@DonCornelious I’m sure someone here can better answer questions on Schreyer. Maybe create a new thread. I don’t really have a lot of experience with Schreyer.
My son’s EA application is still under review. With the decision date looming, does anyone know if contacting PSU Admissions to change the Summer start option would impact the timing of such decision? His first choice is University Park and he initially opted out of pursuing the Summer option. Being an out of state resident, he would decline any offer of admission if his secondary school choice was offered as we are not familiar with the Commonwealth campus system. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
@spqr70nj Based on some of the other threads, it appears that Admissions was overwhelmed by two new factors: EA and the common app. There are many students - in the middle of the range and high stats, that were deferred to Priority (will hear by Jan. 31st), so your son is not alone. Although having said that, if his application is still under review, he may still receive a “real” answer (not a “deferred” answer).
I’m confused. You say that he doesn’t want to attend summer, but then ask if he should switch his application to summer? If he has no intention of summer, then don’t put it down as an option. For the record, summer is a great place to start and get some credits under your belt. But it shouldn’t be used as a way to get offered admission and then try and switch to fall.
What are his stats? What major did he apply for?
He applied for Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and currently has a 4.0 GPA with AP, dual enrollment, and honors classes in high school. His best SAT came in at 1310. The reason for possibly changing to the Summer option would be to have a fallback if Fall start was closed out. He wasn’t too keen on starting over the Summer at the time of submitting his application, but Penn State is his top choice school. The secondary school is Scranton which we know nothing about and they don’t even have on-campus housing (as we are out of state residents). Therefore if a decision to admit to Scranton was granted, he would graciously decline.
I also think he was of the opinion that the Summer option was a ‘trial’ period and if he didn’t do well then there was no guarantee he would be enrolled in the Fall. Based on what I am readying online and in these threads, that is not the case.
@spqr70nj His stats certainly seem strong, but I am no engineering admissions expert. (just a parent) Again, I hope that he gets an “admit” in the next few days, but if he is deferred, don’t take it as negative. Did he apply for Schreyer?
As to the original question, would contacting Admissions possibly delay any action? Don’t know the answer to that question. Might be worth a call, but they are pretty overwhelmed right now. However, if it puts you at peace of mind, then it is worth making that call.
Summer is a great option - it is not a “trial” period, but is offered to kids who were just on the bubble. They roll into fall semester with 6 credits under their belt. It is a great time to knock out that English writing class, for example. It is much lower stress and for many, a great way to get adjusted in a smaller environment.
good luck!
@lucyvanpelt Thank you! Appreciate the feedback.
Thank you for the information. My son was put on the deferred list from Early action but it really seems like it’s more of a delay list. He’s in the top 20 percent of his class, 1230 SAT, 4.0 GPA, AP/honors classes. He applied to the business school and now we are wondering if that was the right way to go or if he should have done undecided. Thoughts?
Wondering the same thing ourselves after seeing some of the acceptances to main campus and scores/gpa relative to the intended school or major.
@jjely44 That’s honestly a tough one. With a 4.0GPA he SHOULD Be ok for Smeal, but the 1230 SAT is low. It’s under the middle 50% for admission for all students…it’d be a lot lower than that for Smeal specifically since Smeal is one of the hardest majors to get into. That being said, there have been some reported scores less than that for Smeal - although I’m not sure how much I believe them if I’m being honest.
At this point, if I were you, I’d wait to see what the decision is. I think he has a decent shot, especially if you put summer start option. If a denial, call ASAP and ask to be reconsidered DUS. My fear in changing to DUS now wold be that it would put him in the back of the line and he will be further delayed.
Does the 2+2 acceptance mean that you are accepted into Smeal? I need to read more when I get home. Also from a parental perspective seems like 2+2 progam would lead to a kind of “fragmented” college experience for lack of a better term. Thx.
