.
1 Like
The thread is quiet this year.
1 Like
Asking how likely I am to get into Penn State Main No SAT scores a GPA of 4.38 all Honors Course, Duel Enrollment, 3 sport varsity athlete. Major is communication. Sister is a recent graduated
Hello @Haw511 : whatâs your unweighted GPA or whatâs your schoolâs weighting system (ie., does THE 4.38 weighted mean you got a 3.38 unweighted?)
Have you taken 4 years of English and History/Social Science, all honors or dual enrollment?
Have you taken foreign language through level 3 or 4?
Are you currently involved in anything communication-related (speech class, yearbook, graphic design, school news productionâŠ)
Hello! It is 4.38 weighted and 3.94 unweighted. Yes, 4 years of English, Math, Social Studies and Science Both Honors and Duel. Only 2 years of Spanish. Yes, on the yearbook committee.
Thank you.
I would say high likelihood 
1 Like
Daughter applying for Fall 2027, looking at a Film Production major as part of Communications program. She has been in the county vo-tech honors theater program for all 4 years and therefore âpart timeâ at her sending school, limiting opportunities for electives and such. Sheâs been a part of school theater productions each fall and spring at both vo-tech and high school. Her weighted GPA (which includes vo-tech program) is 3.98 and is not planning to submit SATs. (4 years of english and math, 3 social studies, 2 french.) Limited in honors and AP courses (although vo-tech program is fully honors). Any comments on likelihood of acceptance and advice to best position application? Understand that film production majors arenât fully accepted into that program until 2nd semester of sophomore year assuming grades. Thanks!
1 Like
Go over her STARS when she fills it out and make sure all the Vo-tech Honors program courses do appear as Honors (as well as any at her sending school).
Whatâs her unweighted GPA?
The rigor seems there for the specific program sheâs applying to but it all depends what her unweighted is (3.48 would mean her odds are 50-50, better uwGPA than that and her odds improve.)
If she uses the PSU app she should use the Personal Statement emphasize her experience with the Honors Theater program, highlighting her roles as part of Production in particular.
If such a thing is possible through Common app she should also try to do so.
Most of the decision will rest on whether they see rigor in her secondary school curriculum and mostly A grades, especially in relevant courses.
2/3 decision is going to be rigorĂgrades.
(Thatâs why you need to review STARS with a finetooth comb to make sure all the Honors, accelerated, advanced, AP, DE classes do appear, especially the Theater-related ones.)
Film production is a great way to have an in-demand major that combines personal interests and practical skills.
If I may - and I hope that if she decides to attend PSU sheâll have a copy of this paragraph to think through - I would recommend a slight deviation from the standard SAP:
Comm 160 students benefit enormously from having taken English 15 or 30H first, so that English 15/30H should be taken first semester alongside Comm150, and she should take Comm 160 second semester AFTER both classes.
In addition, Comm 150 requires a B or higher for admission to the major so better not load up 1st semester with another hard class thatâs required for the major and can be taken 2nd semester without any impact on profression. College is a marathon, pacing yourself is how you get to the end.
Sidenote:
Whenever French 138 is offered (French culture through film, in English) she should also try to take it as itâd reinforce Comm160 (and fulfills 2 other requirements at once).
If sheâs only taken HS French 1-2 she would either take French 2 In the Fall and French 3 in the Spring, or do an accelerated program reviewing Fr1 quickly and covering 1-2-3 Fall+Spring, called 111-112.
Thanks for this feedback. Iâm not sure what her unweighted GPA is and apparently our school district only uses weighted GPA and guidance counselor is ânot allowedâ to release her unweighted GPA to her. Very odd.
My concern with her vo-tech program is that it comes in the transcript as a single line with 12.25 credits and the grade. (As opposed to the ânormalâ classes that are 5 credits and a grade.) So there is not a way to distinguish all the aspects of the honors theater program. But I suppose it will be what it will be.
Does PSU ârequireâ the unweighted GPA for admission?
