<p>I am from NY obviously.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.5 uw, 3.8 w
ACT: 24 (I did really badly but I am hoping for a 27+)
SAT: taking in October
AP's: 4 taken so far, 8 by graduation</p>
<p>Extra C's: JV/ Varsity Football 4 years
JV/ Varsity Baseball 4 years
Science Research 4 years (entered Intel, Siemens, Exploravision, Dupont)
Marching Band 4 years (section leader and NYS Virtuosi)
Pets in Need club
Varsity Club
Stock Market Club</p>
<p>Recommendations and Essays will be great.</p>
<p>If you have any tips or advice pleaseee advise me, thanks soo soo much.</p>
<p>What HS are you from? I'm also from NY. I don't know much about the ACT, but have you tried the SAT?</p>
<p>i would say you are currently on the bubble with your profile scores. The ACT score of 24 equates to a 1090-1120 (approximately). a 26 would get you up into the 1170-1200 range and that would get you into psu's mid 50%.</p>
<p>the following excerpt is taken from the PSU admissions page....</p>
<p>"Admission decisions are based on a variety of factors. The most important factor, the high school grade-point average (GPA), accounts for approximately two-thirds of the admission decision. The remaining one-third of the decision is based on other factors, which may include standarized test scores, class rank, personal statements, and activities lists."</p>
<p>If you want to believe what they say, it would appear that you are a good fit with PSU. One key for you, in my opinion will be to apply early and have a really strong senior year schedule (which it sounds like you have). 8 AP's is amazing and I always wonder how students are able to take so many AP courses.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I am from Syosset, NY. I am going to try and take the SATS in October and will re-take the ACT's again in Sept and October. I also visited the school and keep in touch with the admissions officer that was the leader of our tour, just to keep involved. Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it, I'll be studying all summer just bump up my scores. Thanks again.</p>
<p>PSU won't see your senior year schedule. I don't remember a place on the application to put it on. Your scores are similar to mine; I got into engineering. What major are you applying to? That might be a factor.</p>
<p>lil_killer129</p>
<p>how do you like/dislike psu?</p>
<p>what year are you in?</p>
<p>how are academics (my son is planning to apply to the business college)?</p>
<p>dorms?</p>
<p>thanks in advance</p>
<p>-andy</p>
<p>I think I want to apply for University Park undecided and just get into the general college than transfer into the Business school, Smeal.</p>
<p>mestman - do well in your AP coursework. Per the prior post, the grades and rigor of the HS program count for 2/3, SAT for 1/3. ECs are immaterial unless you're on the bubble.</p>
<p>As for transferring into Smeal, strive to get directly into Smeal, as that's a more certain course than trying to transfer in. </p>
<p>Try to nail the SAT, because a 1200+ will put you in a good place with respect to your chances. Take a tutoring program to try to do well.</p>
<p>Prep/study for your SAT's. Penn State is all about the numbers. They don't take recommendations and the only "essay" is an optional short statement (150 words?). So get your application in EARLY as they're rolling admissions and if you're interested in Smeal, apply there directly. You will have the option of selecting a second choice major and you can use "undecided" for that. Out of state status isn't be a factor for admissions, just for tuition. You can also select a second choice campus - Altoona is within an hour of University Park if you're interested, and a lot of students like the smaller atmosphere of the satellite campuses for their first year or two.</p>
<p>This is my first semester here at PSU. I really like it; I like the food, the people, the atmosphere. Academics are challenging. Right now, I'm taking chemistry and engineering design. Both of them move at a fast pace. I'm not really sure how the fall/spring semesters are like, but during the summer I have a lot of time to study and keep up with my work.</p>
<p>Dorms are pretty decent here. I currently live in McElwain (South Halls), and I was actually surprised about the size. I thought it would be smaller. There's a lot of empty space in my room, or maybe my roommate and I dont have much to bring. When you shut the door, its fairly quiet, even when the hallways are not. The showers are great. The water is really hot (of course, you can always adjust it), and the pressure of the water hitting on you is like a massage. My roommate tells me this too.</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, just ask.</p>
<p>lil killer, your post made me laugh. My older son is a rising junior at another college and whenever he comes home now he complains about the water pressure. I guess I will be hearing this from my younger son, too, who will be starting at PSU in the fall (also in the COE). I'm glad to hear you like it. -1mm</p>
<p>imoremom and lill killer
Son is a rising sophomore. Have also heard stories about the "awesome" showers. Must be something to it!</p>
<p>lil_killer, that's a pretty good description of PSU. Although, it will be much louder in the Fall and Spring semesters!!</p>
<p>The showers are good in my opinion also. I used to shower around 7:30am and often no one was showering next time and the stalls were clean. Because the pressure is stronger than most home showers, I can take icy cold showers well into the winter.</p>
<p>I agree with mightynick; when the year begins, the school gets very crowded and hectic with all the students walking around.</p>
<p>what did you guys bring for your dorms? Am i the only who doesn't bring any tv or large electronics?</p>
<p>I also hope that the food in my new hall is better. I was at west and had to eat poorly boiled pasta and chicken breast throughout the semester. In the last month, the mere touch of the white breasts on my tongue was enough to generate a gag reaction and the tomato sauce might as well have been ketchup.</p>
<p>I didn't bring anything large either. The largest I have is probably my laptop and printer.</p>
<p>I hope it gets really loud during fall/spring and people partying a lot, so I can study and get a good GPA. I study better when everyone is partying, becuase I feel no competition.</p>
<p>I don't want to create another thread, so I'm going to ask my question here.</p>
<p>What does red and white mean? I see a bunch of people outside wearing it making noise. I thought the school colors were blue and white?</p>