I’m very confused. Penn State does not consider a second-choice major. Can you clarify where your child applied?
Did your child perhaps apply to a specific major in Smeal and they were offered Smeal undecided instead? I don’t think it’s possible that they applied Smeal and were given DUS given that Penn State does not do that.
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that was my mistake. she may have just been business undecided.
So she got into Smeal?
Good evening yall, I submitted my application early October and what can I say I’ve been quite nervous about this big day. Penn state is my top school and hopefully can’t wait to attend this upcoming summer. I applied TO for
the summer at university park with the intended major of “Pre-medicine”. I’ve taken 2 dual enrollments with one of them being anatomy and physiology. I have a 3.6 unweighted with a 4.1 weighted and a 4.0 college GPA. I’m seeking assurance if I have a chance of getting in or not.
It’ll depend on course rigor- you have 2 DE classes that we knowof but adding them up how many honors &AP classes did you take? Did you take precalculus honors? AP calc? AP bio? AP chem?
As a side note, “premed” should not be your major. If you intend to apply to medical school as a college senior, you should know med schools want to see students’ability to manage any major with As AND all premed pre-reqs on top of that. As a result, those who take a shortcut by not having the full fledged major do the worst in med school admissions. You can major in anything- biochemistry, Spanish, anthropology, applied math, HHB…
If you’re admitted, you should switch that major at orientation, indicating another major and a premed intention.
If you’re not admitted to that major/summer, you can ask for reconsideration, switching to another major/summer.
Possibilities include Biological anthropology (most likely for you to get), Immunology, or Pharmacology.
https://agsci.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/immunology-and-infectious-disease
https://agsci.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/pharmacology-and-toxicology
In all cases you’ll be taking the premed pre-reqs alongside all students -regardless of major - who hope to make it through the premed gauntlet.
1st semester they’d take English 15 or 30, Sociology or Psychology, Spanish 2 or 3, Chemistry 110 and 111, and either Biostatistics or Calculus (140B I think). It’s 
for most students.
2nd semester you’d be taking CAS 110, Sociology or Psychology, Spanish 3 or For Health professions, Chem 112 and 113, and Biology.
So my recommendation for the summer would be for you to choose a LEAP that includes Calculus or a science class and either English or CAS, so that your 1st semester can be a bit lighter - premeds run a marathon and managing your strengths by building a balanced schedule is a key factor.
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It’s such a blessing to have you on this forum. I’ve learned so much because of folks like you.
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Our school ended up breaking out acceptance data in Naviance into two results - PSU University Park and all other commonwealth campuses. This is super important as you get to really see the true acceptance for UP which is significantly lower.
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Penn State allows an applicant to apply and actually click on a choice premedicine through Eberly.
“If you’re admitted, you should switch that major at orientation, indicating another major and a premed intention.”
Why do they bother offering it as a major through Eberly if you are suggesting one switch at orientation?
I’d guess to keep a handle on resources and assure they have the space for the number of kids on that track. But that’s just a guess.
They do offer this as a major but it’s a problem because med schools do NOT want that taken as a major, they want students who can absorb vast quantity of information quickly&perfectly while mastering lots of skills, and that means majoring in a “real” major PLUS taking premed pre-reqs on top of it, excelling in both.
Premed as an intention for advising purpose is different.
Why they chose to offer it when it’s got the lowest acceptance percentage among all possible majors, as per AMCA, is a mystery.
It does give them an idea of your academic interests.
Felt it was strange that Penn State even has it as a major when most others schools do not include it as a major on the common app and ask that applicants select a “real” major while taking premed pre-reqs on top of it.
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A bit of an update when it comes to my classes, I’ve taken around 6-9 honors. So, do you guys think I have a chance to accepted? With the whole major thing I had no idea that it was more ideal to take a “real major” like biology with a pre medicine track. I was doing some research it was stated that the classes offered with the paramedicine major exposes you to everything thing you need to succeed in the medical field.
yes because I have never actually heard of anyone not getting offered a seat at one of the many Penn State campuses. If you are looking for reassurance for UP, idk.
With a total of 2 DE+ 6-9 Honors, youre borderline, as is your GPA for Eberly. You’ll get in for sure but perhaps at Behrend or Altoona rather than UP. You did the smart thing checking Summer right away because this will likely help you get into UP - but still not a sure thing.
If you don’t get in to UP and really want UP, you can try&switch to Biological anthropology, I think it’s less competitive.
That being said, most students in UP premed classes will have taken AP bio and AP chem so you’ll start at a disadvantage academically and Behrend/Altoona may be a blessing in disguise. Or of course you can look into Physician’s Assistant (similar program but the GPA cut offs are lower and what matters is A LOT of clinical hours starting freshman year.)
lots of school have “pre-med” as a major. I think the point that @myos1634 is making is that you are better off to choose a different major - that has a backup option - while meeting med school pre-reqs.
There are many ways to accomplish pre-reqs. I knew someone who was a Liberal Arts major, but planned that electives were the required pre-reqs for med school. There are many major options that would lead to med school: psychology, biobehavioral health, kinesiology… Others are not so friendly (a business major, an engineering major) because they don’t have the “room” for pre-reqs in the required classes to graduate.
here is a good resource for pre-med questions at Penn State
https://science.psu.edu/interdisciplinary-programs/premedicine/frequently-asked-questions
of the 13 other apps my student has completed, none had pre medicine as an option for a major. indicating an interest in premed was its own question and you were to pick a “real” major.
penn state was the only school that had premedicine. guess the “lots of schools” that also offer it as a major were not on my student’s list.
Because Med schools have been changing their stance, universities have been dropping it as a “major” and making the switch to “traditional major+premed pre-reqs” - they’ve also been adding Medical Humanities as a minor (Penn State offers it) along the same changes decided by Med schools.
Can someone provide stats of a student who would get into smeal im overthinking my application now
Thank you in advance
penn state should do away with it too then - imo
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@MYOS1634 what you mean by “UP”. You stated in previous post.