Thanks for the notes on the Comm courses and French integration, definitely writing this down âin caseâ!
She wonât submit her transcript for Penn State, she will need to fill out a course by course semester by semester âlistâ called STARS/SRAR.
If sheâs using CommoApp, the window should open.
STARS/SRAR needs to be submitted by October 15 or as close to October 15 as you can, do not wait for November 1
Since her transcript and its annotations, descriptions, and explanations wonât be sent, she will need to enter, say (I totally made the following up)
Fall 2025
English 11, Honors A 5 credits
French 2 A- 5 credits
Precalculus B+ 5 credits
AP American History B+ 5 credits
Chemistry, Honors A- 5 credits
Readings in Drama 1, Honors, A, 3 credits
Acting&Performance2, Honors, A, 3 credits
Theater tech&production1, Honors, A, 5 credits
Theater Applied Technology, Honors, A-, 1.5 credits
(I assume her transcript or curriculum description will include a description of the honors program sheâs in so that a university using the transcript would know what theyâre looking at. Penn State Admissions receive more than 100,000 applications and donât have time to reconcile different parts to understand what it means, thatâs why they use the standardized STARS/SRAR.)
Also, is it true that you need to âmimicâ what your transcript says exactly with the STARS system? If it has a number instead of a letter grade you input the number and donât assume what the letter grade is?
Side question, I also heard the STARS system/ Penn State generates their own âweightâ to a students transcript. If thatâs the case would a 100 in a DE or AP class weight higher than say a 93 in the same class even if the letter grade is the same? I only ask because my daughter has applied for Engineering with UW 4.0 / W 4.35. Her school uses numbers to 100 and not letter grades. She has a lot of high 90s and 100s. Fingers crossed for UP, we visited in summer and were blown away by the aerospace engineering dept and professors.
Yes they weight higher rigor - 2/3 admission is gradesĂrigor. So the DE classes would be weighted more than regular classes.
Typically the SRAR needs to be copiee line by line
â unless thereâs something special about the program such as the student above who spends half day at a selective honors program thatâs just summarized as one line on the transcript, presumably either because an explanation is provided somewhere else or the program has its own transcript: in that case the system canât decipher the line so it needs to appear with a title for each class taken as part of the program (âHonors Drama Program: Drama Literature 1â, âHonors Drama Program: Music&Lights Techâ..)
Itâs VERY important Honors, Advanced, Accelerated, AP, DE.. appear since this is a big part of the evaluation.
My daughter (OOS) applied to Smeal. She applied test optional (since ACT score is 30). She has a 4.0uw GPA with 8 honors/AP classes. Sheâs graduating from a private Catholic HS known for its academic rigor. Iâm a PSU alum and this is my last child going through the application process (other two kids at Clemson and Auburn). I need to get one Nittany Lion! Does she have a chance?
1 Like
What are the honors/AP courses?
Honors English 10 and 11, Honors Intro to Business, AP Macroeconomics (AP Test Score 5), AP Business with personal finance, AP English Literature and Composition, AP U.S. Government and Politics, Honors Physics⊠most of her other classes are College Prep .. thanks!
1 Like
Thanks!
The most important would have been Honors or AP precalculus or calculus.
Has she had 4 years (/through level 4) of a foreign language - as it also matters for Smeal and in the way they evaluate rigor.
I think the GPA is absolutely strong enough but since itâs gpaĂrigor and Iâm not sure whether theyâll evaluate her specific school as being automatically rigorous, Iâll say she definitely has a shot but itâs not certain - target not safety, especially since Smeal has the lowest admission rate (with direct entry nursing).
If sheâs offered an alternate campus you can ask to go through reconsideration and ask for DUS. Itâs a gamble since most students are now direct admits but thatâs another possibility.
Thanks so much for the insight! Yes, she has 4 years of Spanish. I agree, her CP Pre-Calculus is weak as Honors/AP wouldâve strengthened her application.