Stats:
SAT: 1280 (650 reading, 630 math)
(may take again)
GPA: Freshman year: 3.30
Sophomore year: 3.42
Junior Year: 4.07
Cumulative: 3.6
Rank: My school doesn’t do class rank
Other stats: 2 AP’s, 6 Honors
Essay: it’s okay
Teacher Recs: Great
Counselor Rec: Great
EC’s: Volunteering 80+ hours
NAHS (Treasurer)
Girl Up
Philanthropy Club
NHS
Club Field Hockey (2 Years)
JV Field Hockey (1 Year)
State or Country: Pennsylvania
School Type: A top public school in PA
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Other: The major I chose was Social Data Analytics (college of liberal arts) and I chose to do the summer session. Also, my grandpa went to Penn State.
You can easily get into Penn state because your scores and GPA are about 50th percentile for the college. Also, the legacy factor and the good recommendations increase your chances to the university.
Penn State doesn’t consider recommendations at all. They don’t even read them unless you are applying to the Honors College (Schreyer). Legacy also accounts for very little of the decision.
Is 3.6 your weighted GPA or your unweighted? The good news is, applying to a Liberal Arts degree is not as competitive as other majors. For some majors, a 3.6 would not gain acceptance. With adding the summer session option, I think you are likely safe - but if you can take the SAT again and get a higher score AND have it submitted before the November 30 deadline, then I would try that.