<pre><code> I applied to Penn State in late October and received an acceptance letter from Penn State in December. Originally I thought this letter was telling me about my admission into the Engineering Program but it was actually telling me that I was admitted into the Division of Undergraduate Studies. A counselor or someone who works in the admission's office told me I could get in touch with a Penn State engineering department representative and pick courses that are compatible with the engineering program.
Well pretty much, all I want to know is...
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<ul>
<li>Can I still take engineering courses even though I am in the DUS program?</li>
<li>Is this process hard to do?</li>
<li>Will I still finish in four years?</li>
<li>What are the disadvantages of entering Penn State "undeclared" but knowing my major?</li>
<li>Will I have to take irrelevant classes?</li>
<li>Can I still somehow send mid quarter grades or other credentials that could possibly change the program I will be admitted into?</li>
</ul>
<p>I really want to go to Penn State but if going in as a DUS student is a bad idea then I don't want to waste my time. Please respond. Thank you.</p>
<p>I’m in the exact situation as you. I wanted to be in the engineering program, but then they said that I got accepted into DUS. I don’t have a problem with it as long as I can still be an engineer! I don’t want to waste my time either. I like Penn State, but I don’t want my parents paying a lot of money for nothing… I’m calling them tomorrow to see what the deal is. I’ll let you know what they say to me. If they said something to you recently let me know too!!</p>
<p>Itte what did they say? I called and the lady said there is no real disadvantage of going into DUS first. But there’s gotta be some catch right?</p>
<p>I believe what is going is that each college admits a certain # of freshmen to meet their quota for their major. Say xxxEENGR only accept 300 juniors for the entrance to major every year. So they accept maybe 750 incoming freshmen who have checked that major as their preference. If they pass their quota but you are still a good fit for PSU than they accept you for PSU DUS (undecided). No disadvantage really. just meet with the ENGN office during your first week and tell them your intentions so you can be added to their listserves etc.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I was accepted into the engineering program for this year at penn state university park. Even though it was the summer session i was still accepted about three weeks ago because of my high standardized test score in math and I applied early. What were your guys stats??? If they were similar to mine you should be able to get into the program. </p>
<p>Also, it doesnt really matter for the first semester at least what classes you take. Theyre all general classes that are required. Then you should be able to switch into the engineering program if your grades are sufficient.</p>
Will I have to take irrelevant classes?
Yes, everyone takes Gen Ed courses but they are good because they pad your GPA.
Can I still somehow send mid quarter grades or other credentials that could possibly change the program I will be admitted into?
You have to talk to an adviser for this one.</p>
<p>My son was just accepted into the College of Engineering at PSU. From information gained on the Penn State College of Engineering website and also a friend who has a son who is currently a sophomore at PSU right now in the College of Engineering, it doesn’t really seem to make a difference if you are in the College of Engineering or DUS as a freshman. Apparently, no one can actually declare a specific engineering major until spring of their sophmore year. Most of the engineering majors have “enrollment controls” meaning only a limited number of students may be enrolled in each type (i.e, mechanical, aerospace, chemical, etc) of engineering. If you have a 3.0 gpa or higher after the fall semester of your sophomore year you will automatically gain entrance to your first choice of engineering (you must list 3 types, ranked). If you have less than a 3.0 (for some types it is a little higher, but is specifically listed on the website), they rank all the gpas in the “entrance to major pool” and start selecting from the top until they meet the limit set on that type of engineering. The College of Engineering website states that you must be a student in either COE or DUS to be in the “entrance to major pool”. You must also have completed specific MATH, CHEM, & PHYS classes with a grade of C or higher. Check out the College of Engineering website - Entrance to Major (ETM) for a better description of the process. Hope this helps. </p>
Yes my daughter goes to Penn State and is in engineering. You can take the classes you need in order to qualify for the entrance to the engineering program at the end of sophomore year. As a DUS student those classes are open to you. You just need to work with your advisor closely…and maintain a 3.0
My daughter is STILL awaiting a decision (applied late November). She has indicated engineering, but if she doesn’t get accepted into the program directly do you think they might accept her into DUS if she didn’t select that as a secondary? She would still be happy to start as DUS, just didn’t think to check it on the application.
Maybe I will mention that to her tomorrow. She could send a quick email to me them know that she would be willing to work her way through the DUS path if the direct engineering path is at capacity.
@PSUGradMom I think she may have to wait until she is accepted or denied into engineering before they will do anything. Unlike the campus or semester start selections, you can’t choose a second back up major. They will only evaluate her for one at a time. So she can either wait to see what they decide, then e mail them to change to DUS if she is denied. Or, email them now to change to DUS before they have completed her evaluation.
Keep in mind (as I am trying to do!) that most students have not heard yet. So don’t let the fact that she hasn’t heard yet lead you to believe her chances are less. Good luck!
I can confirm that entering into the DUS college does not limit your major choice. My son who applied business was accepted to DUS and we went to the admitted students day yesterday. The DUS presentation totally eased our minds about the concern of not being able to pursue his intended major. The nice thing about DUS is that the advisors are aware of all the different majors and are committed to helping new students plot out courses to achieve the “entrance to major” requirements of their choice. After hearing the presentation my son thought he could explore both engineering and business as a freshman to really determine what he wants to do. I’d suggest getting to an admitted students day so you can hear the presentation for yourself, it was really useful!