@cv08 @MYOS1634 I think it is a toss up. Honestly, College of Education is easier than some other colleges, so hoping for EC that back up that application. Has your child checked summer as an option? That could be the differenceā¦
edited to add: I know you mentioned TO. Has your child taken SAT/ACT ? I think it could be a helpful data point as long as it is not awful.
@nb2030 This is such a hard year to predict. Any other year, I would say DUS would be the best option, but with the direct admittance to Smeal and the pathway from DUS gone, I am not comfortable with that. We just donāt know where the line for Smeal is going to fall, but my guess is that it will be the toughest college to get into (or tied with Engineering) (after nursing).
I would encourage test scores to be submitted. If you read upthread, there was discussion and multiple points of anecdotal data that showed that equivalent students had different outcomes based on test score submission. If they are anywhere close to the midpoint, I would submit. I would also encourage summer to be checked (and donāt be surprised if that is the outcome).
good luck.
My son is up in the air about a major. How does the College of Health and Human Development (Hospitality Management) compare with Education (are all majors the same)? Or the College of Agricultural Sciences (maybe Agricultural Management)? He works at a country club, so he sort of has experience with the first two. His grades are probably on the line between branch and University Park.
If heās interested in Smeal he should apply directly since DUS students who decide they want to be business majors and have taken all the pre-reqs will have to choose their major after the Smeal pre admits have made their choice. Itās the only college where thereās an extra hurdle from DUS.
He should submit his SAT score and keep his fingers crossed - he has a shot but itās hard to know what itās going to be this year with the new policy, I would imagine itās going to be the most selective college (with Nursing).
Temple Honors+Business as well as Susquehanna (also Honors+College of Business) should be likely (safety without honors). 2 affordable safeties-likelies he likes well enough, 5 affordable matches he likes, and then he can feel free to add as many reaches as he wishes and keep his fingers crossed for Smeal 
My daughter will be applying early action to Penn State. She definitely has her heart set on UP. She has a weighted GPA of 4.65 and unweightened 4.0. Including her senior year she will have taken nine AP courses. Her SAT is a 1310. Weāre leaning towards not submitting her SAT score. At the moment sheās undecided but, more than likely apply to the liberal arts college. Her ultimate goal is to apply to law school. She will also check the summer option. We are in the process of finishing up her common application. Any advice or thoughts on the likelihood for getting in to UP would be greatly appreciated. Also wondering, if applying to a college / major or applying undecided is better? Out of state.
TIA
She should absolutely submit that SAT score. TO does not mean test blind ā¦ and that SAT score will not hurt her.
what majors is she interested in? That will determine if she is best as DUS or another major. I would recommend choosing a potential major based on the type of law that interests her.
I think her chances are solid with a 4.0uw and strong rigor.
good luck!
One caveat about education is that are scrutinizing applications for education-related ECās. It isnāt necessarily the easiest path to admissions like some think.
Hospitality management or HRIM seem like possible options. (I think hospitality is more females while HRIM ā¦ Hotel Restaurant Institutional Management might be more balanced). Or Agribusiness if he is thinking more the business side of things-
Any feedback on my sonās chances? He is in state Smeal applicant with a 1450 sat, 4.59 weighted GPA, varsity sport, some leadership ECs, senior year he is taking AP Calc and AP statistics and junior year took dual enrollment accounting and business
Does she list her AP scores (if the exam was taken or if it was 4 or 5) on her CommonApp? In any case I would submit the 1310 for CLA or DUS, especially if she has a strong English score- something like 680 EBWR/630 Math.
If she truly doesnāt know she could indicate DUS; if she hesitates between the different majors within CLA, she indicates CLA. Then if sheās not admitted to UP she can ask for reconsideration to the other one :). I would start with DUS since itās broader and gives her more space to change her mind but ymmv 
Those are quite different.
Education is if he wants to be a teacher (but Career/Community education is in Ag and coaching is in HHD). A job at a country club wouldnāt really help.
Hospitality management has different tracks, which can be complemented with Analytics (in IST) or an Entrepreneurship minor etc. The job may help (EC+info in statement) to demonstrate ability with service as a career, but essay+EC are really marginal in Admission results.
Agribusiness tends to be linked to jobs within large corporations and brands (JohnDeere, Coca-Cola, etc) and may include sales, marketing/analytics, accounting, etc., pretty much anything depending on the chosen concentration. Imho itās more stable than Hospitality but typically less entrepreneurial.
What type of job would be be most interested in?
Whatās his unweighted GPA? (Some HS weigh AP+2 and some +0.10, although most weigh +1).
Has he taken a Foreign language through level 4 (or at least 3)?
Our school doesnāt report the unweighted GPA so Iām not exactly sure but they only weight APs and honors 1. He has 2 to 3 Bs, sophomore, and junior year. Spanish through level four- yes
Last yearās mid range for SAT is 1320-1480. That puts her just outside the mid range. Her EBWR 660 and Math 650. I know she could score hire in EBWR but she is applying EA and not registered or ready for another SAT.
Itās close enough she should submit - especially considering last yearās range was slightly inflated by a more ātest optionalā application cycle. Anything 1300+ Iād say donāt hesitate to submit.
Based on what you say he would have a 3.75-3.8 UW, with decent rigor and a solid test score ā I would say that with the typical process for Smeal as it used to be, he would have had a good chance, so if the pattern holds Iād say itās a match, 50-50 (60-40?perhaps even better odds?)
Thank you, and Iām hoping that the increased direct acceptance will increase his oddsā¦
Is this related to people interested in business? My child is applying Rehabilitation Human Services under college of education for Pre-PA, OT, or ASBN post undergrad. They like this program for its hands on internship experiences working with disabilities. EC include working in ICU, ambulance, shadowing surgeries, volunteer clubs and activities for students with disabilities. Nervous since SATās are not their thing and GPA is 3.68 academic core classes.
The ECs are excellent wrt major applied to (although theyāre unlikely to matter much in the decision). That major makes sense wrt career goals.
But if you want to study something related to Management and have experience in the service industry College of Ed is not the way to go.
Iāve been struggling with some of the suggestions here re: submitting test scores. My D26 applied for UP nursing and went test optional because we were told on our tour that (1) they will not favor applicants with tests over applicants who are test optional, and (2) the average score submitted for nursing is above the 75th percentile for the University generally (so above a 33 if I recall). They also stressed during our tour that checking the summer start box offered no advantage, but she checked the box anyway.
Does this sound right? Above what ACT score, do you think it is preferable to submit scores for a nursing app? Would you submit a 32? 31? 30? 29? 28?
Thanks in advance.
I know their BSN at UP is very competitive. Ranks up there with Smeal and Engineering. I always thought adding summer consideration was helpful. If you can submit test scores I would do it for this program. We know a few students that got into their program and they had very high stats. Good luck!! Itās a great program if accepted 