<p>I checked my Penn State account today and was happy to read that I had been accepted, although it was not to University Park (my first choice), but to my local campus of Lehigh Valley instead. It's not terrible, as I could commute and not have to pay for room and board, but there was part of me that really thought I could get into University Park my first year.</p>
<p>Here are my main records:
GPA: 93/3.8 (weighted)
SAT: 1890 total (550 Reading, 640 Math, 680 Writing)
ACT: 27 composite
11 total AP or Honors courses in high school
Play baseball & golf
Several volunteer events
Job at a local business</p>
<p>I found out today that a few other people in my grade got accepted...to University Park. These few students definitely do not have grades as good as I do, I know that. They're very good students, but they have been in some of my classes and I am very sure that their academic records do not surpass mine. </p>
<p>Here is the thing: when I applied, I listed astronomy/physics as my #1 major choice (intended field of study). I think that might have had an impact on whether I got into the main campus or not. From what I'm hearing the Eberly College of Science at UP is very competitive and I'm thinking that's a large reason why I got delegated to Lehigh Valley.</p>
<p>I put that down on the application because at the time that was a main interest of mine, but after researching it more and realizing it can often take 7+ years to get a degree that you can actually do something significant with, I'm not sure if that's what I want to do anymore.</p>
<p>So here are my questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is there any way to contact Penn State to see if I can change my intended field of study in order to get accepted to University Park?</p></li>
<li><p>If that were to happen and they would reevaluate my application and accept me to University Park, would I still be able to choose between UP and Lehigh Valley or am I locked into UP once they accept me there? Because after I discuss it with my family, if I decide I would want to go to Lehigh Valley to start, I would like to have that option.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There is another forum here for PSU acceptances and rejections. Go find it and post your question there. My daughter was rejected from Smeal Business school and only chose main campus no alternates. She was offered the 2+2 program or to switch her major.</p>
<p>The first time I took the SATs I got a 1780 or something. The second time, an 1890. My score went up in all three subjects.</p>
<p>An 1890 is pretty good. Like I said, there are people getting into main campus with lower GPAs and lower test scores than me. So it must have something to do with the intended major I put down.</p>
<p>Contact them and ask if they can reevaluate your application for the Summer term. You only have to take two courses in the summer if you get accepted.</p>
<p>I think its because of your major, GPA, and sat scores. 3.8 weighted isn’t too hot. You said you had all of those honors and aps do your unweighted must be scary. Also, your sats are heavily inflated by your writing score. No one cares about writing. (I’m just playing the devil’s advocate, I hope everything works out for you)</p>
<p>I think you should discuss this with your family first before you call and try to get it changed to UP. Don’t be indecisive about UP or the branch. Know what you want!</p>
<p>All the people who are calling admissions and asking to be reconsidering, in one way or another:</p>
<p>That means it’s as if you are applying today, erasing any branch offer. In the case of the OP, yes, they might offer you UP as a DUS student. But they might reject you entirely, and now you’ve turned down your branch offer too. Be careful what you are willing to risk, here.</p>
<p>Yes, occasionally you will reach an adcom who will tell you right there – yes, you can switch; no, you don’t meet criteria. That is the luck of the phone call. Please realize that with rolling admissions, the gpa/sat mix is going to fluctuate some and you are going to make yourselves absolutely nuts second guessing the whys and wherefores.</p>
<p>Also, remember that your “admittance” to Major x, y, or z is really not official. Yes, you will spend freshman/soph years taking Gen eds with an eye toward your proposed major, but until you clear entrance to major (spring of Soph, usually) you are not admitted to Education, Smeal, etc. as a done deal. You will have to meet the gpa requirements, and people who don’t will be asked to choose a new major. All of this by way of saying, there’s no harm in choosing DUS to start.</p>
<p>Green button, are you saying there is no advantage of selecting Smeal up front over DUS? Not challenging; just asking. My son is only a junior in high school this year and probably applying to Smeal next year, just trying to determine the best approach. He currently has a 3.8 with several APs and honors courses. Taking the SAT for the first time this Saturday, but scored 1800 on PSAT.</p>
<p>No, the reason it’s like that is because most on my Honors and AP courses came in my junior year and my senior year (which they don’t see unless they ask for it). My unweighted GPAs for freshman and sophomore years were about 90 unweighted, 93 weighted. </p>
<p>I have always been a great student, all As and Bs. And my senior year GPA so far is 97 weighted. I wish they would see that.</p>
<p>Ultimately I have to mull over this for a while. The thing that bothers me, I know it sounds silly, but it’s just the fact that I feel less of myself because people with lower stats got into UP and I did not. One of them got accepted to UP for DUS. </p>
<p>But, going to my local branch might be good. I can commute and save money. And being someone who is more reserved, it might be a smoother transition to go from high school to branch instead of jumping right into UP.</p>
<p>However, maybe that’s what I need. Maybe I need to jump into a big arena to get over the hump a little. If I transfer to UP after 2 years at branch, I won’t know anyone in my class.</p>
<p>Also, summer classes are not really an option because I already have commitments to play baseball and golf in my hometown.</p>
<p>If I end up calling, I am probably not going to be able to offer to do the summer session, because like I stated, I am already committed to finishing my baseball and golf careers in my high school years. </p>
<p>But what I could to is ask if they would take a look at my senior year transcript so far. My counselor said they don’t see it unless they ask for it, and clearly they haven’t asked for it. But this year I have done extremely well in taking 3 AP classes and 1 honors class. My weighted GPA is better than any of my previous 3 years. If they look at my grades so far this year, maybe they’ll be convinced that I’m University Park-caliber.</p>
<p>I know quite a few people who have done the 2 + 2 program.</p>
<p>They say what they like about is that you meet a whole bunch of people at the branch campus. When you are ready to move up to UP you have a group of those people who you already know that are moving up with you. Besides, even people at UP for the first two years really aren’t in their intended major classes until junior year. </p>
<p>I thought at a campus tour they told us that over 60% of the students start at a branch campus. Only two majors require that you start at UP.</p>