I think in our example, it may not matter. She will have Geometry, Algebra II, PreCalc, Calculus, and Statistics on her transcript. The middle school classes do not appear, and again I donāt think it will really matter if we report it or not.
We are applying to several STAR schools, and there is no consistency in their FAQās either. That is what makes this more difficult as you only fill it out once. If you look at the Tennessee STARS FAQ I quoted, they explicitly state NOT to include if the course is not on the High School transcript, and for our Suburban Philly high school, Algebra I for our student will not appear. At least on the Common App, you can input some information one way for some schools, submit, and then modify things for other schools. Not with STARS.
To clarify, 200+ apply each year with ~ 60% acceptance rate over the past 4 years. This is a relatively large Suburban School in PA with many kids going to Penn State and Pitt each year.
As always, I appreciate all of the feedback and advice.
Well my daughter is listing Alegbra 1 and French 1 on her STARS just to be safe, even though French 1 does not appear on her transcript. However, I would hope that there is a bit of a more individualized process then just running it through an AI or some automated reader. Otherwise, how can they even know what the rigor is on a per school basis?
And for MS classes they donāt want the grade, just āpassā.
The STARS /(srar) ensures the format will be the same for all.
Not sure how the transcript is assessed in relation to the school, probably some items asked help them estimate the schoolās rigor as well as the studentās class rank/decile ranking?
Thereās definitely a human element involved of course but itās automatized till it gets to human eyes.
Itās a good thing they donāt want a grade, because our MS doesnāt give grades. Itās some random āstandards basedā grading system that bears no resemblance to a regular grading system, lol.
Iām so curious about how all this works, not just at Penn State but everywhere. Iād love to follow an admissions officer around for a week. I know there are some good podcasts on the admissions process, but thatās not quite the same.
if it is a PA school, they have lots of datat about the rigor of the HS. Iām sure they also have good data about most OOS HS also.
Penn State has a thing called an EI - Evaluation Index. It is primarily made up of gpa + rigor + test scores. This is nothing new - they have had this process for years. By submitting the STARS (or SRAR), they have removed a step where ātheyā could make an entry error (and reduced all those people who had to translate transcripts). They have the ability (although I donāt know if they do it) to use an algorithm that applies a higher GPA weighting to a school they know is academically rigorous (in terms of some of the private schools that have grade deflation). Conversely, they can underweight a HS that has shown to send kids who arenāt as successful that all come in with 4.0ās (ie. grade inflation). I am not saying they do this! But by having the raw data of the STARS/SRAR, they could if they wished to.
I saw a presentation where they analyzed the success of TO vs test-submitted kids in two cohorts - STEM majors and non-STEM. They are slicing and dicing data many different ways to get what they think is the most qualified (and will be successful) class.
Itās not a PA school, but Hopefully they have (or can find) enough data on OOS schools to help them make an educated decision. Weāre in a highly ranked (top 10) public school district in MA which I hope will be helpful, but I think itās a little more challenging for them to assess things when someone is applying to state schools from OOS.
My daughter will be submitting her score since itās only going to help her application. Iād be curious about the results of the analysis you mention above though. Sheās applying to DUS because sheās pretty undecided, though she knows she doesnāt want to do Business, Computer Science or Engineering.
Basically, they found that if the major the student applies for requires Math, their evaluation is stronger (more accurate as to future success) if they have the Math SAT score alongside the courses and grades - TO students didnāt do as well as submitting applicants, presumably because an A can mean āwith retakes and extra creditā, āprecalculusā can include bits from Algebra2.. or go through the first chapters of calculus.
Thatās why for Smeal, EMS, Eberly, IST, and COE, students are better off submitting their test scores unless theyāre truly bad, (=> my interpretation) in which case TO will be assumed to be ātruly badā and should be offset by something indicating potential for success clearly.
FTR I would say 700+ is for PSU and under 600 is not enough for UP.
My sense is that, as test optional applications decrease, the relative increase related to self-selective sending of test scores (when only top scorers sent as a way to enhance their application rather than validate their GPAĆrigor, ie., scores arenāt sent if higher than expected but because theyāre exactly like what youād expect for that GPAĆrigor) should return to normal and we should see the 25-75 spread go down, especially on the 25% threshold level. Weāll test this hypothesis this year though so at the moment itās analysis/hypothesis only.
If my DD is applying for Smeal, should she send her SAT with the highest math score (760M, 720RW) or her highest score (740M, 750RW)? It probably doesnāt make a difference, but she still doesnāt know which to send. Penn State is one of the few colleges sheās applying to that doesnāt superscore.
Thatās correct. I donāt think it would hurt to send both but itās your call. I think that with both scores in the 700s on both tests, it really wonāt matter.
I donāt think it matters much either. But if both are sent, they will probably take the higher score which has the lower math. But both scores are good, so I think sheāll be fine with that aspect of her application.
I would send the one with the higher math, since we know they look at that in particular and since it wouldnāt hurt her on the English side with the EWR score 720 which is excellent too.
Does anyone know if the business major a student selects when applying to Smeal (and hoping for UP for fall or summer) matters? I know that itās just considered a pre-major and a student isnāt actually admitted into the major itself but also know that Finance and possibly other majors are more competitive than others. Therefore, is it better to select a major that is less competitive when applying? Does it make any difference? Thank you!
Was wondering about the differences between applying to the College of Education (secondary science education) and the College of Agricultural Sciences? Also, if applying to the College of Agricultural Sciences does it matter what major is picked?
College of Education supposes you want to become an educator. Itās best if you have some supporting ECs and your statement explains why you want to be a teacher (ie., volunteering with Sunday school or local elementary after school program, becoming a counselor at your sleep away summer camp, coaching little league, etcā¦)
Yes, for College of Agriculture the major you apply to makes a difference because they donāt all require Chem 110-111, donāt all require calculus, etc.
