My son got in for Econ, summer start. Deferred from OSU
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Is he interested in the summer start? My older son had a really good experience with LEAP if you have any questions.
Summer is only option. We went up 2 weekends ago spoke to some older frat brothers, friends of my older son who goes to Syracuse. One of them did summer start had a blast.
What is LEAP?
LEAP is the structured summer start program for UP: LEAP Program at University Park | Summer Session Itās great because they take a couple of classes and also go on a camping trip together, they get to stay in great dorms and acclimate to campus.
Thanks. Sounds great
Do you mind if I ask when she first submitted her reconsideration? We are still waiting for our decision, anxiously!
My son applied for Smeal at UP originally in the fall. GPA 3.79 UW 1310 SAT. He was given 2+2 option on Dec 17 and he applied immediately for Summer session DUS at UP. He received his second 2+2 notice yesterday and he is devastated (both siblings plus my husband and I are alum.) We are OOS and 2+2 is not an option we will pursue. His heart is set on UP. My question is, is it worth taking a gap semester and applying to UP Spring of 2026? Is the acceptance rate any better in the Spring? We are desperate. He will also be calling admissions on Monday just to get all the information possible. I know this is a long shot. Thanks for any guidance.
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It might work if your son is willing to change his major to one less competitive than Smeal (business) or DUS. He might want to check out Agribusiness Management (in the school of Agriculture), which prepares students for other business opportunities as well as agriculture-related ones.
https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/agricultural-sciences/agribusiness-management-bs/
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Thank you so much for responding. The reconsideration rejection means he cannot re-apply to UP under any major; he may only apply for reconsideration to a different branch. I am wondering if he may submit a new application for UP Spring 2026 with any better odds.
Yes, I meant he might want to apply for a less competitive major for Spring 2026. I realize he canāt apply again for reconsideration for Fall 2025.
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Thatās surprsing, seems like those numbers should be good enough for DUS Summer. Daughter was accepted back in December for DUS Summer with a 3.67 UW and 3 APs and 8 Honors. Wonder if itās a timing issue where things are starting to fill some and they are being a little more stringent with who gets in at this point. Iād reach out to your Admissions rep and see what advice if any they might be able to offer.
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If your son decides to try this route (applying for Spring 2026), he may also want to retake the SAT or try the ACT (if he hasnāt already), as well as get the best grades possible this semester.
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You could either try an appeal (but need an actual reason, sth serious that happened etc.) or try for Spring (less competitive and his senior year grades&rigor/any new score could be taken into account ).
Agribusiness is a GREAT major, would he be interested? If so, he could say when he calls thatās the major heād be interested in. Thereās also Health Policy and Administration in HHD.
https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/agricultural-sciences/agribusiness-management-bs/
If itās a summer start are classes online or in person only
So her original reconsideration was sent December 16th. On the 13th of January, she got an email saying her reconsideration was for a major in the same college so she needed to pick a new major. So she sent the request for the new major on January 13th and heard back January 31st and her letter showed in lionpath around 11pm. Hope you hear soon!
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Itās in person-only if they participate in LEAP, the freshman program thatās kind of the point of starting in the Summer.
@MYOS1634 @lucy_van_pelt we have decided to withdraw our application from PSU (DUS fall start at UP).
DD is keeping only her top-3 open at this time, but decided to withdraw from rest 7 sheās been admitted to; loved Smeal, but sees a risk in not getting Finance major; especially considering she has that option at few of her other targets now.
This was all very new for us when we started the process few months back; not having a private admission counselor didnāt help either.
I have to thank you both for helping me learn a lot, not just about PSU but how admissions work in general.
This has been a fun thread; waiting for the TO button disappearance for several weeks really tested my patience, but I laughed about it once it happened for us too. I really admire you both for patiently guiding noobs like me through this process. This thread is lucky to have moderators like you.
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Glad she has 3 excellent options that offer direct admission to her chosen major. Good luck to her and to you 
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Whatās leap?
The special program for freshmen who start in the summer. Theyāre part of a small group, with small size classes (~24 instead of a weedout course in a lecture hall), and an older student shows them the ropes, takes them on field tripsā¦ They start in the Fall with 2 gen eds completed and know āhow college worksā, plus they can take a lighter semester in the Fall to ensure the highest possible grades in courses that count toward their major ā¦ which gives them an advantage over students who are still finding their way around.
In addition, by the time July rolls around many seniors canāt wait for the start of that new stage in their life.
That being said, itās very expensive and can thus be unaffordable (sth I find quite unfairš¶).
@folklorerb may have anecdotes to illustrate why weāve yet to find students who started in the summer and regretted it.