Hey guys, so I was recently given my decision for my PSU decision. I was told to join the 2+2 program. I was rather shocked when I was rejected by my first choice - University Park. My grades were quite strong, and I also have great ECs. After several days, I heard from other two students who got into the UP Campus, their application were just not as strong as mine. The two students told me they didn’t apply for any alternate campus but only the main campus.
Another friend of my got accepted to PSU’s 2+2 program, and she had a very strong application (stronger than mine), but still rejected by UP. She told me she also applied an alternate campus, just like me.
I have the feeling that it may be a smarter choice to only apply for UP, instead of also choosing an alternate campus. I know this may sound illogical, but I want to know if it may be a case. Could anyone tell me if they had similar issues?
I am only here to put forward guesses and starting a possible discussion.
Supposedly, they only look at your second choice if you don’t get into your first choice. In your case, the sample size is too small to make a judgment of value.
@bodangles Yes, that is what they say on the website as well. I understand this is only a very small sample size. That is why I want to ask others regarding their situation
@bodangles I applied for Chemical Engineering, the other student was general studies. We were assigned for 2+2.
The other two student’s majors were Mechanical Engineering and Hospitality.
different majors have very different entry requirements and different enrollment controls. So comparing entry stats for different people applying to different programs is futile. Someone with very high stats may be denied from Smeal or engineering while someone with borderline stats may be accepted to DUS (undecided). That’s because the entry requirements vary per major. DUS is easier to get into than Smeal or Engineering.
My daughter was borderline 2 years ago (3.5 GPA 29 ACT) and put down an alternate campus and alternate starting semester. She got summer but at UP. According to admissions, they attempt to admit you into your first choice first and only after a denial there do they move on to an alternate campus.
I think telling people not to put an alternate campus is misleading. You would have been denied outright without an alternate campus listed. Putting an alternate campus and alternate starting semesters is always a good idea in my mind. The only reason NOT to put an alternate starting location is if you absolutely won’t go if you don’t get into UP. Otherwise, you are limiting your options. I don’t think they put anyone to an alternate campus just because one is listed. The majority of UP applicants have an alternative campus listed and the majority don’t get deferred to a branch campus.
@jlhpsu Hi, in no way am i telling anyone to do anything. I am simply stating an observed situation. I fully understand that my current situation has a very little sample size. I agree that " The only reason NOT to put an alternate starting location is if you absolutely won’t go if you don’t get into UP"
Regarding the major, the other student that I mentioned, who was assigned to 2+2 instead of UP, has strong GPA, great EC (she was in commercials, movies, and TV shows). Her course were way stronger than the student who got into Engineering at UP. She applied an alternate campus btw. Engineering should be one of the hardest programs to get into at UP, so that is why I was confused why she was denied by UP’s undecided or general studies, while the other student got into UP. The student who didn’t get into UP actually didn’t put an alternate campus.
I am just saying is it possible that PSU doesn’t want to lose students, so they may favor students who only have UP as their choice, as they don’t want to simply deny the student. I am just guessing. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. It is true that the website states that they will consider for your first option first, but is that really the case? Do they have any strategies while they chose their students?
P.S I applied for engineering, and my stats, ECs are all STRONGER than the student who got into Mechanical Engineering. He was an applicant who only put UP. I shouldn’t have put UP I guess, because i wouldn’t have gone to the alternate campus anyways.
I agree with @jlhpsu, my son was borderline for Smeal and was accepted at UP summer session. He put down Altoona as an alternative and would have definitely attended Altoona if he did not get into UP. There are a lot of students who just put down UP without an alternative choice and just get denied outright. I know quite a few. Truthfully, I don’t think Penn State cares if you attend or not they get way too many applications. Someone will always fill the spot. As for my son, his goal was to have a Penn State education, he didn’t care how he got it. Also, to compare applications is impossible. You really don’t know exactly what they are looking for.
I agree they always have people to fill up the spots. But they obviously want top students to fill up the spots as much as possible. @japsmom I think I forgot to mention that we are all international students at Shanghai. So PSU’s UP is often the only option. I am not rlly saying that UP will accept everyone without an alternative choice
@lai18972 I’m just curious as to why UP would be your only option as international students. Also, I really don’t know but maybe that factors into why some of you got in and some did not. Maybe too many international students from the same area.
@japsmom Generally for international students, we don’t put region as our first choice, but rlly the program. UP has the biggest campus and the strongest faculties amongst all the campuses (one of the reasons why he is ranked so high) It usually isn’t the fact that it is PSU that it attracts us, it is the fact that University Park has a good program. Going to a separate campus doesn’t really meet the expectations. Maybe you focus more on Penn State Education, but our focus is more on something else. And those goals could be filled by other schools.