@Hipo09 You have to read the acceptance. Some colleges have Smeal and others do not. But regardless, you can work towards Smeal from any campus as long as you are in DUS (or preSmeal)
@jhpsu. I can assure you that my daughter got into Smeal directly at university park with an unweighted 3.5, weighted 3.8 and 1440 SAT, if I am one of the reported “lower” stats you don’t know if you believe (just with the gpa lower rather than the SAT ) ?. Applied 11/1 EA. Found out 12/18. I have been on college confidential since 2015 when my daughter applied to psu class of 2020 (she is a junior there now and I remember you well because your daughter has gotten into summer start the year before and you posted a lot!) and my daughter got in 48 hours after her application was complete, so I really never had a lot of reason to post but I may have posted her stats and admission back then (4.6 weighted. Unknown unweighted…maybe 4 or 5 Bs in HS. Sat in the low 1800 one sitting). Admitted directly into health and hum development at university park.) I kind of felt that “don’t know if you believe” statement kind of throws shade for no reason. I have a lot of friends and relatives with a wide variety of stats who went or go to PSU and admissions is not always formulaic. Knowing what I do now since she did get in, I would actually be really upset right now if I had told my daughter to change her application to DUS out of fear, or made her question her ability, when PSU likes her for Smeal just as she is! I understand a desire to let people know that smeal can be more challenging to get in, and I appreciated the heads up as a consideration, but I think sometimes some of the dismissive statements about “low stats” for people who clearly are excellent students are more harmful than helpful. People are not just numbers or a one day exam, and I truly believe that despite being a huge university, PSU can figure that out.
Thanks. Unfortunately summer isn’t an option as the dates are when he actually graduates from hs. I called admissions today and they confirmed the 8000 apps from early action that weren’t even looked at. They said changing major would be no issue and never mentioned it would put him further back. He decided to change it as the goal is to get in and then transfer to a major. Hopefully it was correct. He is in already at WVU and Rutgers
@jjely44 My son has been accepted to WVU and Rutgers as well for engineering - Buffalo too. Just waiting for PSU.
@Mecsesq1 whoah…where did all of that come from? Your child with a 3.8 and 1440 is not a low stat applicant, so i was not speaking of them. I am talking about some of the one off posts where people say they get into something over the years and the stats just don’t fit. Some people I do not believe. That is not shade. That’s the nature of an open and anonymous forum. ‘Shade’ is what you threw when you brought up my posting a lot in 2014. Had you been here since then you would know that’s I often talk about how crazy admissions made me and how unnecessary that was and that’s the reason I’ve stuck around for nearly 5 years, consistently, to help people not do what I did. I’ve got no skin in the game other than to help people. And I get far more “thank you for helping me with my application, I was just admitted” PM’s and posts, than complaints about trying to lower the risks for students.
I’m glad everything worked out for your daughter and as I’ve said a MILLION times in this page, you can only give advice based on the stats given and there is no way to know a high schools grading scale. While you might have been really mad to tell your daughter to apply DUS, for many others it’s a less risky option with no downsides and has gained admission for a lot of people for whom it otherwise would not have.
While people are certainly more than numbers or one test score, Penn State doesn’t really care. GPA is 2/3 of the decision. That’s just the facts.
Now, I’m sorry if my advice upsets you clearly, but as I was not speaking down about anyone’s child nor desparaging anyone’s stats. I was most certainly NOT speaking about you. People ask for advice and all we can do is give general answers based on trends and research. There are always outliers. The advice is not science. Take, or leave it. But don’t get mad about giving it when people ask.
@jjely44 Glad you talked to admissions and got answers you are comfortable with! Good luck to your son!
@jhpsu maybe I was wrong to assume you were directing that disbelief at me. It’s just that you have several times told people with around 3.6 gpas that smeal is unlikely without clarifying if it was weighted or unweighted. Your posts and replies made me very anxious as I waited for my daughter’s decision, despite specific conversations we had with admissions reps that made me feel she was a great fit. Luckily my daughter was more confident and also doesn’t read this forum! But that is why I felt the way I did about your statement. And the statement I made about you being a frequent poster was not shade. You did post a lot. Which is fine. Great actually! I actually really liked your posts then. I rooted for your daughter in 2014-15 (cause I read those posts for info). And I remembered you posted so much that your name was pronounced JAYHIPSUE when I would read your posts outloud to my daughter while waiting for psu decision in 2015. So I immediately remembered you (fondly I might add) when I started reading posts for my current daughter’s application.
