I am currently interested in the film-video at Penn State Brandywine. How competitive is the college of communications approximately,and would it be easier to get accepted at a commonwealth? I did get accepted into Brandywine as a Division of Undergraduate Studies major, and I have not committed yet. My GPA is 87.37 (freshman-junior) and my SAT is 860.Would it be a good idea for me to have them consider me for it?
I would just stick with DUS. Everyone in Comm is a pre-major anyway, so it really makes no difference if you are officially in College of COmmunications or DUS.
If you are doing the 2+2 then to get into the Film Video major you will need to complete the entry to major requirements sometime in your first 4 semesters. The entry to major requirements are:
COMM 150
COMM 242
Overall GPA 3.0
If you have that, you can go into the film video major. There is no reason to declare it now. People in DUS or in the school of communications will take the same classes to get into the major. Another option is to change your major at NSO. Lot’s of students do that as well.
The reason I asked that was because the film video major is now according to the website Enrollment controlled,and I have heard from someone currently in the film video major,that Brandywine does not have COMM 242,so I would have to change campuses to UPark to take it. Would they still let me change it either before NSO,or at NSO?
You need to call the school and ask them directly how it would work if a branch campus doesn’t offer an entrance to major prerequisite. This is too important to rely only on internet opinions and hearsay.
Andrew, just be careful in choosing a major for which you have to go to UP earlier. You have asked numerous times on CC about how to get to UP early. Majoring in something where the classes are only available at UP is one way to do that. But be aware, if you get approved to go up early and you DON’T enroll and finish the ETM classes, they send you right back to the commonwealth.
So make sure before you embark on that plan that film video is actually the major you want. I know kids who have tried to game the system and now they have to go an extra semester because taking the ETM classes put them behind when they eventually changed their major to what they wanted.
I’m not saying that IS what you are doing, but considering the number of times you’ve discussed getting to UP early, the major change to a major that would require that raised a little red flag for me.
Agree that you should call Brandywine to ask your question.
Also, you have to be careful: right now, your test scores and course rigor mean that you’ll find college very difficult. Ask Brandywine but don’t overthink it. Take first year college of communication pre-reqs if you wish but focus on doing well in the classes you’re taking. It’s going to be much harder than high school - think of taking not one or two, but four AP classes at once, going twice faster than AP classes.
Also, remember that for this major you need practical experience- do you currently have a portfolio of videos, realizations, different media productions, etc?
At the end of sophomore year, you will have to have the prerequisites done and as part of ETM you will need to submit a portfolio of the work you’ve done in those classes, plus an essay about your assessment of where you are and where you are headed in your career. You cannot be succesful in film if you are using it as a backdoor to something else. Just sayin.
This just sounds like you are trying to manipulate the system. Your SAT is far below the U.S. average. But you want to attend a highly competitive, nationally ranked university?? Now you don’t owe anyone on this board an explanation, but ask yourself this: do you honestly feel that your stats have earned you a place at UP? Why should you be given a spot over others with a 1200 SAT and 3.7 GPA (or whatever) have been declined?
@Sophley If you read the explanation I gave at the beginnning of the thread,you would then know that I was not directly accepted into UP,but Brandywine.
@Andrew2018 Andrew, trying to be gentle here, but might be a dose of tough love.
Honestly, if you transfer to UP “early”, you will be over your head. Last spring, you first took the SAT and got in the 700’s. You were going to study to improve your score to the 1200’s… and you did improve (good work!), but only into the 800’s. Do you understand that most kids who start at UP are waaaaay higher ? You also mentioned that AP courses would be too rigorous for your senior year. They are a great estimate of what a college course will be.
You have mentioned political science as a major… and then found Astronomy and Astrophysics that would require you to go to UP as a sophomore. And now you are trying for Film to get to UP as a sophomore. (oh yeah, nursing was in there, too).
Stop spending all this time on message boards and researching majors to get to UP early. Spend the time preparing for college - find a way to improve your study skills, your English skills, and math. THAT will be way more helpful. Because at this pace, you may get to UP as a sophomore, but might be out as a junior.
College is hard. It requires self-study and motivation. I think it is great how independent you are, but you may be over your head. I see the PSU parents age all the time with “my kid was a great student and just failed Math 140”. Strong students get easily overwhelmed.
Figure out WHAT you want to do. While college is fun, it is also a lot of work. It is not the end, it is the means to the end - being successful for the rest of your life. Worry less about 1 year at Brandywine - save that money so you have a cushion if you need an extra summer or extra semester.
good luck to you.
re-read these (credit to the authors… @MYOS1634 @jlhpsu @bodangles )
So, don't pick a major simply because it gets you to UP campus faster. They know all about that. And if you are thinking you can stay in Astronomy and Astrophysics and then change only after 2 years...you can do that too (depending on major, ETM and credit windows)....but you will be behind and will likely have to go summers or a 5th year.
The only possible way to change into nursing after original acceptance is to switch your campus to Altoona or Harrisburg. Nursing at UP is a direct entry program...only available as an acceptance as a freshmen. My junior daughter wanted to change into nursing last year but since she can't, she is taking all of the nursing school pre reqs and will apply to a post bacc program after PSU. Clearly, she was also unwilling to go to Altoona or Harrisburg. Both are really nice campuses though. Also, whatever campus you start at, you must finish at for Nursing. So if you go to Altoona or Harrisburg for nursing, you stay here all 4 years. You do not do the 2+2 and go to UP. Nursing at UP is freshmen admit only.
Yes…they will make you go back. This is so that you don’t intentionally mislead them as to what major you want just to get up to UP campus. Consider going to UP conditional in that case. The condition being that you are in a major that you NEEDED to be there for. If you aren’t, they will send you back to the commonwealth campus at the start of the next semester and you won’t be able to find housing etc…
It won’t work. Believe me, they’ve made it impossible for it to work. Because of the ETM requirements, you won’t be able to take other classes from your major towards your “real” intended major so if you don’t change your major, you are working towards a degree that you don’t want. If you wait to change your major until the end of your sophomore year, you are very limited by credit windows and ETM requirements. With 600,000 living alumni, they have seen, heard and had it all tried on them. They are pretty adept at making it pretty darn hard to game the system.
Even true transfer students can’t get to UP sophomore year. If you go to another University and wish to transfer to UP your sophomore year, you can’t. You have to transfer to a commonwealth and then go up in your junior year. Penn State UP campus is freshmen or junior admit. That’s it. With the exception of the very few majors that require you to go to UP early.
@Andrew2018 , I did understand you correctly. My point is that, based solely on your stats, you are not prepared to be at UP so I don’t understand why you are trying to get in the back door a year early. College is a huge investment and you want to go somewhere where YOU can succeed. After watching my own kids and other kids with higher stats struggle and study 40+hours weekly, I would never want to see a kid come here if they aren’t ready. Spend the 2 two years at a branch to improve your skills, get more individualized attention, and then come here.