I’m currently a junior in highschool going into senior year and I’m currently prepping for my college apps and such! My first choice is basically Penn State.
(I’m asian and I heard that helps a lot since the diversity there is really bad LOL) I have a 84 average, unweighted. SAT/1600: 1230…My SAT score is currently really bad since it was my first but I’m going to retake it four more times. (I’ve taken so many mock tests and my scores have ranged from 1200-1400, so I would expect getting a 1300-1400 before regular decision) I have a lot of extracurriculars: I’ve played Volleyball and Softball for my four years (JV Captain for volleyball), I have a Gold Key for volunteer, I have participated in soup kitchens, went on missions where I helped the natives in Chinle, volunteered in a library to help the elderly with technology. Also hypothetically factor in a good essay? I have high hopes for it. And I would be so grateful if you could share some tips/advices on what to do for my application. Thank you so much! p.s, I also attend one of the top ten schools in New York. It’s also ranked as one of the most competitive schools. (Hopefully helpful!)
Penn State is basically a “by the numbers” school. Your GPA is likely a bit lower than the middle 50%, and your SAT is also in the bottom of the middle 50%. You can’t do much about your GPA at this point, but if you can get your SAT/ACT scores up to the top end of the middle 50%, you greatly increase your chances. Also, choose the summer option and apply DUS (undecided). This means that they will evaluate you for a summer admission only if they can’t offer you admission for fall.