@bodangles , I imagine a good number of those are recruited athletes. You have to be very special, have had unusual circumstances, or contribute something unique to the community to get in with anything below a 3.0. 4% of all enrolled, first year kids at UP would amount to ~340 students or so.
@jlhpsu @Jhp1599 , I’ll be a doubter. Unless you have an unusual situation (top recruited athlete…speaks 12 languages…illegitimate child of one of the Housewives of Orange County…raised in the wild by wolves) I don’t believe you got into UP with a 2.6 GPA. My gut tells me you are making this up to get back at us naysayers.
If you did, you better pay your deposit quickly before they realize what happened. And plan to have a few grand set aside for tutors, because next year will be the toughest year of your life. You are not prepared for UP. At all. Not even close. So please go prove us wrong. At $30k/year, I wouldn’t wish that level of risk on too many parents.
To all those kids with higher stats who got rejected or deferred, this is a good example of life not being fair.
@Sophley I know but being apart of AFROTC and the Air Force after I graduate is very important to me. And I was between the Economics and Finance major when I first applied so I think it will work out pretty well. Plus I was told that if I still qualify for Smeal when declaring my major I could have the opportunity to change it back if I still wanted to (depending on my grades of course). But since I was between the two majors when I applied and either degree will help me in the careers I’ve looked into I’ll probably stick to Economics. Anyways thanks for the good luck wishes I’m really excited!
@csschool01 , makes complete sense. It sounds like you really thought it through. I know some of the professors in Behrend’s business school and they are crazy devoted to their students. I’m a little partial to them, 
I promise you all I am not making this up. I am just as shocked as all of you. I apologize to anyone who is frustrated with this, but I am ready to put in the most effort I ever had to be successful at PSU.
^ are you an international/ studying in another country?
That’s the only way it’d make sense.
Wrt ‘effort’, everybody will (others will be lost within a few weeks). It’s probably the biggest shock for HS students that effort alone may yield a C and not always. Without 2-3hours of work per class period, you can’t keep up. The pace is: what an AP class covers in ten months with 5 periods a week, you’ll cover in 4 months with 3 periods a week. In many classes, you’ll cover more than the AP class in that amount of time. You have to have too orchestra time management skills, memorization, mastery of material. It’s hard even for kids with multiple APs and As. You have to start right now preparing.
Admitted University Park DUS! My D applied to DUS after being admitted to Smeal 2/2 Altoona. It took only took 3 weeks 4 days this time unlike the 5 months it took for the SMEAL decision. GPA 3.55. WGPA 3.95
ACT 30. Heavy leadership experience, volunteer hours and activities.
@jhp1599. good luck. You deserved to get in. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
What’s with all the negativity? GPA does not equate to intelligence. The smartest and most successful people I know were not the ones with 4.0s and top of their class.
In my experience the combination of exceptionally high standardized test scores with mediocre grades does not indicate a lazy kid but often an exceptionally gifted one whose needs aren’t met in the traditional school environment or a kid with a learning disability such as ADHD. Applicants are far more than their numbers but due to the sheer number of applications Penn State has no way to perform holistic reviews and generally makes its decisions based on the numbers alone.
To suggest @Jhp1599 won’t succeed is inappropriate and cruel. The admissions department obviously thought otherwise. Every high school kid has to adjust to the college environment and sometimes its the “perfect” 4.0 kids that have a more difficult time adjusting because they haven’t faced much adversity. A kid who experienced some failures and has figured out how to pick themselves up and get his or her act together should be just fine.
@Cookies510 I forgot to mention in my previous post that not all that long ago you were REALLY upset on this page about your son getting a 2+2 and assumed they were giving the UP spots to OOS kids. If anything, your son should absolutely have been accepted if an application with a 2.6 GPA was accepted. If I were you, I’d be livid over THAT - not the inaccurate perception that your son was denied for being in state (the 2.6 applicant is also in state). GPA doesn’t equate intelligence, but your son is far more prepared. And I have nothing against the kid that got in - it’s the process that’s wrong if he did.
I’m done with this ridiculous argument. A 2.6 is NOT UP MATERIAL. Period and full stop. Everyone needs to stop arguing it is…because if it is - or if you want it to be, then Penn State will not be a top National University much longer.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: There are too many off-topic posts to delete, but I don’t want to see any more of them. Please restrict posts in this thread to DECISIONS.
^ Also, when you post your decision, list your major/college of choice, summer session if applicable, W and UW GPA, #of honors+AP, test scores, OOS/PA.
I applied before the November 30th deadline and my Application is still not under review even though all the materials are received and complete.
Does it take longer for international students application to go for review?
@Marky2819 early action deadline for international students is 1st Feb. My application is finally under review
Son was accepted for fall 2+2 Harrisburg for Engineering. Asked to be reevaluated for UP summer session and was accepted to UP w/ summer session today.
@njjohn52 : can you list your son’s stats? Thanks.
OOS GPA 3.6 UW 1290 SATS Average extracurriculars
Thanks!
Hi all - S was accepted a couple of months ago. I just wanted to let you all know that we received a regular-sized envelope from Penn State about a week ago and the address had the appearance of a mass mailing. I put it off to the side, then opened it this morning as I was clearing out mail. It turned out to be a letter awarding a small (but much appreciated) merit scholarship. Watch your mail and beware that important info might come in unusual ways…
S was accepted to UP DUS summer session yesterday. Applied in September to UP DUS Fall with Altoona as the alternate. Was denied UP and then asked to be reconsidered for summer. WGP 4.1, 1330 SAT, PA resident; almost all honors/AP’s, good EC’s.