<p>I am a non-traditional student. I had an average HS GPA. I am in a CC, and I will graduate in May. I have submitted an application to Penn State. I have a 3.86 GPA so far, I am an officer in PTK, I have done a lot of community service. I have been nominated for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship and the ALL USA. I want to go to a good college with an excellent English program in Pennsylvania or New York. I live in Wyoming, so we will have a big move for this type of transfer. I was thinking of applying to Cornell as well. There are really good children's hospitals in PA and NY and my daughter has a severe heart defect. Are there any other colleges that any of you would recommend? Do you think I have a good chance of getting into PSU and is there anyone on here at PSU that can tell me a little about what to expect? TIA!</p>
<p>You could make a list of likely medical facilities, and then choose your college list based on the ones that are close to those facilities. Cornell is a great place, but it is in the middle of the state and may be too far from the hospital that you want. Maryland isn’t on your list, but Johns Hopkins U might be a good choice for you because of its medical school and medical research facilities. Likewise, any university in the Washington, DC area could work because of Children’s National Hospital [The</a> Nation’s Children’s Hospital: Children’s National Medical Center](<a href=“http://www.childrensnational.org/]The”>http://www.childrensnational.org/)</p>
<p>Don’t overlook liberal arts colleges in the cities/regions that you are interested in, and if you are a woman, don’t overlook the women’s colleges. Many of those have good programs for non-traditional students such as the McBride Fellows at Bryn Mawr College.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Thank you Happymomof1, I will look into some of the places you listed. I am a little nervous about living in a big city. I am trying to stick to colleges that are in a smaller area that is close to a city with a good hospital. I have heard a lot about Bryn Mawr, so I will check it out. If anyone has any info on PSU, I would love to hear it.</p>
<p>Penn State has its own sub-forum that you can reach by clicking on “Discussion Home” in the upper-left of this screen, and then scrolling down. Look for the form titled “Colleges and Universities” inside that forum you will find a section “Alphabetic List of Colleges”. There if you click on the letter “P” you will be able to find the Penn State sub-forum. Here is a direct link for you: [Penn</a> State - University Park - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/]Penn”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/)</p>
<p>Is money an issue? Applying to OOS public schools often means no financial aid except the federal which will barely make a dent in OOS tuition.</p>
<p>If you need aid, look at private colleges that meet full need.</p>
<p>Money is definitely an issue. I am hoping to win some of the Scholarships I have been nominated for. I didn’t realize there would be a possible issue with receiving aid at PSU. I will look into some private colleges too. I could apply to multiple colleges and compare the offers I get. If I win the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship, I would be given up to $30,000 for 3 years.</p>
<p>I would look at Vassar and UPenn which both meet need. Cornell does too, but I’m assuming the good hospitals are in NYC, which Cornell is several hours from.</p>
<p>How old are you?</p>
<p>I am 31. I am female, and I have 2 special needs children. One suffered total system failure as a baby and has slight frontal lobe damage leading to some metal illnesses and my daughter was born with half a heart. Despite all of the time and care they require, my husband and I have been able to both go to school full-time, and we will both be graduating with our AA in May. I will be the only one transferring right now as my husband wants to take time off to be sure we get settled. He needs to focus on getting work. We will need whatever financial help we can get. It has been a struggle, but we will have enough money saved up for the actual move and to get into a rental house or apartment.</p>