<p>I phoned Penn State today to ask if my son, who is coming for an admitted students day, could speak with a representative or professor from the school to sort of personalize the experience for him. (All other large schools to which he was admitted are offering this.) The response I got was, "Well, we turn people away who want to go here, so we don't feel the need to do anything to convince people to come." (These were her exact words.) I was so shocked, and did tell the woman with whom I spoke that this was probably not a good attitude to have, since kids who might be the most desirable to the school may have many other fine choices. At no time did the person ask my name or my son's name.</p>
<p>I went on to call Admissions to tell an officer about the message I thought the school was sending. (This is so unlike me, but I was so appalled that I felt they needed to know about this!) I was connected to a young girl who apologized but said there really isn't anything they do there. I told her that I thought the Dean of Admissions might want to know that this is the message people may take away after calling a particular department of the University, and that it certainly wasn't a "large school phenomenon since other large schools will connect a student to a professor when asked. The admissions counselor said to me, "Well what do you want me to do?" I told her (again) that she might want to pass my comments on. At no time did she ask for my name or my contact information either.</p>
<p>I'm ready to tell my son to take Penn State off his list after this. What an incredible disappointment.</p>
<p>WOW. Absolutely stunning. I could tell you the exact opposite story with the CS department at UMD. The advisor cut through red tape like butter and would get students into the placement and courses they needed.</p>
<p>S1 had great success with contacting professors individually, but the persistent lack of concern from the department and admissions you describe would raise big RED flags with me. I’d tell your S the entire story and let him decide what he wants to do.</p>
<p>My kids have met with faculty and department heads at large schools but it wasn’t approached in the same manner. Both my kids emailed faculty and department heads themselves asking if they could meet with them on their visits or observe their classes and so on. It wasn’t lined up through admissions, nor by the parent. It was direct and student driven. Your son may wish to try that.</p>
<p>The admissions office should have directed your son to directly contact faculty or specific departments and go from there.</p>
<p>Hmmm, bad experience for sure. What is your son’s major? </p>
<p>I found that we were able to connect with some friendly professors through the specific school. The admissions folks are probably pretty cranky right now given that it’s the peak time in their process (this is not an excuse). Keep in mind that your son will not be dealing with these folks when he is admitted. My s has found professors to be very approachable and helpful. He has good relationships with a few of them…</p>
<p>Also, we’ve dealt with residence staff, bursar employee and others and they have been very friendly and cooperative. </p>
<p>Suggestions? Write a note to Graham Spanier…I’m sure he would be interested in how things are perceived. I would keep it positive and constructive. Contact the school if your son has a major and ask if your son can attend a class or arrange a meeting. He can always go up to the professor after the class and see how that goes (might be a good test!) </p>
<p>It IS a big school. It CAN be impersonal. You need to stand up and be noticed for sure. I would give them another chance…contact the school or department… but that’s your choice. Or better yet, your son’s.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree … stunning. I’ve NEVER heard this sort of thing.</p>
<p>It’s time to blow off the Admissions Dept … your S won’t be dealing with them anyway. Like CountingDown, our family has had great success contacting professors individually. Good Luck … and try not to get down on a whole university over the bad behavior of two twits. I mean Penn State isn’t AT&T … “We don’t care. We’re the phone company, we don’t have to … (snicker, snicker).”</p>
<p>The comeback to “we don’t need to convince people to come” would be that your son seeks information, not convincing. But again, I’d have your son go directly to the source…contacting faculty individually. He also can ask them if they can’t meet with him, could they line up current students in the department he may meet with to LEARN MORE.</p>
<p>RTR: I re-read your post but I’m confused…did you call admissions initially or was that only on the second go-around? just clarification…</p>
<p>agree with soozie though; when my daughter wanted to talk to a professor in her area of interest, she contacted them directly through the department in question…by email or by phone…</p>
<p>either way, the response you received is unacceptable and was probably from a clerk (actually the second phone call was probably a student answering the phones since alot do that as work study)…</p>
<p>Is it a deal breaker? depends on how your son feels about it…and how your family will deal with this type of situation if it occurs again…</p>
<p>I’d email the dean of admissions (and maybe also the assistant deans, too to make sure that the snippy person you talked to doesn’t also screen the email for the dean) and cut/paste the first two paragraphs of your note above. I’m sure this isn’t the overall feeling of the school, but this is terrible. Unfortunately, unless you know the name of the person you talked to, the dean may still not do anything. </p>
