<p>Our guidance office thinks my kid is a "maybe" with a 3.65 GPA, state residency and top 1/3 of class. Application is still being reviewed....what do the rejection stats for PA State look like this year?</p>
<p>Hard to tell. But I know that if you want to pretty much be guaranteed a spot, be in the top 15% of your class and have an 1250/1600 SAT.</p>
<p>PSU is numbers driven with GPA counting more than SAT scores. For fall 2005 admits to Univ Park avg GPA was 3.75 and avg SAT was 1195 (math and verbal). Good luck to everyone.</p>
<p>GPA counts for 2/3 everthing else in the other 1/3rd</p>
<p>is that GPA (3.7) unweighted or weighted?</p>
<p>It's weighted. SATs were 640,640, 700 essay. So far has been admitted to Pitt, Ohio University and University of Toledo. Waiting to hear from PA State, OH State and two others (too many choices!!!).</p>
<p>I live in NJ and about 60 people from my school applied to penn state.
from asking around it was clear that these people got in...</p>
<p>B+ GPA, 1250/1600 SAT
A GPA 1150/1600 SAT</p>
<p>people with a lower GPA than B+ needed higher than 1310 SAT to get in and people with lower 1150 SAT had a hard time barring great GPA</p>
<p>Sufi,
I assume you're talking about applicants from previous years rather than this one.</p>
<p>Our guidance counselor said that class rank might be a problem, since it's only top 1/3 (she said they look for top 20%). Got a 31 on the ACTs, so that might help. We're figuring 50-50 for Penn State, but getting into Pitt was a huge relief.</p>
<p>I didn't know Penn State even looked at class rank; that isn't a factor that's mentioned on the website. All it talks about is gpa, which counts for 2/3, and standardized scores, counting for 1/3. Maybe the guidance counselor is being pesimistic....Does anyone else think rank counts at PSU?</p>
<p>I think rank and GPA go hand-in-hand. Rank helps determine the context of the GPA since all high schools calculate rank differently. For example, if you have a 4+ GPA but are 100/200, that suggests grade inflation. On the other hand, a 3.4 but rank within the top 10-20% suggests grade deflation and will help overcome a "weak" GPA.</p>
<p>Oh...Thanks, that was helpful.</p>
<p>yes, from previous years</p>
<p>My son applied to UP campus, but received an acceptance letter to one of the branch campuses. Should it be considered as an acceptance or rejection?</p>
<p>njtwin, it is what it is. Both an acceptance and a deferral. You can transfer to UP after 2 years, correct? Did the letter say no to UP at this time?</p>
<p>Did you think your son was a strong candidate for UP?</p>
<p>Appications are up 12% so far and UP wants a smaller freshman class this year (1200 fewer students, 7000 instead of 8200 last year).</p>
<p>It's going to be much harder than usual to get into UP.</p>
<p>Average candidate, 3.4 GPA, 1250 SAT. How would you rate their campuses, how selective and competitive they are, he got accepted to Wilkes-Barre , the Eberly College of Science.</p>
<p>I don't know.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son.</p>
<p>If he really wants to attend the main ( UP) campus, you may be able to check on summer start. I know a few students who did not get accepted into UP for the fall, but were able to start in the summer and then were admitted for the fall. I am not sure what the program is called, but when you complete your Penn State app it asks if you are interested in attending a campus other than UP and also if you would be willing to start in the summer. From what I have heard it can be a big plus for a student with just slightly lower stats.
Good luck whichever way you choose to go!</p>
<p>My older kid is at a branch now, and will be going to main campus next year. His credentials were close to your son's, and he was not accepted to main campus out of high school. He went to a different University and did well, but changed majors. PSU has his new major, but his old school didn't. Even though he was getting a 3.5 and really liked his old school, he chose to transfer to a PSU branch to make sure that all of his credits transferred when he got to main campus as a Junior.</p>
<p>On the positive side, he says that the classes at the branch are better than expected. When he graduates, he'll have a degree from a good school in his desired major. He thinks of the time at the branch as purgatory. The negatives for him are that he doesn't like really small classes, since the Professors know who isn't there and sometimes even take attendance like high school! (He says it's good for kids that need a little discipline). He says the branch really doesn't have much social life and he's disappointed in the food. A final negative is that he had had some difficulty getting classes towards his major because he's working to stay on track for a 4-year graduation. There's obviously a much more limited selection of classes to choose from at the branch. He has had to take a few classes that he doesn't really want, like women's studies LOL, because they're the only classes at the branch that will apply to his major. If he wasn't trying so hard to stick with a 4-year graduation plan, he'd have a lot more options. Frankly, I'm proud of him for the maturity that he's showing by focusing on the goal, getting to main campus and graduating in 4 years, even though the branch isn't great. </p>
<p>That is just his perspective, though. To be fair, he has been surprised to find that there are quite a few kids at the branch who really like it, and intend to get their degrees at the branch. They want the big school degree and opportunities, but the small school experience. A lot depends on your kid's major, and whether the branch will offer classes for it.</p>
<p>Thank you, PA Mom!
I know that we checked 'Yes' for summer term, but also listed Wilkes-Barre for a second campus choice (probably it was a mistake, not sure though).</p>