My son was accepted to Penn State last month. Because it wasn’t a lot of work - he went ahead and applied to the honors college (Schreyer) before the 11/1 deadline. He has now been “invited” (I think all applicants are) to schedule an “optional” honors college interview. It would be local (in DC area) - so not a lot of work. Still - I wonder if he should skip it.
The issue is that while he thinks Penn State is a good school - it is a safety for him. He hasn’t actually visited Penn State and might struggle with the obvious “Why Penn State?” question. I wonder if an interview might actually hurt his chances - relative to no interview at all.
I have also been accepted to Penn State and been invited to schedule a Schreyer’s interview. What I understand is that it is optional and doesn’t not affect the application. Most likely the interview will be conducted by a PSU - Schreyer Alumni.
Hey guys current schreyer student here. The interview is a great way to set yourself apart and supplement your essays. Most of the fellow freshmen I know did opt in to the interview. The interview itself was very similar to most others if anything slightly more of a conversation about schreyer. As an applicant myself who wasn’t sold on Penn State at all when I was applying, I would highly recommend doing everything you can to get accepted into the schreyer program. Not only is it a great small community on a larger campus, but also provides numerous benefits to students.