Very original. They haven’t heard that one.
@beach1234 You are new here, so I’ll explain. I don’t speak “as if” anything. I am giving advice based on experience and facts. Not emotion. I am an alumni as is my husband and I have two kids there now. I’ve been around here a LONG time and I was a parent ambassador to the admissions department. That’s why I, and others, stay here long after our kids have done the application process so that we may help others through it. Some of the posters here are professors at PSU or otherwise affiliated. Some of us here are parent and admission ambassadors. No one is “acting as if” anything. We offer our help. Take it or leave it, I suppose. I’ve been in their place, and years ago I had some well meaning ‘old timers’ here help me out. I try to do the same.
Based on experience, it is VERY rare for an appeal to work unless there is some extreme extenuating circumstance, which does not seem to be the case in this instance. So I explained that I think your advice to formally appeal is not good advice. I still think that based on years of experience, but of course, it’s just advice and someone can do with that what they please. Your suggestion to highlight senior year information shows that you do not understand PSU admissions, because they will NOT consider ANY senior year things from anyone.
I do think that @cookies510 son may be able to ask for reconsideration into a major that is not as competitive like agriculture or Liberal Arts if his interests align with that. I’ve seen a couple LA applications accepted with his stats. He was truly borderline and could have gone either way.
Just because I have chosen to start adding comments does not mean I am “new”. Claiming that you are an expert in college admissions is like claiming you are an expert in the stock market or predicting the weather. As you have stated yourself, the admissions process is vastly different year to year and therefore no one can say for absolute certainty what will work and what will not. I happen to work in higher education myself and I choose to remain positive, looking for solutions–not spiral into negativity and make assumptions. There are students with lower stats that will get in and there are some with higher stats that won’t get in. All depends on what they are looking for, but I will never tell a student “that is an exercise in frustration which will end with the exact same result.” Honestly, who are you to say that? I have seen amazing results occur from student and parent encouragement.
@beach1234 I’ve never said I am an expert, nor have I spiraled into negativity. As for the rest, I am trying to save a student from prolonging their agony. Who am I to say that unless there are extenuating circumstances an appeal won’t work? I’m someone who knows that to be true for Penn State admissions, regardless of the year. They get 60,000+ applications each year and they have heard it ALL.
However, I’ve seen folks like you come and go over the years who pop in and challenge the norms for Penn State and then disappear. I’ll still be here trying to help people understand PENN STATE admissions, which is the only admissions process for which I am familiar. I will not be over on any other boards offering expert advice. Have a great day - I’d like to not clog up this decision thread with this nonsense any longer.
PS…there ARE experts on the stock market and weather. They are called Financial Analysts and Meteorologists.
@jlhpsu A few pages back someone posted how to calculate a GPA the “PSU” way. If I calculate the GPA that way, it is weighted, so why would anyone look at the unweighted? People are throwing our stats left and right, but without any context, they don’t really mean much. So, what is the middle 50th using the PSU scale? My son’s GPA actually goes up using that method. I still think despite the increase in his GPA, and a 30 on the ACT, he might get dinged, but I am just trying to understand the overall process a little better.
@beach1234 All I can tell you, based on this discussion, and some research, is that Penn State seems to do things very differently with regard to admissions. The PSU approach is nothing like the other schools to which my son applied (VT, JMU, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Florida State). It’s not right or wrong, it’s just different. And the end of the day, there are always going to be both happy and disappointed people.
I switched just to undecided in the DUS. I’m definitely lower in the student pool, but they changed my status on the portal in less than 48 hours. Still waiting to hear back; Penn State is definitely a reach school!
@kkarssenn so wait you haven’t been accepted yet? And what does it say on ur status now?
Not yet, it just says “receiving a lot of applications…” but initially when my major first changed it said something like “we will notify you of your status” but then it changed back to the first status, sadly.
Alright and thank you!
Admitted on 12/9
Stats:
ACT: 30
GPA: 3.7 UW
Letter of recommendation, strong essay
Admitted to University Park Undecided
White female
Ohio
Getting frustrated DD applied early September with a ACT 35 and GPA 4.7 weighted and has not heard back while others applied from her HS a few weeks ago same major and much lower stats already received acceptance.
Thousands of others are in the same boat. Nobody is entitled to a quick decision. No matter how qualified they think they are.
@nvsmim2022, to what program did she apply? Maybe it’s by colleges/major/???
@nvsmim2022 I understand the frustration. Just remember that Penn State decisions are not first in first out. When your application gets to Penn State it is sorted into a bunch of different buckets and those buckets move at different speeds (buckets meaning, major, GPA, Test scores, etc). There are also several different admission counselors who work at differing speeds. So your application could arrive directly in front of someone else who by the process of sorting and the admission counselor, end up much further “back”. Just remember that not hearing is not bad news. All Penn State promises is that an application completed by November 30 will get a decision by January 31st. That’s it. Good luck!
@lastone03 The GPA calculations posted the other day are the first I’ve ever seen like that. If that is what is happening, it is brand new this year and likely coincides with the SRAR being used this year. The middle 50% clearly says on their website that it is based on a 4.0 grading scale. So that’s UW. I believe PSU does look at the UW GPA and then does their calculations based on the number of honors and AP classes etc. Since every school weights differently, they can streamline and compare apples to apples by giving the SAME weight to each application that has honors and AP classes on it. That is why you may see someone with what they call a 4.0WGPA denied while someone who says they have a 3.8WGPA is accepted - because the way the schools weight is different and for one, the recalculation by Penn State favors them, and for someone else, it does not (because their school weights too easily).
I’ve seen 4,0 GPA’s denied on this board in previous years and it always comes down to the fact that their high school weights very generously. Also keep in mind grading scales. At our school, an A is a 94. At the school the next town over, an A is a 90. Those 4.0 GPA from those schools are not equal. And Penn State looks at that. That is why I always say it is impossible to compare GPA’s across schools - which in effect makes the chance threads useless and the comparisons of who got in and who didn’t, useless as well.
@ppst My DD applied engineering. Engineering does seem to be a little slower to admit early, its just that friends from the same HS applied engineering the end of November with lower stats and heard back. Just hoping to see a status change soon for her.
@jlhpsu Thank you.
Believe you me, I get it, but we just would like to know, right? @nvsmlm2022
Nvsmlm2022, Here is the deal with Penn State having gone through this a year ago.
- It doesn’t matter when you applied
- It doesn’t matter if other kids with lesser scores either were accepted or declined prior to you
- It doesn’t matter if your best friend got in and you haven’t heard
It’s a rolling decision and the ONLY guarantee is you’ll know by the end of January. It stinks, the waiting is excruciating and other schools do it better IMO.
Was accepted on Jan 11, 2017.
Sat: 1430
GPA: 3.4
Current freshman at University Park
Chill and good luck
Oh and for those looking for advice on PSU admissions…jlhpsu is the best poster for info on this board. If you don’t like her answers…sorry…but they are dead on. And this is coming from a current PSU freshman living and loving State College.