<p>how come all of a sudden this year psu has become so competitive? i used it as my safety, and all of this talk of seeing 2100 SAT scores being rejected has gotten me worried. they amde a desicion about 4 days ago, and idk wat to expect. this is crazy</p>
<p>From what I understand, Penn State is trying to keep their size in control. Something like 8,300 freshman were in last years class, and this year it will only be 7,000. In addition to less people being admitted, more people are applying.</p>
<p>Also, I also believe that Penn State does not look at the writing section of the SAT, so someone getting rejected with a 2100 is irrelevant. I was accepted to main campus with only a 1970, but my Verbal and Math were 1350.</p>
<p>GPA is also more important that SATs from what I read.</p>
<p>yeah ive heard that as well...which is tough for me because i have a lower gpa (3.4-3.5) because ive taken 7 AP and 12 honors courses. Ive heard they barely take into account courseload during their admission process which seems really unfair. its gonna be tough i guess</p>
<p>It's just not PSU. Ohio State and many other big universities are seeing an influx of applications this year. They are all being more selective in their admissions.</p>
<p>I didn't get rejected but I didn't get into a main campus(got into scond choice of Abington :( ) with a 2160(1430) and a 3.3 uw gpa with a decent courseload at a very competetive school. I'm kinda bummed but oh well. I'm going to write them a letter requesting a reconsideration of my application and how I'm serious about attending Penn State.</p>
<p>yeah, basically penn state made a BIG mistake last year by accepting 8000+ people. I talked to someone from admissions and he said the goal this year is to reduce the incoming class by 1000 frshmen . One other thing is that psu cares primarily about your gpa, regardless of what major you are applying to. So, if you have a 3.9 from some hs and a 1250 sat, you will probably get in. The essay part of the application is the most pathetic and laughable thing I have come accross during my college applications(all state schools). Penn state should follow OSU's and UT's (as well as most other flagship state schools' like uf/Upitt) example and include a meaningful essay section. Both osu and ut had very creative essay portions with two essays that could be an excellent deciding factor as they required creativity and maturity on the student's part. Now psu, only requires you to write a pitiable paragraph (<250 words) that is inevitably trite. So, the main factor is really GPA, which by itself is unreliable. Walking down the halls, you cannot believe the number of vacuous idiots that were admitted. Most of these people had a 3.7 in hs, a 1150 or something on the sat and now are struggling to maintain a 2.0. </p>
<p>Yeah, the writing section is useless. But if you had a solid gpa and >1250 sat, the only reason you would get rejected is if you applied too late in the proccess. I don't even know if they look at your ecs, but it is better to have at least 3 or more things listed in there. Saga, that might be why you got rejected. In terms of selectivity, I would say osu and other schools are getting selective at a much higher rate than psu--ut, for example, will only consider people with sats higher than 1350 for their science majors and requires certain sat IIs for other departments in engineering. It Is seems like penn state is just cutting down the number of accepted people but not necessarily being more selective so applying early is a vital strategy if you want to come here.</p>
<p>From what we experienced, PSU looks at weighted GPA. If your high school does not weight GPA, then the unweighted GPA is the number that they take into consideration. So, a student who has taken all honors and APs at a competitive hs that does not weight might have a GPA of 3.5. However, if that same student went to a hs that weighted GPA, he/she might have a weighted GPA in excess of 4.0. That difference, in itself, could determine whether a student gets admitted or not. Also, the GPA submitted is what is used to determine scholarships. So, the student who attended the hs that does not weight grades is at a disadvantage for attaining any merit scholarships that are available. </p>
<p>Last year, S applied with almost a 3.8 unweighted GPA (School did not weight or rank. It also did not include courses such as Phys. Ed, Art, Health, Speech, etc. in the GPA calculation.) having taken 24 honors/AP courses at a highly competitive high school and had an SAT in the low to mid 1400s (CR + M - only took it once). We inquired about academic merit scholarships and were told that his GPA was too low.</p>
<p>hey frasi - essays may help but the way things are going these days, you don't even know who's writing them (parent? coach?). So don't overrate them. Same thing with recs. Not many bad recs out there so it seems like a waste of time.<br>
However, I do agree that PSU does have flaws in it's admissions process. For example, too much emphasis on weighted GPAs.
Regarding the "vacuous idiots" walking the halls - who gives you the right to judge kids walking by you in a hallway? If a kid get's a 3.9 in HS and a reasonable SAT, how can they be categorized as an idiot? You think you'll find halls filled with geniuses at OSU? Give me a break.
