Hey so I am a softmore in HS about to be a junior and entering my gpa will be a 3.5 or 3.6. That reason being freshmen year a 3.3 and Softmore year being a 3.7 (w). I really want to do meterology at penn state (less popular course there). So would I have a decent shot at getting in if I applied with a 3.7w?
Pretty eh shot w/ either a 3.6 or 3.7 weighted. What’s your unweighted; that’s MUCH more important here. You’re not out of the running in any way, but it isn’t really great. ACT?
I mean a 3.6w!!
Im in 10th grade so haven’t taken it yet.
If you’re in tenth grade, that changes things; Just try hard, study for the SAT/ACT, keep getting A’s in all of your classes from hereon out, and come back next year and ask the same question with more details. Penn State is not an ultra-competitive school (as of yet), and if you score well on your tests and bring up your GPA, you’ll be a shoe-in.
Some questions: Do you live in Pennsylvania? What’s your unweighted GPA?
No VA. My UW is 3.5 just 2 honors but next year 2 AP and 1 Honor
Ok. It will be a bit harder to get into Penn State due to in-state bias, but just keep raising your GPA and I think you’ll have a good shot. Also, be sure to consider that you have several great in-state options that are still within your reach, and that Penn State will probably cost quite a bit more.
My daughter got into UP with a 3.5, so yes, it’s possible to get into Penn State UP campus with a 3.6 or 3.7. You want to make sure to do well on your standardized tests and take a rigorous course load. Both helped my daughter. Penn State does not consider geographic region very much. In fact, they like OOS students because they pay much more in tuition. So you being out of state is likely not a factor. Penn State is a numbers game, period. So GPA and test scores are what matters.
But do keep in mind that Penn State OOS tuition is very high. Our in state tuition is the second highest public school tuition in the country - with Pitt being only slightly higher. Run the net price calculator and do not expect to get much in financial aid from Penn State. They are notorious for not giving a lot of aid. Do your homework on schools, and keep your grades high and you will be in a good spot to choose where you want to go. Good luck!
You want to increase your number of honors and AP classes in the sciences and math.
Meteorology is very competitive, it’s one of the top programs in the country.
Your GPA is okay but course rigor is weak (if you add all honors and AP’s from freshman, sophomore,
and junior year it sounds like you’d have 5 by the end of junior year, and for meteorology you’d need
10 or so.) A lot will ride on your SAT/ACT score.
TALK WITH YOUR PARENTS NOW about their budget for your college. Run the NPC on Penn State’s website together and talk about the results: are costs affordable from their savings, your college fund, and their income? Will you have to take the federal loans ($5,500 for freshman year, the only amount that will be loaned to you)?
Don’t expect ANY financial aid from Penn State.
A close friend of mine got into UP engineering with a 3.1W and High 1300s SAT. You should be just fine
@jbriggs12 : one outlier doesn’t make reliable data. (Also, I’m very dubious about your friend 's reliability. But one person doesn’t prove anything.)
@jbriggs12 : your friend got in this year? Is he OOS?
@MON824 In fact, there is an OUT OF STATE bias at Penn State. Their numbers of In State students has dropped substantially while their OOS acceptance and enrollment is going up and up. It’s no secret that OOS students pay 15K more in full boat tuition. https://onwardstate.com/2017/06/22/pa-auditor-general-penn-state-tuition-growth-outrageous/ If you are an OOS student, with the same stats as an in state student, your odds are better.