<p>Hey guys, </p>
<p>I know how nerve wracking this entire process is, so I figured I'd help out by answering any questions you guys might have. I'm a freshman, though I have Sophomore standing with Penn State due to a large amount of transferable credits from high school. I'm currently enrolled in the Smeal College of Business, and am involved in THON and several other groups. </p>
<p>Ask away!</p>
<p>I was accepted to the Smeal College of Business in early November right before the scandal broke out. PSU had always been my top choice but I began to question that after the scandal. I still believe Penn State is my top choice but is there anything you could share about your experience that could confirm my thinking? What was the reason you chose PSU and would you say that the same reason(s) apply to a prospective student post-scandal?</p>
<p>@runner24 First off, I chose Penn State because of Smeal. I knew Smeal had a good reputation with recruiters, but now I actually see it first hand. During the fall, every company imaginable was on campus, and I had the opportunity to get my resume in with all of the Big 4 Accounting Firms, in addition to companies like Google (as a freshman!). They have a very large presence on campus and you can tell that they value PSU students. That being said, you need to seek them out and get your foot in the door. They won’t come crawling to you. </p>
<p>As far as the scandal, it was a horrific week for all of us, but it showed me the true spirit of Penn State. Everyone knew that we were in the situation together, and everyone (literally EVERYONE) bonded together. The candlelight vigil we held for the victims was probably the most breathtaking experience of my life, and it confirmed my belief that I definitely made the right choice by choosing to go to Penn State. I can say with confidence that I would not want to be at any other school in the country right now. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>sbrtth: as a freshman at smeal what is the average class size? do your classes have recitations? what is your opinion of the professors? how difficult do you find the academics?</p>
<p>@pamom59 Average class size varies greatly. For calculus and my communications elective, ~500 students. For physics, it was roughly 300. For my Arabic and Seminar classes, it was only 20-30. As many others will tell you, your general education classes that everyone has to take will be very large, and as you progress, class sizes will get smaller. </p>
<p>I only had one class with a recitation, and that was calculus. I wasn’t very fond of waking up for it at 8:00 a.m every Tuesday, either. </p>
<p>My opinions of my professors vary greatly as well. My calculus professor was hard to understand, but many of us still managed to do well in the class. My business seminar professor, my arabic professor, and my comm professor were all outstanding, while my physics professor was average. Overall, I guess I’d say I have a favorable opinion. </p>
<p>The academics were pretty much what I expected. Calculus was rough, physics was rough (I had two years of physics in high school but I would DEFINITELY not recommend taking physics at PSU; I don’t care how easy they make it sound.), Arabic was challenging, my comm class was easy, and my seminar class was a joke. These were my expectations coming in, and I ended up with a 3.45 for the semester. Not horrible, but not great either. Let me know if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>Great response, sbrtth! I also was accepted into Smeal this November, I’m basically in the same boat as runner24; I was going to ask a similar question to his but you answered that very well so I’ll ask you something else. </p>
<p>How has your social experience been at PSU? Describe what a typical day for you would be like. Any info on your party experiences (if any) would be helpful as well. </p>
<p>Also, how is your dorm/roommate situation working out? Do you live in East halls? Do you like you roommate? Any regrets?</p>
<p>@Pens1394 the social experience has been great. I’m very close to the guys on my floor, and we do pretty much everything together. I’m not saying this is the case with everyone, but it is for me. </p>
<p>A typical day for me: wake up around 10:00 (my first class wasn’t until 11:15, except for my 8:00 a.m recitation on Tuesdays), go to class, go eat lunch, come home and usually take a nap before going back to classes until 4:30. After that we usually hang around until we go out for dinner around 6. I usually don’t start schoolwork until 7 or 8:00, and usually go to bed around midnight. During exam weeks these rules don’t apply however, and most if not all of my free time was spent studying. During the course of the semester, you’ll find you don’t have a tremendous amount of work. </p>
