<p>For the one thousandth time, Schreyer does not look at SATs or ACTs. However, you have to have a score high enough to get into Penn State. I am a current Schreyer scholar so I know this for sure. The students that get admitted have extremely competitive applications, and many of them turn down offers from Ivy Leagues. I personally chose to go to PSU instead of Cornell. Although this is not always the case, good SAT scores seem to come with the package when a student has a high GPA and has amazing ECs.</p>
<p>^
I understand that ACT and SAT scores do not affect their decision…</p>
<p>Would you mind telling me your stats?
I don’t have the best GPA (as mentioned in my previous post) although I do go to an extremely competitive high school and I’m worried that will significantly lower my chances of acceptance to SHC.</p>
<p>*@MisterK. You think so? *</p>
<p>@cricket - Yes, I do. I’m a PA resident, parent of an academically oriented HS senior. We send a ton of students to Penn State every year (no surprise), and we always have a few Schreyers students. This year, it’s going to be very different; we’re hearing it from the students, and also from the parents. The stronger students all seem to have dropped Penn State (as we did). A month ago, PSU was one of our primary safeties, with Schreyers being one of our top choices. Now it’s a complete non-starter.</p>
<p>I think that parents and students everywhere must be having the same thoughts.</p>
<p>@MisterK,
Wow. I haven’t heard that kind of reaction where I live but I’m not a PA resident so it’s different. PSU is not my first choice either but it is a good school and I am interested…</p>
<p>Do you think its rankings will fall?</p>
<p>I’m not very rankings-oriented but my parents are…</p>
<p>@cricket</p>
<p>Yes, I think its ranking will fall. I expect that Penn State leadership will notice that this year’s applications/admissions are a bit off, but that they’ll think of it as a one-time problem; they’re still very focused on short-term damage control, and doing poorly. In a few years, they’ll be past the denial phase, and they’ll realize that they’ve got a real ongoing problem. </p>
<p>Ultimately they’ll need to begin offering serious merit dollars to attract strong academically oriented students. Right now, they’re priced well above market, and strong students can already obtain equivalent or better educations at a lesser cost, even in-state students.</p>
<p>I think this will play out over the better part of a decade.</p>
<p>@MisterK,
I see; I agree that this will definitely be an issues for years to come.</p>
<p>Do you think PSU will receive a significantly lower number of applications this year?</p>
<p>I expect that they’ll see fewer applicants overall, and a lower acceptance percentage (the so-called yield). It’s hard to say what’s significant; it’s not as if they’ll have any problem filling up their campuses. But they won’t be able to maintain the same quality. </p>
<p>The interesting activity will happen at the margins, in every area, and at every level. Applications that would have been will simply not materialize. Applicants who might have said “yes” will be saying “no.” The stronger football players will join other programs. Students who might have been willing to look past the dominant football culture might now find it to be unacceptable. </p>
<p>It’s easy to understand what today’s HS seniors and their parents are thinking: What could I possibly get at Penn State that I couldn’t get elsewhere, without all the smelly baggage? Why should I pay the most expensive state flagship rate in the nation? Shouldn’t the price be adjusted to reflect the damage? And if there’s something there that I truly love, am I willing to bet on the current administration and oversight committees to do the right things to get the university back on track? And how long would that take, even if they did make the right moves? What other bad news is still to come? Why would I do this to myself when there are hundreds of great universities where I could enjoy my four years?</p>
<p>One of their problems is that they’ve priced themselves for perfection - they’re the nation’s most expensive flagship in an era of bubble pricing. As ludicrous as that was before the scandal, it now places them in an untenable position. Pennsylvania residents can already choose equal quality state schools elsewhere at a net savings in price - incredible. The Penn State pricing will need to adjust to reality if they want to retain their quality.</p>
<p>In my circle of parents, families and students, none of us are finding any satisfactory answers that lead to Penn State. Our seniors’ Penn State applications are in the wastebasket; I’m sure there are exceptions, but I don’t know of any.</p>
<p>Although those are certainly valid points, I think that that’s a little extreme. Penn State offers a lot beyond it’s athletics programs. Despite the scandals, it’s still an excellent university. I agree that admissions will certainly be different this year, and the problem will take a while to solve, but that doen’t make Penn State worthless to even look at. All schools are expensive these days, and honestly sticker price isn’t always what you’ll be paying after financial aid, etc. And the tuition was set before the scandal blew up this fall…if it has any effect on tuition (and I’m not suggesting it will), that won’t show up until at least next year. As a prospective student, I would say that Penn State still has it’s merits. Like I said, the current events change things a bit, but if you think so poorly of the school now, how high could your opinion have really been before?</p>
<p>Also to answer the actual question, I’d say apply. Worse that happens is you get rejected and lose 30 bucks.</p>