I’m only a sophomore but I got off to a very bad start in High School. I didn’t really put in much effort and screwed around a lot. After freshman year i had a 3.3 GPA. This year I’m doing worse with all B’s and C’s and I finally realized I have to start doing better. Is there still even a chance for me to go to Penn State and if yes, what do I have to do? Penn State is one of my favorite schools and I am a huge fan. Btw I’m us and have good ec’s and know I can do a lot better than this.
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Yes, there’s definitely a chance of you going to PSU. Colleges really like to see improvement over time. Penn State’s middle GPA range is from 3.55 to 3.97. As long as you start to get more A’s and knock your SAT/ACT out of the park, you should be fine. Be sure to join a lot of clubs and try to get leadership positions as well. Chance me back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1731772-chance-me-for-unc-uva-cornell-ut-austin.html#latest
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You will have to improve your grades but it will depend on your major. It’s harder to gain entrance into the business and engineering majors than liberal arts or undecided. I agree that your SAT/ACT scores could help, but GPA is 2/3 of their decision. And though you should have ECs for the other schools you apply to, PSU doesn’t really care. 2/3 GPA, 1/3 scores, and class rigor. They’ve got too many apps to go through to be holistic.
So If I do good the rest of this year, take tuff classes next year and get really good grades, and score high on the SAT am I in good shape?
Depends on what your gpa ends up as, and what your major is. But you certainly have a legitimate shot.
Yes, you have a shot if you do well this year. However, you also have the chance to be bumped to a branch campus if you are borderline. Are you looking for main campus? Even if you start at a branch you can transfer up to UP for the last two years. We were told almost 60% of the students start at branch campuses. I know quite a few students that have gone through this process.
I know but I would really like to go University Park even if I do summer and undecided.
You certainly are able to talk the talk. But now it is about putting those words into action, which is easier said than done.
You are playing from a disadvantage, and that should not stop you. If you put in the extra effort you goal is achievable. Start getting serolious about SAT prep now!
Hope to get into Penn State myself next year.
Best of luck to you an WE ARE.
Thanks for the advice
Many PSU campuses other than State College will be easier to get into and you can transfer to State College if you are able. Or will you not consider yourself at Penn State unless you are at the State College campus??
It’s not that I wouldn’t consider myself not at Penn State, I just feel like I want to be at a school for four years and not have to deal with transferring and making friends. If I were to transfer then I would seriously consider community college cause that would save me a lot of money. Especially since I’m oos.
^the difference is that you have to apply from community college and hope your credits transfer, whereas the 2+2 system guarantees that you take the right classes to go straight into your major at University Park, and as long as you have a minimum GPA you don’t actually “apply”, as a transfer would, you just pick up your things and go. Since most students in your “entrance to major” classes will go too, it’s not as hard to stay with friends, etc.
But, yes, the branch campuses can be like glorified, expensive community colleges in other states (in particular, in California, where what the branch campuses do in PA is done in their famous CCs.)
Are the branch campuses cheaper than university park and can I dorm?
Yes,they’re cheaper, but not as cheap as community colleges. You can dorm at Harrisburg (not actually in Harrisburg but in a suburb… but it’s Harrisburg, pretty depressing) , Altoona (engineers not admitted straight to UP or Erie tend to go there), Erie (the closest to a real 4 year college in other states, very strong in the sciences and engineering) and Greater Allegheny (the closest to a community college in other states, but it’s near Pittsburgh which is a cool city.)
Thanks for all of this information. I think I am going to strive for University Park. If I do not get accepted I will settle for a public school in jersey so I only have to pay in state prices. Hate being so close to home but colleges are so expensive nowadays.
That’s very wise.
But, you know, private colleges may have scholarships for you, and they don’t have in-state/out-of-state tuition… why not look into that - it doesn"t have to be Penn State OR public university in New Jersey, if you have enough in your 529/college fund or if your parents can pay for Penn State OOS, there’d be a lot of OOS colleges you could apply to, between NYS, PA, MD, VA, NC, OH…
Well to be honest I just really started looking at colleges this past week and even though my mind was always set on Penn State I just realized how expensive it is and I don’t think my family is middle class. My parents don’t make enough to pay for college but make enough to not get much financial aid.
hm, talk with your parents. Run NPC’s (net price calculators) on a variety of colleges. I’d suggest the following 12 which represent a good cross section of college types, locations, and pricing policies: Rowan, Penn State Main Campus, Penn State Erie, Rutgers, Drew, Elizabethtown, Moravian, Washington (MD), St Lawrence, SUNY New Paltz, FIU, Flagler, Guilford (the last three are in the South, where colleges are a bit cheaper). You’ll see that none of the NPCs will return the same amount. Bring the results to your parents and start the discussion: what do they think is an amount they can afford?
*Be ready for a shock from your parents: the cost of college has increased a LOT, especially at public colleges because the States have disinvested from them (ie., 10 years ago or so, Penn State in state had $7,000 tuition. Now, it’s $17,000!)
*You’re only allowed to borrow $5,500 for freshman year (and then a little more subsequent years). The total you’re allowed to borrow as a student is $27,000 for all 4 years, because that’s how much you can reasonably be expected to be able to pay back in 10 years.
- Financial aid depends on need; merit aid depends on stats. If you won’t qualify for need-based aid, you need to find colleges where you’re in the top 10% and where they’ll give you good merit scholarships.
- Many colleges don’t meet need. That is, they decide who get the best financial aid offer for some, then they allocate the rest among all admitted applicants. They thus have “admit/deny”, admitting students who can’t afford to attend because they don’t have the financial aid to, and who reasonably could be expected not to come… but there are always a few admit/deny kids whose parents take on debt for them. It’s a VERY BAD idea to get your parents into debt for your college.
- Public universities OOS don’t meet need and don’t have financial aid for students from OOS, but some have merit aid. Penn State doesn’t so you’d need to pay the full costs (roughly 40K for an OOS applicant, so 35k out of pocket for your parents).