My student did email admissions asking to be considered for Smeal before I had posted here to ask about it, and they responded with a very nice message yesterday:
“ Hi X,
Congratulations on your offer of admission to Penn State! I’ve updated your application so you are now being reconsidered for the X program in the Smeal College of Business. This process takes time, so keep an eye out for a new decision by the end of next month.
Good luck!”
Moreover, the portal has changed back to what it looked like before the first offer of admission (which admittedly looks a little daunting). I’m going to rely on the fact that past posters have said that PSU assured them that the original offer of admission stands if this re-evaluation doesn’t work.
We could email asking to stay in DUS now that we’ve heard how the pre-major process works but at this point it feels cumbersome to bother admissions again.
This is the response my D received when she asked them about her original offer:
Hi!
I would update your application and then we would reconsider you. I imagine that you would receive a decision sometime in January. The admissions decision you have already received will be available anytime for you, it just won’t show on MyPennState. You’d have to contact us get it reposted but we could definitely do that.
Just let me know which major you’d like to be reconsidered for, if any!
It is daunting staring at her portal now waiting again, but then I stare at this email and reassure myself😂.
How soon should a student deposit at PSU if they want the best chance to be placed in the renovated dorms (or good dorm selection)?
Obviously “ASAP” applies, but a lot of students have to wait on financial aid/merit decisions at other colleges when weighing decisions. Just wondering if there is some leeway.
@OceanIsle I believe the process is different this year and will be random. In the past, priority went by date of deposit - which encouraged those “early deposits for housing” posts. So, there would be less incentive this year.
I can’t find it listed anywhere, but I think people have posted the wording that it is random this year (which is a departure from prior years).
My son was initially accepted 2 plus 2 starting at Beaver for computer science. Reconsidered for University Park - Division of Undergraduate Studies
Accepted yesterday University Park, Fall 2021
SAT 1400
Weighted GPA 3.92
I actually think starting this way will be better for my son since he isn’t totally sure what he wants to major in.
Quick Question- I was accepted in UP for Fall '21 but not too sure if I’m still interested in my major that I was accepted into. is there a way to change to DUS or do I have to wait till Fall? Thanks
Housing – yes, as a change from previous practice, there is no advantage regarding housing in accepting your offer sooner rather than later. All the housing requests for freshmen will be put into one bucket, and pulled at random starting the day after the due date. This was reportedly done to make it more fair for students who have to wait for financial aid decisions, etc. I wonder if it has to do with staffing, as well.
DD was also accepted to UP/DUS after initially getting accepted to 2+2 Harrisburg for psychology. She has all the typical honors we have all have seen (4.1W/3.7UW GPA, lots of APS, dual enrollment, Varsity captain, employed since freshman yr, etc, etc. etc) and is happy that it worked out for UP but unfortunately the way Penn state has done this, made her loose interest and excitement for the school. When you receive all of these great acceptances from other schools with cheers and celebration and personal notes, the way PSU does it certainly doesn’t even compare and leaves a negative feeling. We haven’t fully given up, but it dropped from one of the top to one of the bottom of our list.