I’m a junior in high school right now and I have taken or am scheduled to take all of their high school requirements. I also scored high on the PSAT’s and am with all of my studying for the SAT’s I’m expecting to get around a 1300. However by the time I apply I’ll have about a 3.4 and according to Penn State Main’s common data set, the average GPA for 2017-18 admitted students was a 3.58. Do you think I could be accepted to their main campus as a freshman? I don’t want to do the 2 year period at another campus first. I also will finish high school as a cheerleader all 4 years and cheer captain 3/4 years. I’ll be getting a lot of community service hours during the summer too.
At PSU, 2/3rd of the admissions decision is based on GPA and 1/3rd is based on SAT/ACT score. PSU will not consider any senior grades during the evaluation. As you mentioned, a 3.4 puts you below the norm for PSU at UP. This GPA most likely won’t gain you entrance to the more competitive majors like those in engineering, business, or nursing. Even for the less competitive majors, it may be tight. I would recommend that you consult with your parents about whether they can afford to send you for summer. If so,select that as a backup option if they won’t accept you into fall.
Please reconsider your position on the branch campus. 60% of PSU alums start at a branch campus. You could go with one of the big 3 (Altoona, Behrend, or Harrisburg) and still have a campus experience. Plus, you won’t have to fight for seats in classes with 300+ kids where you may never have a conversation with a professor. UP is enormous, intimidating, and can be downright painful for kids who are on the bubble. And if you don’t do well at UP, you may not have the GPA to officially declare the major you want at the end of your sophomore year. You will have better luck getting beyond those weed out classes at a branch campus and then coming to UP with a strong GPA.