My kid is awaiting for the official National Merit Semi-Finalist (qualified by getting a 1520 psat score). Does it make a difference to wait or apply now to Penn State - especially for Schreyers or Scholarship consideration?
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It doesnât. PSU is unfortunately very stingy with scholarship money (basically expect none unless among the lucky few who get into Schreyer or become Millenium scholars). Schreyer doesnât consider test scores at all - it all rests on essay quality (+ recommendation + curriculum rigor with As).
However, as long as the application is received by October 15 with the STARS (= formerly known as SRAR 
) and test scores sent, it doesnât make a difference. So you can wait a month if you wish - if your child has official August test scores sent make sure itâs requested as soon as you have the results.
Thank you. Already have a decent SAT scores and other items are ready to go but we had varied opinions on when to submit. I said submit now vs them wanting to wait so this is helpful.
Yes, submit now. My S was a NMSF and received a small scholarship freshman year. In October! There was a random refund that was a tuition refund that we later found out was for NMSF. Not exactly a decision point in his decision!
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From the Penn State admissions page, it looks like the Schreyer application is due on 12/2 (11/1 to request an interview). Am I missing something or is there a benefit to applying by 10/15? I do see that the BS/MD application is due by 10/15.
10/15 is my recommendation for the general application, to give PSU time to receive the test scores and process the STARS (/SRAR). Last year, some applicants submitted it all on 11/1 but since that srar hadnât been processed by 11/1 they were sent to the 12/1 group. That deadline group doesnât exist anymore, so I donât know whether theyâd give more leeway to those who applied by 11/1 or would do as they did previously. Why risk it?
11/1=for the Schreyer interview but itâs not a big deal to do or not do it - more an opportunity to ask questions and explain why youâre interested in what Schreyer offers.
Taking the time to write well thought-out essays for Schreyer is most important.
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What is the easiest major to apply in Smeal program?
Right out of high school, theyâre all highly competitive.
After completing all pre-reqs it depends on your GPA - if you have the required gpa youâre automatically admitted to your chosen major (s).
If you want a business major thatâs easier to get into than Smeal, you have Labor and Human Relations (in CLA), Agribusiness (in Ag), ETI (in IST), Energy Finance (in EMS), or Health Management (in HHD) - depending on your strengths (academics mainly but also ECs - for instance if you got a 5 in AP CS Principles and As in Graphic Design and DECA, ETI is a better choice than Energy Finance, and vice versa if you rule Physics, took AP Enviro, and got As in HS AccountingâŠ)
I just watched a video clip on Sarah Harbersonâs instagram page saying that Penn states admissions process is changing this year. Theyâre no longer taking anything into consideration except gpa and test scores. Theyâre going to be using an automated program to review all applications due to the massive volume of applications they receive, so ecâs, essays, and lorâs wonât matter. I think itâs terrible if this is going to be the future of ai and college admissions.
I think this is the process theyâve been doing for years and they are just more transparent about it. I donât think it is some paradigm shift for admissions.
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What about test optional?
That description doesnât mean itâs changing. If anything, the process has become a bit more holistic -20 years ago, you could use the bubble chart and have a pretty good idea whether youâd get in. This is an example from 2011, with blue= likely admission to UP, yellow likely admission but UP uncertain, black: nope or branch campus. 2/3 GPA, 1/3 test scores (out of 2400).
They also used to have a picture description of the process: each element of the application was deconstructed and reviewed by a different, specialized person like on an assembly line to make things as fast as possible. The assembly line then got automated through a software most colleges use that puts all the info in the same format and it has now become IA powered. => Hence the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY to check your childâs STARS(SRAR) before itâs sent, for an extra pair of eyes checking nothing has been skipped or forgotten.
The original elements review with 2/3 GPA, 1/3 everything else with test scores weighted more than essay or ECs is very similar to the process I described upthread, with the difference of TO applicants having to show evidence of potential through other means (AP scores, higher grades&rigor..) especially in math + everything else added if thereâs a doubt.