Sounds like you need to either adjust your expectations or get yourself into a more selective school. For those who want to apply themselves, there are PLENTY of opportunites at PSU and many other state schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>If we follow your logic, there should be no interviews for medical and other graduate schools because some students might have been coached on how to respond to certain questions. And if everyone assumes that students will cheat/plagarize in the application, then all we have left are sats--would rather have that rather the whole holistic approach? What I was trying to say is that, in my opinion, too many PA kids who have average gpas (say 3.4-3.5) and barely average sats (say 1150) get accepted and then have a difficult time handling the work or getting anything above a 2..5. These standards appear to be the same for all departments, from liberal arts to engineering. I knew someone who got in under these circumstances and transferred out after the first semester because he wasn’t prepared to handle the coursework and ended up with a 2.0 or something. Current students know that studying and knowledge are definitely not the priority here over socializing and goofing around for more than a half of the students. Yeah, you are absolutely right, when it comes to my education, I want the school I attend to come across as an intellectual and competitive institution. It might be unrealistic to have such expectations from a state school that is basically considered 13th grade for several feeder hs throughout the state. However, PSU will have to raise its standards eventually to keep up with college rankings and reduce the careless attitude of many students. Personally, I don’t want “party school” to be the first thing that comes to mind when I tell someone which school I graduated from or apply for a job, especially since I am paying OOS tution ( I am an int'l student). So, hopefully psu tweaks its admissions policy and starts attracting higher caliber students.</p>
<p>So, all your points are valid except your stance regarding the essay and recommendation component of applications. Just the fact that a student is able to get a rec and compose a good essay speaks of his/her aptitude. PSU would only benefit by fixing these flaws in their application and reduce the number of unqualified students who get in just because of their gpa. </p>
<p>Best to all.</p>
<p>As it is too many students are accepted too quickly, which is negative for people like karp, saga, and the school's image.</p>
<p>i had a 3.8 and a 1240 and got sent to altoona..bummer..too bad ive already decided to go somewhere else! :)</p>
<p>The trick is to apply early.</p>
<p>Just to clarify...S was accepted to UP. (Actually, he was also a recruited athlete (non-revenue sport), so he knew very early.) However, my point was that attending a high school that does not weight grades, CAN have a negative impact on admission and academic merit scholarships.</p>
<p>I dont understand why people even care about half (or more) of the student population just goofing around and being more social than academic. Its not about them...its about you. Its your responsability to choose your friends and do your work.</p>
<p>Im sorry im just tired of hearing people complain about some of those aorund them. WHO REALLY CARES? do your thing and youll be fine, thats all that matters.</p>
<p>Well said CH121S.....</p>
<p>Frasi - I understand that essays and recs are part of a "holistic" admissions process and, in the end, perhaps that's a better approach. But a "holistic" process is not even CLOSE to perfect and way overrated IMO. Interviews are great way to get to know the person behind the app- but a place like PSU would never be able to integrate them into the process.
I don't think I can improve on what CHS said about caring about your own business. Walking around thinking your superior to the rest of the population won't get you very far. Smart kids can be often act goofy and have siily fun - look at the basketball fans at a Duke game - they certainly don't come across as studious geniuses.<br>
Bottom line, I think we should try to make the best of our situation OR get out ...quickly. Go on to Studentsreview.com and you'll find serious complainers about EVERY school out there. Go to any workplace and you''ll find them there too. As a CEO at a recent company I worked for said "If
you don't like it....there's the door" Good luck to you.</p>
<p>I see your point and agree with it 100%, it is up to the student to make the most of his/her education. I am personally inspired by students from my hs that excelled despite the terrible neighborhood and living conditions to go on to stanford and other ivy's. It's just that am very critical person to my own detriment sometimes. I do think that a competitive environmrnt helps to motivate you academically and that school image is important since people have their perceptions of students of a certain school. Anyways, it is just my first semester at psu so i will hope i will be involved in more activities in the future.</p>
<p>heavenwood... i applied in late october.. i was never told that months early wasnt early enough</p>
<p>YOU've got it CH121S. On the $$. </p>
<p>btw, there is one "mega" phenomenon @ work in this competitive scenario. All of you applying to higher ed institutions have the misfortune of being part of the huge demographic wave of baby boomer reflection. Virtually EVERY campus in the country is experiencing substantial increases in apps because of this ... AND because you all are more affluent and thus applying to more places than ever before. </p>
<p>So what's it all about, Alfie, you ask? Simply that it's currently a "sellers" market ... and you all are the buyers. So institutions can afford to be more selective than they might have been 5 or 10 years back, and are likely to be less selective 5 or 10 years into the future. Sorry, you're outta luck fellas and gals. Just gotta suck it up, do your best, and swim agin the tide.</p>
<p>Interesting. You applied in late October yet were rejected. What is your weighted GPA?</p>