<p>I can’t really get into specifics about the party scene on here, but I will say that it is great. If you really want to know, you can pm me. </p>
<p>As far as my dorm situation, I live in East Halls and I would highly recommend living there. It may not be as nice as Pollock or West, but 99% of the freshmen class lives in East. My friends in Pollock and West pretty much have to come up to East if they want to do anything fun. My roommate is great, no regrets there. </p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>I know it’s difficult, but is it possible to get into Smeal if you don’t go in with that major? And is it difficult to make friends since the campus is so large? And, a random question lol, are there any malls around campus (not a determining factor, I just havent visited so I’m curious)?</p>
<p>@sop520 Yes, it’s possible to get into Smeal even if you’re not in it to start off. I have several friends that intend on trying to transfer in. </p>
<p>As far as making friends, I haven’t had a problem. I think the big campus and large amount of extracurricular opportunities actually helps you make friends. And yes, there is a mall near campus. I haven’t personally been there, however.</p>
<p>Well simple questions
1 where do you ear
2 what do you eat
3 where do you go to the bathroom
4 where would you prefer to go to the bathroom
5 how many people share the bathroom
6 how easy is it to get a job… any kind
7 How are URMs treated at UP
I will come up with more</p>
<ol>
<li>On campus usually, either in the dining commons or at the restaurants in the commons. </li>
<li>Depends on the day. </li>
<li>There’s a bathroom on every floor. </li>
<li>Doesn’t matter. </li>
<li>Your whole floor, so ~40 people. </li>
<li>Pretty easy if you want one. </li>
<li>The same as anyone else from what I can tell.</li>
</ol>
<p>I was admitted to the division of undergraduate studies. If I were to transfer to smeal after two years would I only need two more years there or another four?</p>
<p>@Wrestler203 I’m almost certain you only need an additional two years.</p>
<p>How likely is it that I’ll be accepted to UP and Smeal if I call and switch my intended school on the 3rd, when the Penn State staff comes back from break?</p>
<p>GPA-3.5 unweighted, 4.15 weighted</p>
<p>SAT-2000</p>
<p>SAT II-Math 2 and US History both 700 (didn’t send, got scores later)</p>
<p>EC’s- couple of clubs, FBLA, have been in school’s specialized business program for past 4 years, ukulele, work experience, volunteer hours, published author</p>
<p>rigor-basically the hardest I possibly could have taken (2 nonhonors classes junior year, but everything else honors and AP, 2 years ahead in math, 1 year ahead in spanish)</p>
<p>I applied just as a safety and was kinda rushing my app because it was already after the deadline when I decided that I actually really wanted to go. I applied for engineering, but I really want to stick with business. =/ Would calling them and explaining PSU isn’t a safety anymore for me and writing them a letter help? Any input from you would be great, thanks…</p>
<p>@christinek725, I did the same thing back in October-Applied for Smeal than I felt worried I wouldn’t get in because of its high selectivity, so I emailed them to notify them of my intended major change. However since its a bit later, I would call them if I were you! :)</p>
<p>@christinek725 I think if you contact them, as sop520 said, you should be ok. I wouldn’t mention anything about safety schools though, they may get slightly offended!</p>
<p>I’ve been told that your GPA accounts for more than SAT scores at PSU. If this is correct than do you think that I can get into Univ. Park with a 4.0 GPA and 1710 SAT score? And does your major choice affect your admission decision?</p>
<p>@dancer87 you should be good with those stats. A 4.0 is pretty impressive. As far as major choice, Smeal and the College of Engineering are the hardest to get into (or so I’ve been told). All of the other ones are of equal difficulty, except for the Division of Undergraduate Studies, which I’m led to believe is slightly easier to get accepted to.</p>
<p>From what I can tell, many people react differently to coming home during their first big break from college. Some wish they were back in school while others enjoy seeing their friends and family that they have missed. How did you feel about the break?</p>
<p>Hi,
Will I be admitted into Penn State Associate Degree course if I have not taken SAT or TOEFL before? I am a recent high school grad (not in the usa) but american citizen.</p>
<p>Help me~THANKS</p>