<p>Then, since I “know” you from another school’s forum, I’d say this is karma that that “other” school must be the right one!! ;)</p>
<p>I don’t think this is a reason not to go there necessarily. It’s a big impersonal school and no one will get their hand held there. That’s not quite the phrasing I want but your son will be on his own in a school of that size. Is he smart and independent or would he benefit from more personal attention? It’s sink or swim in an environment like that but plenty of the students swim.</p>
<p>And yes, you will have much better luck arranging a personal conversation with a professor by going through a department. Does your son have a particular major in mind? Contact the department head or the someone in the office associated with the department, the emails and phone numbers will be found on Penn State’s website. I bet you’ll have much better luck.</p>
<p>My niece and her family had this same experience every time they had to deal with the Penn State “machine”. It was not pleasant. That said, she is a senior now and has enjoyed her years as an engineering major. Personal attention and responsiveness of administrative departments is NOT a strength, though.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to admissions - never really had any contact with those folks other than the tours. But I will repeat that MY interactions with PSU admin have been very positive. They answer their phones, and have been friendly and helpful (Bursar, Residence, Food Service). They seem to be more like midwestern folks to me vs the cold NE types around here. And just a note that the kids are real friendly too. Big doesn’t always mean bad…but it’s clear those admissions folks need to get a clue!</p>
<p>I had to call them about something, and also found them to be snippy and not helpful in admissions. My guidance counselor (thirty years experience) also called on my behalf and got nowhere and was shocked at how unhelpful they were on the phone. I am still going to Penn State …although two of the other schools where I was accepted (DeSales and Pitt) were much nicer and more helpful and sent lots of timely information and letters of welcome.
PSU is my first choice, so I overlooked the admissions people’s rudeness. But if it hadn’t been my first choice, it would have really turned me off and I would have gone somewhere else.</p>
<p>Sorry I wasn’t clear. First I called the Division of Undergraduate Studies to see if he could meet with someone. (Since he is undecided, it would probably be an advisor in DUS…the person who helps kids figure out what they might way to major in.) After I got that answer, I called Admissions to tell them about it.</p>
<p>My son has been there for four yrs and I have never initiated a call to the college so I have no experience with that. I am sorry that happened to you.</p>
<p>Maybe your student would have better luck emailing a prof from his college and asking.
It’s a great time to get him started on making the calls and asking for help himself.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth my son loved his 4 yrs in Happy Valley. He never called home asking for help in navigating the school so I assume he was able to always get what he needed.</p>
<p>Hmmm…DUS is tough since it’s not really a major. Without the hand-holding of a smaller school, these students may feel adrift. Many of the students at PSU find community within their individual schools. It’s a weakness of a big place like PSU for sure. If you have the stomach for it, contact a department (history, english, biology, perhaps something else your s is interested in) and see if that works. That said, I personally don’t think PSU has a strong liberal arts/humanities program. Eberly (science), Business, Engineering…and others are stronger by far. Anyway, good luck to you… I think you have a right to be angry. </p>
<p>On a positive note…and almost completely unrelated, Alison Baver, the short track skater who won a bronze yesterday is a recent grad of PSU. Cool!</p>
<p>Motion: Since you came out punching I have to respond.</p>
<p>Just last yr grads went to jobs at Barclays, CIA, NIH, Citigroup, NASA and a host of other top jobs. </p>
<p>Last yrs grads are at MIT, Harvard Law,Harvard Bio., Princeton, UCHicago, Cornell, Upenn and Stanford to name a few Phd programs. They also won a number of national awards.</p>
<p>At least come out fighting with facts. Or was that a hit and run?</p>
<p>RTR: that is a problem, in my opinion but others have reflected on their experience with Penn State; I guess one has to decide if this is a deal breaker; it is a very large public; not sure if you would find a different experience anywhere in the general liberal arts scenario…like toneranger says, people don’t usually go to Happy valley for liberal arts; not as strong as other programs…</p>
<p>I’ve heard it said that a kid has to figure out how to make a large school smaller; one way, I would imagine, would be to contact their department of interest…as someone else suggested, maybe a specific department would yield different results…</p>
<p>The response I got was, “Well, we turn people away who want to go here, so we don’t feel the need to do anything to convince people to come.” (These were her exact words.)</p>
<p>Good heavens!!!</p>
<p>Nearly every college has to decline students, but that’s no reason to behave in such a manner!</p>