Yup, kids who have heard now got into branch campuses.
@psubbay08 : indeed PSU is a safety for your daughter ; Schreyer is a whole other kettle of fish - out of 8,500 freshmen only 300 are in Schreyer. So, thereās a baseline of rigor, then yes it comes down to the essays (and, less important but can still make a difference), the recommendation. Essays will be read by faculty who would have the students in class, wondering āDo I want that kid in my seminar? What will this student bring others?ā Show reasoning, intellectual curiosity, resilience, originality ā¦
I think the people getting decisions now are those who applied directly to one of the Commonwealth Campuses. For UP weāre likely waiting a bit longer!
Thoughts on selecting summer start as alternate start term.
Is there any truth to this being a disadvantage to actually getting accepted for fall start if you select summer as an alternate?
I know it increases your overall chance for admission but curious if it actually puts you at a disadvantage for fall startā¦like āoh this applicant checked alternate term summer start so letās give them that and and we can offer another student for fallā¦ā
My son applied for fall at UP and selected summer start if needed. But my understanding is that heās evaluated for fall first, and only if passed on there would be looked at for summer.
My understanding is that it allows for another chance if you are āborderline/didnāt make itā for fall. Meaning - if you have summer start chosen, you might be more likely to get UP with summer start vs 2+2/rejected. Someone else may have a better answer.
My understanding is that some applicants will hear ahead of the Dec 24 date mentioned on the website. But some may take up until that date, and even the timing is somewhat random.
Everyone who listed fall as their first choice is reviewed for fall. If you were below the line, they look to see if you checked summer and they can offer you that. If you didnāt make that cut, they go to the alternate campus.
Different colleges hear at different times also - it depends when the college is working through their decisions and ready to push the button. If the college has a lot clustered in the middle (flat bell curve), it may take longer.
If another student hears first, that doesnāt mean you arenāt getting in. It just means their lottery number came up for review sooner.
And commonwealth campus admits are the first to hear. So maybe not being the first one to hear is a good thing (you are being more looked at for UP).
Will PSU consider you for admission to DUS if they canāt offer you admission to your selected major? I recall hearing something like that on our tour, but I may have been thinking of another school.
If youāre not admitted to UP for your major, you can ask for reconsideration. You have to ask for it. Your odds depend on whether DUS is more or less competitive than your original major and whether you check āSummerā ie., willing to start in July rather than August.
When asking for a reconsideration, do you have to list a different major or can you keep the same major? I am not sure how accurate this is, but it seems they really only consider GPA/rigor and donāt look at essay or ECās. If you donāt get UP the first time, but essay, ECās perfectly align to major, can you do the reconsideration and ask to look at activity list, leadership roles, and why this major this fit?
Iām waiting right along with you all!