S25 got 2+2 Altoona. (For reference OOS, DUS, Summer Checked, Amazing EC’s but definite on the cusp GPA UW 3.4, W 3.6). He will not attend if not UP. His interest lies in Sports Management but went with DUS. We will request a reevaluation.
Any suggestions on best school / major to add in for his best chances? Communications or maybe in Liberal Arts… He’s extremely strong in English (all H & AP).
Also, i see people mention contacting ‘your’ Admissions Counselor - does each student have a specific one and if so where do I find that?
CLA LHR would be a great choice, with a Minor in Sports Studies (together = “sports management” with 1/3 management, 1/3 sports, rest gen eds).
Organizational Leadership another possibility.
They do have something similar to Sports Management (as in, business of sport&activity) with more sports (ie , more bio, anatomy& physiology, physics…) than management
HHD->KINESIOLOGY-> applied option-> national conditioning
Other possibility:
hhd.psu.edu
Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management Option | Penn State College of…
The Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management Option is tailor-made for students whose professional aspirations include event planning, managing and marketing tourism venues and organizations, recreational sports programs, resort activities…
Or
hhd.psu.edu
Outdoor Recreation Option | Penn State College of Health and Human Development
If you are passionate about spending time outdoors, the Outdoor Recreation option of Penn State’s Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management major may be the right match for you.
These don’t require microeconomics, accounting, calculus and other weedout courses.
Something to consider if your student elects to do 2+2…
I took this route many years ago as a chemical engineering major, I would not do it again. Why?
The first two years at a branch campus were good for me academically. Smaller classes and easier access to professors made the calculus and physics courses manageable. When I entered UPark as a junior my cumulative gpa was good.
Then I got slammed with a ridiculous course load of ChE classes, including two semesters of 12 credits of ChE plus elective engineering classes for a total of 15 credits engineering. This is required because you cannot spread out that coursework over three years (engineering majors start the classes as sophomores at UPark) and must jam it into two, or do the 5 year plan with the expense that brings. It’s also quite late to change majors as a junior if you decide the classes are not your thing.
It’s a massive course load that is a reality for all 2+2 engineering majors as those classes are not offered at branches.
It wasn’t easy and it was very stressful. I got through it but I wouldn’t do it again.
So keep this in mind if you have offers from other schools and weigh it carefully. Understand what you’re signing up for.
I’m assuming this would not be the case if they chose to do the 2+2 at Erie? I don’t have a student in engineering but I believe Erie has all the classes an engineer would need since you can get your 4 year engineering degree there.
If the branch offers the option to do the full engineering degree at that location, then certainly no problem. If it does not offer that option, you have the scenario I described.
Behrend offers degrees in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Industrial Engineering but doesn’t offer Chemical or Civil Engineering, so may not offer all required courses in those two majors.
if you are requesting reconsideration with a lesser known (or less competitive major for admissions), find something similar or that you may also have an interest in.
warning: pick something reasonable! For example, if you originally applied business and got 2+2, don’t switch to education. Admissions staff is “onto” the game. If you have no experience with summer camps or coaching or kids, it is obvious.
It’s easy to pivot to DUS. But just because it is easy, it may not make sense for all.
if you are requesting reconsideration for a different major and plan to go to Smeal or something else, make sure you pay attention to ETM (entrance to major) requirements. Advisors will not plan a schedule with the intent of you pivoting.
now here’s the tough love and next steps:
it’s going to be competitive. Not everyone will make the Smeal (or Advertising or Engineering) cut. All those kids that got into Smeal or DUS and you did not? How are you planning on being competitive academically?
plan a smart schedule. Don’t overdo it. Balance classes with some easy gen ed classes.
go to class!
Ask for help. Go to office hours. Talk to TA’s.
go to review sessions
Make a study group.
consider tutoring (group classes or individual) for the tougher ETM classes or ones that aren’t your strength. There are services that mirror the exact curriculum for big classes. They can be the difference between an A and a C if you take advantage of it.
Because - realistically - the competitive nature doesn’t end. Penn State is competitive for everything - club sports, Greek life, organizations and leadership roles, internships, etc. I can guarantee if you try - work hard - put yourself out there, you will be successful. You may not be successful at every single thing you try, but that will help you develop, grow, and learn for next time.
This isn’t the university that gives A’s to everyone who gets in. But there are ways to plan for success.
Sounds like a great plan. That was our plan for my son if he got 2+2, also. I’m so happy for him that he got UP, but a part of me was hoping for the lower tuition and that he’d get the Provost Award with 2+2 since that would follow him to UP when they transfer. Congrats to your son! Should definitely be more manageable for finance.
She has a 3.7 weighted and 3.4 unweighted. Attends a top private school with rigorous academics. Lots of leadership positions and extracurriculars. Interested in law school. Interested in political science, English, History
Looking for help maybe you know the answer. My son got UP campus but summer start. Can he appeal the summer start as he wants to start in fall? Can PSU revoke admission if he does the summer start appeal? Thanks
I think history and possibly English are good possibilities, less requested than political science. She might want to look through the list of majors in the Undergraduate Bulletin to see if anything else looks interesting.
PSU will not revoke the admission, but it’s very unlikely that the reconsideration request for a fall start will go through unless you change to another less competitive major; even that’s not guaranteed.
They’ve already evaluated for fall start and offered a summer start since you’d have opted for it.
My D25 was very clear that she won’t be able to start summer term, so she never opted for it. Her rationale was that she’d rather go to another school if not offered fall at UP, why waste someone else’s spot who may be genuinely open to it.
Yeah. I’ll probably get some hate for this, but it’s a bit annoying seeing people submitting reconsiderations on their summer starts after they had checked they’d be willing to do it on their application. PSU should have a policy upfront of not accepting reconsiderations for summer start if that option was selected.
Anyone know what the PSU reconsideration admit rate is approximately (antecdotally)? Or perhaps varies by College? My D25 received fall UP admission but did also select Summer start if needed and I had never heard of the option for reconsideration through offical channels or through her school guidance etc so apart from these boards I wouldn’t even know it was a tool at a student’s disposal if they didn’t get their hoped for admissions result.
After submitting for reconsideration in the portal last night, my son already received an email that his request was received and his portal is updated to reflect that. Thank you again everyone for your suggestions and comments. I hope to be able to report back good news soon!