Its back now but my status didn’t change
Grr. Arrgh.
i love penn state
Hi all, I’ve been out of town for work so have been off the portal for about a week! Took me a while to catch up on the posts. First of all, congrats to all of the acceptances! That’s awesome! Now, a few misnomers I’ve seen posted here that I want to address:
- If you apply for fall and have summer option and get into summer, you can't ask for fall again unless something substantive has changed in your application...ie....test scores, change of major, change of campus, etc...Just "i don't want to go in the summer because of money or my job or whatever" isn't going to cut it. They clearly say, if you get in for summer, you MUST go in the summer if you are going to UP.
- The picture change on the portal was true two years ago, but last year they stopped with the coming days notification and the picture change. So the picture likely means nothing. It will change WHEN your decision comes out if you've been deferred to a branch. Then it will change to the branch campus. But if done the same as last year, not before. No coming days status either
- There is no 'back up' major at PSU on their applications. You can put an alternate starting campus and starting semester, but no alternate major. So they won't "put" you in DUS. It's a call and a reevaluation and does not work for everyone. DUS fills up as well. DUS is also not a fail safe. It is still hard to get into DUS. Just slightly easier than other majors.
- Try not to compare if you've been denied to others that have been accepted. People are shocked every year when they are denied because they think their application is strong. Every school weights differently and you can NOT compare your GPA to someone else's. 2 years ago a poor girl with a 4.0 was denied and they appealed and it turned out it was because her 4.0 was because of pretty gratuitous weighting. Test scores are easier to compare, but much more goes into the application. Class weighting, rigor of coursework etc...Letters of Rec aren't even read so they matter zilch.
- Summer does cost $ of course. About 8k two years ago for room/board/6 credits. You will pay for those 6 credits eventually anyway but the room and board is an expense. Worth it in my opinion but of course, every family needs to decide that for themselves.
That’s all I can think of right now! Good luck to everyone still waiting! Congrats to those who’ve gotten acceptances, and to those denied, please know that there is a place for you and you will find it. Promise!
Thanks @jihpsu ! You know at this point you’ve gotten me through PSU apps for TWO kids in the last THREE years. You’re a steady source of logic and comfort. 
@jlhpsu Just a clarification, its also possible to select Summer as start in app, be accepted for summer then ask to be reevaluated for Fall start(that’s what I’m doing).
How long after getting accepted on the portal does it take for the packet to come in the mail?
@Oneiota Yes, of course, You can apply directly to summer and then ask for reconsideration into fall. Good luck!
@avery76 I got my acceptance on Friday the 20th and got my package today the 23rd so only 3 days for me
@jlhpsu sure did miss your knowledge. Thank you!
@avery76 Yea, anywhere from 3-5 days after portal update till the acceptance packet comes in the mail
Hi!! So I’m wondering what my chances are. I applied mid-october into the meteo major in the college of earth and mineral sciences.
Sats: 1830/2400 1270/1600 (old) 1320/1600 (new)
GPA: 3.25uw 3.75w
I go to a school that speicializes in science and technology and all classes are taken at the honors or AP level
Ec: varsity swimming, variety of jobs, club sports, band, various community sevice, njrotc
@m3191r I cannot tell you what your chances are, but I will say meteorology is one of the toughest majors to get into. Penn State is known for meteorology as it has the best program in the country for it. Your new SAT score should be good depending on your math score. Keep in mind no one can truly know for sure, especially random strangers on the internet.
@m319r I think you have a good shot with those stats. Penn State is routinely ranked in Top 5 for Meteorolgy so that may make it a little bit tougher for you. Still I think the odds are in your favor but there are no guarantees…good luck
My son was accepted into College of Engineering for Architectural Engineering Major… Does anyone know when we might find out about financial aid?
We have the same stats and I just wanted to say I’m happy I found someone exactly like me
Which school is more difficult to get into, DUS or Communications at UP or are they about the same?
Communications -provided you applied by Nov 30.
Apply before Nov 30 still haven’t heard back
what is my chance to get in UP for statistics major
summer checked
my stat:
gpa is 3.79 weighted 3.6 unweighted
sat 1090/1600 math 650 reading 440
I know my reading score is little lower…