But you are wrong about gpa being 2/3. Actually, GPA and rigor are 2/3. Not just GPA. That is a fact from several admission people I have spoken with. Another one of my children was recruited by psu for athletically, (she chose another D1 school) so we got to know a lot of people and ask a lot of questions. I just think maybe over the 5 years you may sometimes forget just a teeny bit that people are passionate about the hard work they put into high school, and you can sometimes come across as dismissive by calling stats “low” when these are all A and B students for the most part. And i don’t think you mean to. But it sometimes reads a little harsh. And I did say I appreciated the heads up about smeal being harder, and suggesting the DUS option. (I never said I would have been “really mad”. I said I would have been upset. Big difference! Words matter!! And changing to DUS for re-evaluation after being rejected at Smeal is a good suggestion, but changing to DUS before smeal turned them down may be an overreaction out of fear which I would have regretted suggesting to my daughter) But I think giving that kind of advice (which is helpful) is not always where you stop, and by going further than that in your evaluation of someone without all the facts can be hurtful and may actually discourage someone who would have gotten in. I have no skin in the game either. But I have as much knowledge as you do. Perhaps more. You are just more vocal about it and in taking on that role, you can impact people positively or negatively. I am one of the few people who posted about getting into Smeal and my daughter’s unweighted GPA was below what you have previously said was a smeal gpa (without clarifying weighted or unweighted). So it definitely felt directed at me. Maybe you didn’t intend that, but that is why I stood up for myself because I have read things you have said previously and other who have read your posts may have made the same assumption based on the gpas you reference. I appreciate all of the people who post their experiences. And have very much appreciated yours as well. But 3.5 unweighteds are not outliers at Smeal. Not all 3.5 unweighted gpas are created equal. Rigor is very very important, and the 2/3-1/3 repeated mantra is not really accurate.
Again, I do appreciate all of your positive and helpful posts, I am thrilled that your daughter got in and loves it, and I don’t want you to see this as me being negative toward you. It’s not. I am merely pointing out that a 3.5 unweighted gpa, 1440 gpa got right into Smeal university park EA. And she is not the only one we know who has. So people can be encouraged by that or not.
That’s the problem with printed words…people can’t hear the tone in which they are said and interpret them different ways. Not meaning anything but support for those who have worked hard and may have a great chance to get into the school and program they want.
@Mecseq1 Of course rigor matters. That is why I always say that it’s impossible to compare GPA’s because everyone’s grading scale and such are different. As are what is offered at each individual HS. Some high schools do not have AP classes to take. Penn State does not punish those who can’t take a higher rigor. When I say 2/3 of the decision is GPA, that of course includes rigor.
Now, as far as a 3.6 GPA getting denied Smeal…IF someone posts and just says “3.6 applied to Smeal”…I’m going to say it’s unlikely they get in. If they say “3.6 UW, 3.85 W”, then I won’t say that. There is a difference. I can ONLY go by what someone posts and usually people post their highest GPA. I would have no reason to think that someone who posts with a 3.6 GPA is talking about anything other than a Weighted GPA, or the highest GPA that Penn State considers. I can only comment on what someone posts. And 100 times over, I would tell someone with a 3.6 GPA to apply DUS as it’s a MUCH safer choice than to actually gain admittance. And honestly, that’s my goal. My goal is to give people advice with the least amount of risk that gets them an admission. But as I’ve said, I’ve got no skin in the game so it’s really up to the individual in how much risk THEY want to take.
Smeal is about an 11% admit rate. Borderline scores are risky. Anything less than a 3.8, I give the advice to apply DUS. ESPECIALLY if their test scores are low. Many people don’t realize that they can get into Smeal via DUS.
Asking for reconsideration doesn’t always work - especially as the admission cycle continues because those spots fill.
Last year, DUS was more competitive than liberal arts for exactly this reason.
I’m so happy that your daughter was admitted to Smeal! That’s an amazing accomplishment to hang her hat on. The issue comes with kids who have no idea how competitive Smeal is or that there is another option and then they get their heart broken when they are denied. Advising DUS isn’t EVER saying a student isn’t “good enough” for anything. It is ALWAYS, always, just trying to help a really smart kid achieve their goals by whatever means necessary. Sometimes, that means taking advantage of known loopholes to get in.
I hope you better understand where I am coming from and I certainly apologize if my posts made you anxious. But like I said, 100 times if I’m asked if a 3.6 should apply to Smeal, 100 times I will advise DUS. Maybe I’m wrong some of the time, but more often than not, I’m not. And since someone who might have gotten in for Smeal will certainly get in for DUS, there is no downside to applying DUS, whereas someone who definitely could get in via DUS and decides to risk it for Smeal, may end up with a denial outright. It’s a huge gamble and I just try to let people know their options.
Informed Delivery through the postal service shows a thick white letter-sized envelope postmarked 12/21 from Penn State Undergraduate Admissions coming later today. The PSU portal is still showing my daughter has to wait until 1/31 for her decision.
Wondering if this letter is just reiterating that she has to wait until 1/31? Anyone else get this letter?
Impatient for mail delivery today. 