If Offered Branch/Commonwealth Campus

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
1

To those students who are offered an alternative campus instead of UP, this message goes out to you. Please, please, try not to be disappointed. Being deferred to a branch or commonwealth campus really could be the best decision for you and your career path. Why? Many programs at UP have these ridiculous weed out courses with 500+ students. While branch campuses have the same classes, it is often easier to get through these courses AND end with a higher GPA because you are in an environment that provides more one-to-one attention and smaller class sizes.

Over the last few weeks, parents have posted nightmare stories on a closed PSU parents FB page about kids who are struggling academically, emotionally, and even physically at UP. These kids had high school GPAs of 4.0+ who are taking MATH 140 or CHEM 110 and are finding themselves unable to obtain the minimum C grade needed for their major. And yes, they even scored a 4 or 5 on the AP Calc test. These low grades at UP mean they will spend the summer retaking the course at their local campus or online via a community college. Those low grades also aren’t erased from their GPAs. And for some engineering or Smeal kids, they will have a horrible uphill battle to get the required 3.0/3.2 GPA needed to officially declare their major. UP is proving to be more difficult than they imagined and previous academic rock stars are finding themselves depressed and anxious, despite studying for hours on end, in study groups, and/or with tutors.

Yes, UP is fun and offers an amazing environment. But what good is the experience if you ultimately can’t get the degree you want. IMHO, if you are at all on the bubble in terms of GPA or testing scores, start at a branch campus. You are more likely to have resources to help you excel. You won’t get lost in a 500+ student class. Your professor will probably know your name. And you could come to UP your junior year with a stronger GPA and be able to declare the major you want.

I have one kid at UP and honestly hope I can convince the others to start at a smaller campus.

2

Please let me clarify one thing: courses are NOT necessarily easier at the smaller campuses. Rather, students are likely to perform better due to getting more attention in smaller classes.

3

I agree completely. I’ve had one start at UP and another start at Altoona and I can tell you my student who started at Altoona would not have made it at UP. The smaller classes at Altoona were more conducive to getting help, knowing the professor and asking questions during class.