<p>Thanks, he’s fine with it, he is going with his second choice. </p>
<p>It took about 3-5 days at most. </p>
<p>Good luck, I hope you get in.</p>
<p>Thanks, final question (sorry, lol) Did he apply for DUS?</p>
<p>Questions are good. :)</p>
<p>And no, he did not apply for DUS.</p>
<p>@asheikh19: The “typical freshmen atmosphere” definitely depends upon the type of person you are (like most things, you get out of it what you put into it), and to a lesser extent (at Penn State) where you choose to live. That doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t any partying in North or West, it’s just less compared to East. You can get the ‘typical experience’ (which, at Penn State, includes pre-gaming like everything, taking the White Loop downtown, and getting crazy on the weekends) outside of East no problem, you just have to meet people who live there.</p>
<p>Most freshmen study in the library (shocking right?) or in the study rooms in East. I’d highly suggest familiarizing yourself with the library as soon as possible, it’ll help you out in the long run when you just need some peace and quiet to study for that big exam. Some people study in the HUB, too, but I don’t get how people can do that since it’s usually pretty noisy. There are some quiet places there though, so, again, definitely familiarize yourself with it. And as I said earlier, most partying starts in the dorms (solid job by the RAs) and moves to downtown later at night.</p>
<p>If possible, I’d break my experience up into before and after the scandal. Before it, Penn State easily surpassed all of my expectations for it. There’s just so much to like about the place. After the scandal just followed this awkward phase for the student body where many of us just wanted to be anywhere but there. All of the media and negative attention swallowing up that little town (our little town now) just gets frustrating. Once the initial wave of negativity passed, though, things finally got back to “normal” and things got better. I don’t really want to be able to say in the future that I was there during the scandal, but that’s not really in my control. As said by one of my favorite hip-hop artists Macklemore: “I don’t control life, but I control how I react to it.” And for the most part, I’m pretty proud of how we’ve reacted to it.</p>
<p>Hope that helped!</p>
<p>@Slipjig - Just got denied today from UP but got into Altoona. I feel your son’s pain. Tell him he’s not the only one now. Applied for DUS and summer session. It hurts. =’[</p>
<p>@Duke - Have you been to Altoona by any chance? Is it kind of the same experience if you have been? Any shorter ways to get in besides the 2+2 program. Rejection is bitter. =</p>
<p>I’ve fallen in love with this school but I don’t know if it’s worth $30,000 a year of college debt. And that’s just for two years of a branch campus. After two years at UP then that’s about $132,000 overall for a Penn State education. This is ridiculous.</p>
<p>Guess I will have to go with UMBC if I get accepted there. Hopefully I will get accepted since I have already started slacking and am failing a class right now. If not, then idk what to do. ■■■</p>
<p>Duke, you mentioned in your earlier post that the majority of freshman parties occur in East halls; I heard from a PSU student that the RAs are very strict about having parties/alcohol in the dorms- maybe that is just mainly for non-freshmen. Thoughts?</p>
<p><@Slipjig - Just got denied today from UP but got into Altoona. I feel your son’s pain. Tell him he’s not the only one now. Applied for DUS and summer session. It hurts. =’[></p>
<p>Sorry to hear that, it is disappointing. I went to Altoona first (100 years ago). It was ok, but back then no one dissected the whole college thing like we do now. My son was accepted to Berks. He would have commuted. I wasn’t keen on spending full freight to have him go to Altoona. </p>
<p>I hope you are happy wherever you end up! Seems most people are.</p>
<p>@asheikh19: I’ve never personally been to Altoona, but a lot of kids from my high school went there. I haven’t really heard a lot of rave reviews from anyone though.</p>
<p>@want2succeed: Though I’m in-state, I totally agree with you, it costs way too much for OOS students. Hope you enjoy wherever you end up.</p>
<p>@Pens1394: While I’m sure there are some vigilant RAs that look to curb the in-dorm partying, in my experience they haven’t been. To clarify, most of the freshman pre-gaming happens in the dorms, so it’s not like there’s a full-blown party with tons of people and alcohol in the rooms. If they really wanted to help stop the in-dorm drinking they’d have random room searches, but that’d open up a whole new can of worms.</p>
<p>Duke or anyone - are there any advantages to sending in your $300 deposit sooner rather than later? Better housing or anything? I just got deferred from Michigan and am not very hopeful that I’m going to get in. Should I enroll in Penn State (my second choice, but I love it - probably couldn’t have paid for UMich anyway)?</p>
<p>One more question. Do most students do study abroad in the summer or during the school year? And have you or anyone you know have/had good experiences with it?</p>
<p>@AM5888: I think the earlier you get your deposit in, the better chance you have of getting your first choice in housing. I could be wrong though. Sorry for the lack of helpfulness there.</p>
<p>@andybatts: There are a ton of programs over the spring, fall, and summer, but I think most people just take a semester “off” and do it during the spring/fall (which is what I’m doing next semester (!)). I don’t personally know anyone that has studied abroad, but I’ll definitely be able to answer questions about it when I get back in April. Also, attending “Study Abroad 101” during Parents Weekend was really informative. You can look at programs here: [University</a> Office of Global Programs - Penn State University](<a href=“http://www.global.psu.edu/]University”>http://www.global.psu.edu/).</p>
<p>Thanks Duke, very helpful.</p>
<p>Duke is correct: the earlier your housing paperwork is done, the more likely you are to get what you asked for and avoid supplemental housing (which you really want to avoid)</p>
<p>You aren’t going to find anything that “most” students do at a campus of 45,000 and a statewide system – but certainly lots of students do study abroad. Most go the spring of their junior year, but not all. There are also classes which have a study abroad part during the end of spring semester or over spring break in March. The experience they have has a LOT to do with where they are going and what classes they take when overseas. The website has a lot of information and there are also Facebook groups for the various programs (but of course, those are populated by people who had good experiences, so there’s a bias) or you can email specific questions. Keep in mind almost every study abroad program has a gpa requirement. </p>
<p>My nephew studied in Vienna and Rome for Jan-June and it was fabulous. The classes were hard, but kept him on track to graduate. There’s a semester in DC that is very difficult to get in to, and the “classes” and “internships” were fairly lame, I’m told. The tour/survey course of Egypt was extremely popular and well done but has been closed down until it’s safer to be there. :(</p>
<p>I was recently admitted at Penn State’s division of undergraduate studies. I want to transfer into the business school after my first two years. I was wondering what the requirements are to transfer into smeal and do I have to be in smeal for another 4 years or only for my remaining 2 years?</p>
<p>@Wrestler203: You can actually transfer on the day of your FTCAP/advising. Different majors have different GPA requirements (some not at all), so that’d be a good question to ask on your advising day.</p>
<p>Also, I hate to bring any “scandal talk” in here, but this video is just too good not to share.</p>
<p>[Childhood</a> Dreams - Penn State - YouTube](<a href=“Childhood Dreams - Penn State - YouTube”>Childhood Dreams - Penn State - YouTube)</p>
<p>When do you get your posrcard/email for ftcap?? I paid already and i havent got anything yet!! Please and thank you!!</p>
<p>Hello Duke, sorry to bother you again, but a lot of my friends have heard responses, even some people who applied after me heard back. I heard a rumor that the people who are extremely qualified for UP and extremely not qualified for UP hear their responses early, while the borderline students hear their response later. Is this true?</p>
<p>When is advising day and you think it’s possible for me to transfer into smeal on this day?</p>
<p>I applied to university park and put intended major as “Finance”. Does this mean I applied to Smeal? Because other than that I had no intention of going to Smeal nor do I recall applying to Smeal.</p>