@Cotton2017 ME TOO!! Mine was denied to Pitt honors so we def thought there wasn’t a chance!! So happy! Congrats to you!!!
Hey tx for the thoughtful post. Congrats – WE ARE!
Schreyer is all about the essays - professors read them thinking “do I want to this kid in my honors seminar?” ( Not “all” as in “only” - course rigor, evidence of intellectual curiosity, and recommendation matter a lot too).
Pitt is more stats based.
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Is it worth it to live in honors housing?
^ yes. Why would you NOT live in a Community of peers who happen to have the best dorm in the best location with the best associated food?
NSO For Honors is May 30-31 and that just happens to be my D’s graduation. Anyone know if there are other dates for honors NSO? Also, we toured East renovated and my D loved those dorms and the thought of living with all freshman and making friends. But, are honors hall similar where she will meet lots of first years too? Very happy and nervous now for some reason! LOL. Guess it’s real.
@colton2017 dorms are NOT renovated in honors. No a/c, great location, but no renovations. You must maintain Deans List and write thesis, but it’s worth it in the end!
Does Simmons have pod bathrooms? I can’t find anything online. She really liked those due to certain issues.
They do have some individual bathrooms.
@Cotton2017 How far are you from State College? Can your D make one of the two days of NSO orientation? I think the second day is when they schedule classes with an advisor - honestly, that would be the more important day. Schreyer tries to get NSO early - because a benefit of being in Schreyer is early registration. And it will be all SHC students, so a nice chance to make some friends coming in.
Is she “all in” to being part of Schreyer, or is she more about “Penn State”? Not every SHC kid lives in Atherton or Simmons (btw, you don’t get a choice), but the vast majority do. There are some real benefits.
- location location location. You are close to classes, close to downtown, close to the HUB. The only thing you are not close to is Beaver Stadium, Bryce Jordan Center. The White Building (for working out) practically touches Atherton.
- Redifer Dining Commons. Many students believe it has the best food options. Of course, you can eat anywhere, but you will eat where it is closest.
- Study Lounges/Computer Lounges/Washing Machines - Lots of options for study lounges, the "zombie" lounge that is dead quiet if that is needed for your kid to study. The computer lounge is open 24 hours, so if you have an early riser, they can get up at 7am and print out their notes/papers/resumes, etc. I've heard other dorms be jealous of the washing machine situation... they have like 6 or 8 in a row, so you usually aren't stuck behind someone else's load waiting for it to clear.
- Bathrooms - In Atherton, they are individual bathrooms. I am not sure about SImmons.
As for the difference between Atherton and Simmons, I don’t know. Don’t get locked into one, because you don’t get a choice. I know that kids who start in Simmons love it and never would switch. And kids who start in Atherton love it and never would switch.
East is all freshmen - which has its own set of pros/cons. Atherton/Simmons will be a mix. More SHC students stay in the dorms sophomore/junior year because they are guaranteed housing. (and they get the triples/quads with their own suite bathrooms/mini kitchen those years - or go for a single).
good luck!
Got accepted! Schreyer was one of my top choices! Here’s a little info about my application
GPA- I think it’s weighted at 94%. I’ve had some extenuating circumstances in 11th grade so my grades dipped pretty low but my honors and AP courses really helped as a cushion.
rank- 37/415
SAT - 1370 (only took the SAT and ACT once, preferred ACT more)
ACT- 33
EC’s- Youth & Government, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, Volunteering at my Mosque, Science Olympiad, Hershey Med Center PULSE, PA Federation of Democratic Women, Employment
AP’s - 12 AP Courses + Psychology (4), APUSH (5), Micro (5), Macro (5), Government (5), Chemistry (4)
Essays- My essays were pretty good, according to feedback from my English teacher. I wanted to create an amendment that enacts measures nationwide to simplify the process of voting and encourage underrepresented demographics in the voting system. I also pulled in some outside information + personal experience with India and China to assert they were developing. My last essay about the Seven Wonders was my favorite. I basically wrote about my favorite things. The essay was super personal and insightful and a little bit of risky humour
Interview- Really well! Even though I was a little late (my car broke down in the middle of nowhere), we had a really good conversation of school, chemistry and Schreyer. It was really casual and pretty chill.
@lucyvanpelt we are about 5 hours away. D graduates on the 31st so we could make the 1st day but not the 2nd. I am not keen on her missing graduation ceremony especially since I think she is a speaker. I wonder if they would let us register the 1st day if I called the advisor? She is definitely all in for Penn State. The Honors college is a wonderful opportunity but it’s not the draw for her. Appreciate the info on the dorms, sounds like honors housing is the way to go. She got to tour Martin and was really impressed so I’m guessing they are similar?
There’s always a session right before classes start for honors students who could take make it yet as well as international honors students
@amomoffour hi! Are the dorms well kept or old and gross? And do they have communal bathrooms or private? It’s hard to find a lot of info on them.
@Rivergal66 they’re older for sure, but not really gross. Private only in that you can lock the door, certainly not individual for rooms. Look at the floor plans, https://www.absecom.psu.edu/eliving/common/floor_plans/UpAthertonGround.pdf
What is NSO? My S was recently accepted to Schreyer’s and we have not heard of this?
I confirmed with a PSU alum that honors housing is in a great location.
@eclipseMT NSO is New Student Orientation. All students are required to attend this, not just schreyers students
sorry in advance for improper grammer haha I tend to write very informally outside of essays
GPA - 4.5625 (weighted) 4.0 (unweighted)
Rank - school doesn’t report rank
SAT - 1510
ACT - 35
EC’s - Marching Band Section Leader, STEMinism Officer, VARIATIONS Literary Magazine Layout Editor, Speech and Debate (6th place NSDA Districts Informative Speaking and Congress), Model UN, Key Club, NHS, CCA International Marketing Competition (1st place in-school last year), volunteer at library and hospital weekly, taught speech event (original oratory) at a camp over the summer, worked with kids at local summer program (Camp Invention), Westinghouse Science Honors Institute Lectures, clarinet (weekly lessons, school musical pit orchestra 10-12, honors band, district band, district orchestra), National French Exam Silver Medal (9-11)
AP’s - APHuG (4), AP Calc BC (5), AP English Lang (5), APUSH (5), AP Chem (4), AP Psych (5), AP Stats (5), currently taking 4 this year (AP French, AP English Lit, AP Bio, AP Physics 1&2)
Essays - wrote them the day they were due (I felt like I had to perfect the ideas in my mind before I started writing…), but spent significant time editing them – amendments one was well written and supported with historical evidence (eliminate electoral college), I was also passionate about this one, which probably came through in my writing; china and india wasn’t spectacular, but it answered the question with evidence and considered nuances of the situation of both countries; 7 wonders was, without a doubt, my favorite essay to write, and I think that definitely impacted my writing in a positive way… I wrote very honestly, and I think my wonder about writing and National Novel Writing Month specifically was a true highlight. the short answers were simple, but I think they managed to convey emotions and messages. I chose Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) for my book (the simplicity and joy of childhood wonder and imagination) and wrote about marching band for my extracurricular (family and friendship, becoming more confident as a leader). also, I know I’m a relatively good writer, which obviously helped me
Interview - N/A (I submitted my applicated after the priorty deadline – 12/3 specifically)
Accepted into Schreyer
Rejected from Penn State-Jefferson Accelerated BS/MD program, accepted into PSU’s Eberly College of Science