<p>Son (white male, out-of-state) very interested in applying to Penn State- Smeal. Has a 1300 (700M/600CR), pres.of language club, varsity sport, and a few other ec's. GPA @3.2 (our GPA is on a 6.0 basis and is a little tricky figuring out). Mostly all advanced (honors) courses and will take 3 APs this coming year (senior).</p>
<p>We're wondering how important it is to include the Personal Statement (essay) with the application? Extraneous or important? Thanks very much.</p>
<p>PSU is very numbers-based, so if an applicant has the "right" stats, he/she can probably afford to forgo the essay component of the application. On the other hand, it would be in the best interest of a "middle-of-the-road" student (or someone who applies after the Nov. 30 deadline) to supply any or all of the "extras" (recommendations, essay, etc.) he/she can send in with application. That being said, it certainly never hurts to do a little extra (and I mean "little"-I had to shorten my PSU essay in order to adhere to the length requirement!). If I were your son, I would apply asap and do the essay, just to be on the safe side (although, to be quite honest, I think he has a good chance of getting in, anyway). Good luck to your son!</p>