<p>Hi, I'm a high school junior from a competitive MA school and I am SERIOUSLY considering University Park. Here are some of my stats:</p>
<p>GPA: 3.52 avg out of 4.71 GPA cap (due to weird scaling)
PSAT: 183 (60 math, 60 reading, 83 writing)
SAT: (taking them in June)
SAT Subject Tests: (taking them in May)
Class Rank: Top 25-30% (school doesn't rank)</p>
<p>JR Year Courses: 5 honors classes, AP Chem, and gym
SR Year Courses: 2 honors classes, 3 AP classes, Statistics CPI, and gym (so GPA will probably go up)</p>
<p>EC: Varsity swim (3 years), club swim captain, volunteering</p>
<p>Other Achievements:
National French Exam Bronze Medalist (2012)
National French Exam Certificate (2013)
National Spanish Exam Certificate (2012)</p>
<p>My question is, assuming I get in, would I receive and merit awards or FA? I am Asian and I come from a middle-class family. If I receive FA, how much would I be likely to receive? Also, as I mentioned earlier, I am from Mass. I understand that I qualify as a New England Regional student in that case, but does that mean I am eligible for the same scholarships as in-state students? I aspire to major in Accounting/Finance and maybe minor in a foreign language or communications.</p>
<p>PSU is known for poor aid across the board. Generally when applying to PSU you should have a plan on how to pay pretty much the whole price minus a couple thousand here or there for paltry aid you might get. It is a very expensive school. If you do get in, you’d have ~average/slightly below average stats, which likely wont earn you any merit aid. Merit aid here is virtually non existent. </p>
<p>@Etuck24 is completely right. PSU is a school i’d love to go to, but since my parents can’t afford to pay for it, even with aid, I just may have to go to a cc for 2 years. Keep in mind that the price for an OOS student is outragous, especially for the paltry aid that is given.</p>
<p>I read the opinions often that PSU is an “expensive school”. The blanket statement is not true. It is among the highest costing schools for in-state students compared to its “peers”. This is undeniable. They aren’t the most expensive in PA anymore, thanks to Pitt raising tuition. For this you can blame state funding, not the school. Because other states are starting to cut back on education funding the difference between PSU and its peers is starting to shrink.
Many from the northeast consider PSU to be a reasonable alternative, and in some cases a bargain, compared to the alternatives available to them. </p>
<p>We just got back from an admitted students day at PSU. They are very up-front about the costs of attending. You need to plan on budgeting approximately $33,000 a year in-state and $46,000 OOS. There are some scholarship monies available, but they are not common and departmental dollars are pretty much committed by mid-April and are only offered to students who’ve enrolled. If you’re still considering other schools that you maybe only got decisions from on 4/01, you’re out of luck.</p>
<p>PSU is not lacking in families who are willing to pony up, even if that requires taking out large Parent Plus loans, so don’t apply there thinking they’re going to offer you any financial incentives, unless you are genuinely Ivy-caliber or provide some other serious hook.</p>
<p>Hi I’m actually going to be starting at Penn State in the fall. My stats looked similar to yours they were a little higher, but not much higher. I am also from a small highly ranked public school in MA. I was able to get a scholarship for demonstrating leadership its about 10 thousand a year and it is really going to help me out. I would still apply and see what kind of scholarhips and financial aid they offer you. Also consider taking the ACTs in the fall I found them to much easier and I scored higher on them than the SATs. Also Penn State doesnt look at subject tests tests so dont worry about them I didnt take them and got in everywhere I applied except Occidental College and BC. Also dont believe that Penn State doesnt look at your activities because it does and it could even offer you a scholarship because of them. Include your activites list on your application and write an essay even though these things are optional. </p>
<p>If you have any questions feel free to ask me</p>