So, if you have a 3.9 GPA with 16AP+Honors courses and a 1450, youâre in at UP, at worst you may have to start in the Summer if your college or major was very competitive. If you have a 3.0 GPA with mostly regular and a handful of honors courses + a 1200, youâre not getting in even if your essay is fantastic and you were involved in many impactful activities. The latter profile would be reviewed more holistically at a smaller college where they WANT impactful students even if they need more support to reach their academic potential, like Juniata Elizabethtown, Susquehanna, or Washington&Jefferson.
Only Schreyer, Millenial, and other special programs uses letters of recommendation. (PSU didnât do away with them, it was just for specific, competitive programs).
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Not sure I understand the question.
if you are asking if you should submit, anecdotal evidence (listed up thread), has shown that submitting a test score - even at the averages - has a better outcome for a kid with similar stats who went TO.
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I donât have any more in HS, but after reading about the process the last few years, I wish they would return to the bubble chart. Only my eldest applied to Penn State (in 2012). You didnât need to add a second campus option, and if you were squarely in the blue dots you knew you were in, and quickly - got all materials in by end of October, had a decision first week of November. Test optional delays decisions and makes admissions decisions more difficult, especially when you receive as many applications as Penn State does.
I think the question is if test optional is still an option, yet admissions says they are only considering gpa and test scores, how are they evaluating test optional?
My DD is applying EA for College of IST. She has a 3.86w with 18 AP and Honors classes including senior year. She completed AP Calc A/B, is taking AP Stats this year, and has a 620 SAT math. Sheâs retaking the SATs in September. I think itâs reasonable that sheâll score 1300+. She is open to LEAP/Summer start. Iâve heard the College of IST is competitive though not as much as Smeal. Is she a strong candidate? She loves the campus (we visited twice) and doesnât want to apply anywhere else. Sheâs also active in ECs (dance, band, drama, NHS).
Whatâs her UNweighted GPA? (Some HS add +2 for APs, some only +0.1!)
Yes, she is a strong candidate if her UNweighted is 3.7+ because she has excellent curriculum rigor and if she gets her score to 650.
She needs to find 2 affordable universities she likes and where her odds are high - she can start a âchance me/match meâ thread for suggestions of colleges similar to Penn State in ways that matter to her.
(UMBC, UCincinnati, SUNY Albany and SUNY Oswego, UDel⊠would all have her major of interest for instance.)
Thanks for the response! The HS doesnât list an unweighted but by my calculation itâs 3.22. (They add 0.5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP.) I know itâs iffy. She is serious about Summer start to increase her chance to get onto UP. Weâll take a closer look at Berks if this doesnât happen.
That changes things, alas 
- ~3.25 isnât going to cut it (unless she attends a specifically grade deflated prep school where thatâs top 20%). Based on past years, below 3.5uw tends to mean a branch campus for 2 years before âcoming upâ to UP.
Her best shot is likely to apply to Behrend directly (or Altoona?) Those, with Harrisburg, are closest to 4-year regional campuses, with dorms and some residential life; Behrend is STEM-focused and Altoona is closest to UP so that students go there on weekends. I would say both are targets for that GPA. Berks is purely commuter, not much of a college experience. Although if you live nearby I suppose she could save money on Room&Board even if sheâd lose some of the experience.
However I understand if she would want to try, at least, checking Summer (not Fall, just Summer) as long as you can afford it just to see if she could get UP. Increasing her SAT score would definitely help for that, as does the curriculum rigor she already has. If that doesnât work she can ask for reconsideration for a branch campus (unless sheâs admitted to one she likes already so she should choose her alternate campus carefully).
Would you be able to visit the nearest PASSHE school, then SUNY Oswego and Susquehanna?
Thanks for this feedback. It is helpful. We all prefer she stays in-state and in the PSU system. Given that UP will be a hard stretch, besides trying with a Summer start, weâll definitely check out Berks, Harrisburg, and possibly Altoona. Berks offers a higher % of on-campus housing than the others, but socially, parents I know report itâs a âquieterâ campus. That may be ok with my daughter. Weâll have to drill down on what she really wants besides the academics and a green, non-urban campus.
Hello. Is Psychology a competitive major to get into at UP? Iâm wondering if my kid should apply DUS instead. The average admitted wGPA from her HS is 4.6, and she has a 4.5. She will most likely apply TO, and has lots of great extracurriculars/leadership/awards.