Branched at Penn State - chances of getting into University Park?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
1

Has anyone had a child that was accepted to Penn State but branched to another location have success in eventually getting into the University Park campus? If there is room in spring (once the college gets a better idea on incoming numbers), if there is opportunity to move to the main campus? Son did not select to do the summer program.

2

Generally something must change.

  1. what major? change it to DUS and ask for re-consideration if it was a more competitive major (ie. Smeal).

  2. would he consider summer? it actually is a great program. I have sent 2 to it (did not ‘need’ to) and will send a 3rd this upcoming summer (high stats, not needed).

They won’t know final numbers until May 1st and it is rare they would allow him to switch without something on his application changing.

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3

What major did he apply for and what were his stats? That will help us answer your question better. There are some majors/stats that will be less successful in asking for reconsideration than others.

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4

He applied undecided/undeclared and did not submit SAT scores. 3.8 GPA

5

Did he apply DUS?
How many APs+ honors (total over 4 years of HS)?
Is it 3.8 weighted or unweighted (ie. only A’s throughout high school or a mix of A, A-, B+, B?)
Did he check “summer session”?

6

My son has been accepted on 2+2/Berks Computer Science Major. We are OOS (FL) and PSU is a top choice. Would it be worth it for him to accept with the hope that he can complete the Major at UP? Hard to pass up an opportunity to achieve a degree from PSU which is not easy to get.

Should we ask for reconsideration for UP by requesting summer or reapplying DUS?

7

I would ask for reconsideration at UP campus for DUS and add summer option. If that doesn’t work, then I would ask to be reconsidered for either the Erie or Altoona campuses. Berks is not a campus I would recommend for an OOS student.

If he ends up at a commonwealth campus, as long as he is completing his degree requirements, he will be able to go to UP after 2 years.

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8

Thank you, we will be visiting both Berks and UP in the upcoming days and we will discuss your recommendations while there.

Any specific reasons why you do not recommend Berks for OOS students? What makes Altoona and Erie better in your opinion.

Thanks again!

9

Altoona is similar in size to Berks but has the benefit of being only 30 minutes from UP campus so it is easy to be involved on UP campus in activities and events. (Berks is 2.5 hours away).

Erie is the largest physical campus outside of UP campus and is a 4 year college in it’s own right. It is also very well known for engineering majors and tons of engineering majors start there or choose to stay there for all 4 years as it has majors that main campus doesn’t have. For a computer science major, this would be a good fit. Erie is the 4th largest city in PA so more opportunities around. It is also a very beautiful campus (although might be a shock coming from FL because it’s COLD). It is NOT near UP campus but students do occasionally make the treck down for a game or two.

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10

We have spoken with admissions and they are now considering him for Altoona. Should hear back very soon according to them. We will also ask about Erie even though winters are brutal there lol.

Thanks again!

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11

Just wanted to thank you again. My son got transferred to Altoona on 2+2. We visited and the fact that it’s close to UP is a big plus.

Thanks again!

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12

Wonderful! I’m sure he will love it there. Every student I’ve ever known that went there thought it was great!