Hello, I am planning to apply penn state UP tomorrow through rolling decision, and I would like to know my chances to get into UP. I am so nervous… TT
Major : Computational Data Science (COE) Checked optional summer school button.
Cumulative GPA : 3.62 (Very upward trend) (9th grade : 2.863/3.263, 10th grade : 3.42/3.925, 11th grade : 4.257/4.157)
Test Optional
9 AP Classes including Senior Year, and 1 Honors class
Decent ECs and honors related to my major
Strong commonapp essays and personal statement.
US Citizen, PA Resident, Legacy(my dad worked in graduate school in penn state.
My school only calculate Weighted GPA, and it depends on how many ap courses I take each year. (maximum is not a 5).
For those 9 APs, except for 5 APs currently taking in Senior year(AP CSA, CSP, Studio Art, Physics, Chemistry), I got 5 in AP Calculus BC and subscore AB, 4 in Environmental Science, and 3s in Biology and Statistics. I am retaking AP statistics this year.
Of course I am writing Penn State essay in commonapp.
Do I have a low chance of getting into Computational Data Science Major?
Also, I would like to ask you is the major very competitive?
My school only calculate Weighted GPA, and it depends on how many ap courses I take each year. (maximum is not a 5).
For those 9 APs, except for 5 APs currently taking in Senior year(AP CSA, CSP, Studio Art, Physics, Chemistry), I got 5 in AP Calculus BC and subscore AB, 4 in Environmental Science, and 3s in Biology and Statistics. I am retaking AP statistics this year.
Of course I am writing penn state essay in commonapp.
Do I have a low chance of getting into Computational Data Science Major?
Also, I would like to ask you is the major very competitive?
Computational Data Sciences is in the College of Engineering so it will be very competitive, especially at this date after EA and Priority decisions. I would apply for DUS with summer option with a 3.62 weighted GPA. Penn State does not care about trends. They only care what that end number is.
DUS is also fairly competitive at this stage but will be much less so than CoE. Another option would be to apply to another similar major, like SODA in the college of Liberal Arts (Social Data Analytics).
Thank you for your reply!!
The only concern I have is, is it still possible to select a major such as Data Science even if I apply through DUS. I also want to ask what the DUS is. Is that something like “Undecided” in other colleges?
Also, I would like to ask you, how do you think about IST or Eberly College of Science with my stats. Will it be hard to get into? I am also considering a Statistics major other than Data Science.
Otherwise, the only option that I would have a relatively large chance of getting into is DUS?
DUS is the “Division of Undgergraduate Studies”…It’s Penn State’s undecided major. And yes, you can get into Data Science from there. No one at Penn State is in their major until they complete entry to major classes during their first two years. So you can take those same classes as an undecided major and then apply to the major with everyone else. It wouldn’t put you behind at all. As long as you complete the entry to major classes, you will be in.
Statistics requires Math 140 and 141 with a C or higher to get into the major (that’s Calc I and Calc II) and an overall college GPA of 2.0 or above
Data Science requires CMPSC 131, 132, Math 140, Math 141 and STAT 200 completed with a C or higher and overall college GPA of 2.0 or above to get into the major.
You can complete all of those from the Undecided (DUS) major.