My son was accepted for Summer 2020 at UP for Biomedical Engineering. The LEAP program would be great for him so the Summer admit is no issue.
Just got the financials and I was a little disappointed that he got no Merit Scholarships - he’s received 10-15K everywhere else. Then I saw in another thread that freshman usually don’t get Merit scholarships and I feel a little better. If he goes to PSU - we’ll have to pay for Summer (about 9K I figure) + 45K for freshman year (Ouch)
Anyone have any experience with the LEAP program? It sounds great - but wanted to hear some first hand experiences. Especially before spending that kind of money.
Let me be the first among the many who will tell you LEAP is awesome. …
They learn the layout of campus and the basics of PSU life while campus is less full and less hectic. This in turn makes them considerably more oriented when fall begins – they’ve figured out all the little logistical quirks of navigation, CATA buses, dining halls, dorms.
They get two core courses out of the way, which leaves room in their future schedule for breathing space, or failure, or alternates, or a minor, or electives…They also will have a slight advantage in scheduling, since they will have a few more credits than your average freshman.
They spend a chunk of summer in State College which includes Fourth Fest (100K people) Arts Festival (ditto) , street fairs, baseball, outdoor pool, best weather…
LEAP will schedule social activities, academic activities, and provide an upperclass mentor
LEAP’s most important factor is the prides. The students have the same two courses with the same people — the friends they make in LEAP are close ones. My kids both did LEAP and we are local! Both are still friends with many of their LEAP “fam”; one is attended a wedding of a LEAPer this winter and so did 10 of the 12 other LEAPr, and this is 5 yrs after graduation. Regardless of whether they choose a major-related Pride or not.
IF you can afford it, LEAP is just the best thing PSU does.
100 percent agree. Many new students struggle with the enormity of Penn State. Leap let’s them find their community a little earlier, so they are just better adjusted before the scary hard work starts. Come September, freshmen have to learn campus, understand the student portal, find a group of friends and start looking for housing for sophomore year almost immediately, plus tackle a workload like they’ve likely never had before. It’s daunting. Leap kids are far more chill about it all because they are settled in (and have gotten some of the silly yah-yahs out of their system.)
Agree with all of the above. Leap was amazing. Gave my daughter the chance to ease into college. As far as the merit aid, Penn State doesn’t really give it so PSU OOS plus summer can be an expensive proposition. Leap is amazing, but only you can decide if it’s financially reasonable for your family.
p.s. You can switch from Fall to Summer in order to attend LEAP
You cannot switch from Summer to Fall for any reason unless it's a truly extenuating circumstance (coronavirus, death in the family, extraordinary financial hardship, car accident, plague, locusts...)
We do have uncommon anecdotal evidence of reconsideration to an entirely different major or DUS changing someone's start term but remember -- if you are a summer admit, you've been considered for Fall already. Any kind of reconsideration would put you back at the end of the line, and with new standards of admission (it's harder to get in, in March than October)
Everything online now. I think this eliminates most of the perceived benefit of the summer program, unfortunately. Perhaps the only benefit now would be to digest a couple of online courses over summer to get accustomed in advance to what they may yet have to deal with in fall. Not the ideal way to start off your college career. Really sad for these kids, who are already being cheated out of the best and most fun part of their senior year in high school!