Very well said and I couldn’t agree with you more, I’ve seen the same. Apparently if you choose a second choice. They take that and run with the 2 & 2. But most do not want to do this. And it winds up losing the students that would do so great at UP. I would definitely recommend only putting UP as your only option. I’ve seen people get in there that I didn’t think had a chance, but they did.
Whereas students with stronger GPA’s and grades, and test scores were denied UP and offered the 2 & 2.
I also know plenty who have been completely deterred by the 2 & 2 and left PSU all together after freshman year and going to completely different schools and glad they did.
Different strokes for different folks I guess!!!
Wishing you all the best!
@thecollegescoop4u What are you doing? You are maybe the worst “college scoop” person I’ve seen. PSU does no such thing. They do not “run with” your second choice. Pretty much all of the people that get into UP put a second choice. I know my daughter did and got in to UP. As did many of her friends. Your advice on this and the only other post you made are, in my OPINION, awful. I hope you don’t have real clients and that is just a name you made up for the two posts you’ve made here.
My son applied to UP and had no 2nd choice. SAT 1400 GPA 3.8 (Mechanical Eng). He was not accepted to UP but was told in his decline to contact them for 2+2. Within 2 days he was accepted with Honors at Behrend campus. He is not going because he was accepted at other excellent colleges.
We did give it a chance. After 2 visits to Behrend we realize the program was very strong for Plastics Engineering and Engineering Technology which is not his focus. Many of the students went there as a 2+2 and decided to stay at Behrend which is NOT the same as a 2+2 degree so that worried me. It honestly felt like spending 2 years at a community college and then transferring to main campus. The satellite schools have over an 85% acceptance rate so he saw students from his high school at the accepted student day that did not work nearly as hard as he did in high school. Just our thoughts.
@msmead It is true the satellite campuses aren’t for everyone. My daughter got into UP with Altoona as her second choice two years ago, but likely would not have attended if she hadn’t gotten into UP. My son, on the other hand, applied directly to Altoona because he liked the campus and WANTED to start at a smaller University campus. I think you did things exactly right. You looked, gave it a chance, and evaluated. At the end, it wasn’t for you and that’s fine. Graduating from PSU Behrend is the same as a PSU degree. It will just say “Behrend”. But the work is the same. Some majors it may be less ‘prestigious’ to graduate from a satellite. The exception is engineering at Behrend. Very well known and very well reputed.
It is also true that the requirements to get into the satellite campuses is much less than UP. They give the students a chance to grow up and apply themselves more before getting to UP. Some may have a problem with that and I understand that. For my son, it was the ends justify the means. Meaning, he will graduate with a PSU degree and that’s what he wants. Starting at a satellite works ok for him. The entry to major requirements are the same regardless of which campus you begin. So you’d better apply yourself at ANY of the campuses. It is a misnomer to think that because you can get into a satellite campus with lower stats, that the work is lower caliber. It is most definitely not.
The satellite campuses are certainly not for everyone and there are lots of schools around that others can go to that may be a better fit. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with that. The part that I took umbrage with was the incorrect information posted that PSU will put you in a satellite campus if you have one listed. It’s just not true.
I wish your son the best of luck wherever he decides to go!
@jlhpsu I think what I said about PSU MAY be true. I am only saying “may” because we do not know how they decide on putting students through the admissions process. Oh btw, the students who got into UP were mainly American Passport students in my school. Those students got into great majors and campuses, where as other students with better stats (not american) didn’t. That might also be a reason.
We should admit the fact that the education provided by PSU satellite campuses are actually lower quality than UP education when we consider reputation, faculty etc.
For international students, it doesn’t make sense to attend a branch campus, because they need a residential college first and foremost. They often choose the US for the college experience ‘whole package’ (for more typical academic experience they can attend universities in other countries) and have specific needs that branch campuses can’t accommodate well. It also makes no sense to attend a commuter/suitcase campus that costs a lot of money when you can attend a commuter/suitcase campus for free in France or Germany or your own country.
The situation is totally different for PA students.
I agree with @MYOS1634 that a commonwealth campus likely doesn’t make sense for an international student. I disagree completely with @lai18972 that the commonwealth campuses give a subpar education to UP. In fact, they are the exact same classes. Also, many find the quality at the commonwealth campuses to be GREATER because the classes are smaller and therefore the students get an exceptional student faculty ratio. The reputation of the commonwealth campus individually doesn’t matter because the majority graduate from the UP campus. So starting at Altoona and graduating from UP has the exact same prestige in the job market as graduating from UP campus. More important will be what you did with your 4 years in college and your college GPA etc… Also, for some of the commonwealth campuses, in some majors, the reputation is stellar. Engineering at Behrend for example. A blanket statement about the commonwealth campuses is uninformed.
There is zero evidence Penn State puts people in a commonwealth campus if they have it on their application. That is not to say that the way they accept students is clear. But the vast majority of applicants put down an alternate campus. The majority with good stats are not deferred
