So I found out on 12/10 that I was accepted into Smeal with the intended major of finance, class of 2021. Penn State was not my first choice of school; however, I visited the school, Smeal, and overall I can see myself attending Penn State. I am pleased with Smeal’s reputation and it’s one of the better business schools I visited in person. Does anyone have an opinion on Smeal that they’d want to share? There’s only so much I can research, I want to here other perspectives on the school. Positive and negative comments welcome. Thanks!
I’m waiting to hear back from them. I’m not sure why I haven’t heard back. Do you know how they distribute acceptances? Are you in PA? I applied early and I’m thinking I should get in with my grades and stuff. Hmmm. Not my first choice either but it’s a really good biz school and you will get a job when you graduate. The alumni connections are unreal.
@Swimming123 Don’t worry if you haven’t heard yet. The majority of acceptances will come out in January. There is no correlation between waiting until January and being denied. Generally, higher stat kids hear first. Not always, but mostly. Still, even saying that, MOST people, regardless of stats, hear after Christmas.
@nchen17 I am sure there are others here who can answer your questions about Smeal, but you should be very proud. Only 11% of applicants were admitted to Smeal last year. It’s an excellent business school with a terrific reputation and job outlook. Penn State itself is a vibrant beautiful community and is a great place to go to school.
@jlhpsu Thanks! It’s such an underrated school, and especially overlooked from where I come from…I’ll definitely be looking more into it.
@Swimming123 I’m from NJ, and my application decision came back within 10 days of submitting it, if that helps. Good luck, hope you get in as well!
Hey! I also applied to smeal with an intended major of finance. If you don’t mind me asking - what are your stats? (Like GPA and sat) im super nervous because this is my first choice. I hope I get in! Congrats(:
SAT Superscore: 2060
ACT: didn’t take
SAT II: US History 740; Math II 680
GPA: 4.42W, ~3.9UW (school only gives weighted, my unweighted was calculated by my counselor)
Rank: in top 10% of a class of 510
Senior year courseload:
AP Computer Science
AP Lit and Comp
AP Gov
AP Calculus BC
Honors We The People
Honors Band IV
@stephaniexx hope this helps…lmk if you need any more info. Good luck!
If you don’t mind me asking, when did you submit your application?
If you don’t mind me asking, when did you submit your application?
@rupad33 I submitted my EA application on November 30, the day it was due. So to find out 10 days later I got in was exciting, but somewhat amusing lol.
Can anyone on here tell me more about Smeal? 
@nchen17 Hi! I’m a current freshman at Penn State on a business major track. No student here is officially “in smeal” until you declare your major at the end of your sophomore year. To be a finance major in smeal, you need to have and maintain a 3.5 GPA. If you have any other questions I can try my best to answer!
@tucgee422 Yes I have heard of this, when I visited Smeal. Apparently finance is one of the more rigorous business majors? Couple questions: I’ve heard it’s difficult to maintain a 3.5 GPA in college–is that true? Also, say I were to miss the 3.5 mark; what options would I have in Smeal? Not that I plan on slacking off, but just as a precaution I’d like to know. Lastly, can you tell me more about the Nittany Lion fund? Like would there be certain academic requirements to join? Thanks so much!
@nchen17 Maintaining a 3.5 is difficult, but definitely not impossible. It’s just that some of the pre-requisite courses you need to take for Smeal can be very difficult (such as the calculus class) so you just need to plan accordingly. As long as you stay on top of everything and study hard, you should be fine! There are so many resources here on campus that you can go to for tutoring and review classes. I believe that as long as you have a 3.5 by the time you declare your major, you should be good.
As for the Nittany Lion Fund, I believe you have to join the Penn State Investment Association first and then at the end of the semester, you get invited to apply for a position within the Nittany Lion Fund. I’m not too knowledgable on this though since I am not a member!
@nchen17 My son just finished his first semester as a smeal pre-major. He received a 3.9 GPA. It is possible to get a high GPA but he put in A LOT of effort. It was extremely difficult for him .He said he never worked so hard for his grades. Finance is not more vigorous than accounting. The advisor we met with at NSO said that the only reason it had a 3.5 vs. 3.2 entrance to major requirement is because it is the most popular business major and they needed to limit the number of students they allowed into the program. Also, he said finance might possibly increase the gpa requirement because there were too many students trying to get into the major and they needed to limit enrollment.
@japsmom Say I’m not able to enroll as a finance major my sophomore year. Is it possible that if I qualify for another major, say accounting, I can continue my studies in that area?
@nchen17 all other business majors require a gpa of 3.2 to get in. http://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/academics-advising/get-into-a-smeal-major/entrance-to-major-requirments
@tucgee422 @japsmom Sorry for the amount of questions…what’s the overall atmosphere at Smeal? Is it as competitive as schools like NYU Stern, like very hostile? Are the students people who are intellectually creative and not just grade oriented?..etc.
Thanks!
@nchen17 I would not say Smeal has a totally competitive/hostile environment. I feel like it has a very corporate atmosphere, and Smeal is really focused on students obtaining job opportunities upon graduating. There are always events in Smeal where companies are visiting or giving presentations. I would also say that the students are a mixture of both being both intellectually creative and being grade oriented-hope this helps!
@tucgee422 Speaking of job fairs and such, how difficult would you say it is for students to obtain internships within NY and the rest of the tri-state? Ive heard Penn state described as the college “in the middle of nowhere.”
@nchen17 Hahah, Penn State is definitely in the middle of nowhere! But I would not say it’s any more difficult than if you were to go to a school in NYC. For internships, it’s ultimately you applying and I don’t believe school location has a true impact on obtaining internships. Smeal does offer lots of opportunities to build connections with companies (Job fairs, corporate events, etc.) to really get your foot in the door. I know plenty of people here who have interned in NY, but it’s ultimately how hard you work towards it!