^ Don’t expect any financial aid from Penn State. Even high stats low income instate students usually get nothing from the university, though they may get Pell and state grants if they qualify for those.
I had DS apply just to see how bad the financial aid would be from Penn State compared to the other colleges where he, so far, has been getting full tuition for his stats.
My son got full tuition at Bama for his stats (plus $2500 a year for engineering) and ZIP from Penn State last year. And we live in PA. If you’ve applied for a less popular major and are a strong student or URM, there’s a chance you might get a small merit award, but those are few and far between.
Penn State’s application is not cheap. I highly recommend running their net price calculator before applying if you know you can’t afford full pay. Why waste the money?
@obwian22 hi. I got accepted into Erie and I am planning on attending Erie this fall for college of engineering. I just have a few questions.
- What was your freshman schedule like? Should I take challenging classes as a freshman (I took calc AB and BC in highschool, and got 4 on both of my AP tests. also Physics AP mechanics, got a 5, and Physics AP E&M, got a 4). should I continue on taking hard classes in Erie (I am not afriad to challenge myself, but only to an extent) or retake physics and calc in Erie and boost my GPA(also as a good refresher)?
- i was invited to the Erie honors program, but still haven’t got the actual invitation letter yet(it will arrive within few days). So my question is, is it hard to get into Erie Honors program? what are the requirements. and will i get a scholarship and financial aid as honors? thanks so much.
- Let say once I completed the first 2 years at Erie and still able to maintain in the honors level. whats next in the UP? I heard you automatically get into scheyre honors program, but is it hard? what is it like?
Thanks so much for answering these questions.
@C1TonDoe 1. If you passed the AP exams, dont bother taking the courses. Especially the physics courses, they are extremely difficult. But you can start from Calc 2 and work your way into that.
2. I dont know too much about Erie honors but I know for a fact that its not too difficult to get in (1800 sat etc). you do have to maintain a 3.3 gpa to stay in the program. I dont know if you get a scholarship or not, you should check with admissions.
3. If you want to maintain honors at UP you need to reapply for the schreyers honors program. IT IS NOT A AUTOMATIC transfer. After your sophomore year you will most likely fill out a thing called a gateway application and if you get into the schryers program, you can continue it at UP. It is extremely difficult to get into it btw, you would need a 3.8 gpa after two years, plus recommendation letters etc. And continuing the program is not easy since you have a write a thesis and do research etc.
Cheers!
Does it really matter which campus you go to? I plan to major in computer science and just got into Penn State Harrisburg. Is University Park like the best campus to go to or are other campuses equally good?
@zaxway Your degree will be from Penn State…regardless of which campus you go to. Some think UP is the “best” because it is the biggest and most difficult to get into…but it really depends on what you are looking for. Many students like the smaller branch campuses. Graduating from Penn State is graduating from Penn State. Your degree will not state which campus you start at or finish at…just that you are Penn State.
Just a clarification – I was under the same impression, jlhpsu, but was incorrect. See “Does a degree from another PSU campus hold the same prestige as University Park?” http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1660956-does-a-degree-from-another-psu-campus-hold-the-same-prestige-as-university-park.html
obwian22 corrects me (post #5) and writes (post #6):
Upon inquiry, this is correct.
zaxway, you should read that thread for general information; specifically, though, is this from obwian22:
Good luck!
@pilot2012 @zaxway Not in the case of this thread, which is about the 2+2 program. Unless something has changed drastically, if you start at a branch and do the 2+2, your degree will make no mention of the campus you attended the first 2 years. If you start and finish 4 years at a branch, then it may. But in the context of a 2+2, Penn State is Penn State.
Confirmed – “0” in reading comprehension today! Sorry.
Guys yes, if you graduate from a branch campus it will say your campus you graduated from. The general rule of thumb is that, the campus your finish at, is the one that will say the location on your diploma.
Cheers!
The only real issue with the 2+2 program is the level of preparation and competitiveness of the satellite campus’s student body. The average student at some of the branch campuses would be more on par with the type of student you would find at a PASSHE school. This may or may not be of concern to any given student, but a student qualified for admission as a freshman to the main campus might want to consider that piece of the equation:
http://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/
I would look up the specific campus you’re considering and compare it directly to UP for the program that interests you.
As an aside, the FAQ’s from some of the branch campuses indicate that their diploma will read Penn State only, and not the branch campus. This is what I’ve always heard, so the information presented here that the campus you graduate from will be listed on your diploma is news to me. Here is the answer to the FAQ from the Berks Campus. Similar information will be found on other branch campus websites. I’d be interested to hear from someone who has actually graduated from a branch to see what their diploma states:
"If I graduate with a 4 year degree from Penn State Berks, will my diploma say Penn State University?
Graduates of baccalaureate degree programs at Penn State Berks receive a Pennsylvania State University diploma-the same distinction received by graduates of Penn State University Park. The same renowned and respected diploma from The Pennsylvania State University ensures that graduates from Penn State Berks will receive the same consideration and respect in the job market."
This discussion makes me torn about what the best campus is for my son. He is accepted into Smeal (UP) with an intended major of finance, but the Erie finance program is actually better suited to what he wants to do (get his CFA). He only applied to UP because Erie is too far (5 1/2 hours) in his mind, and Harrisburg is too close (he’d live at home). If he did decide that he’d rather go to a branch, I’m assuming he could probably do that… any thoughts? I don’t think he will turn down UP, especially if he gets into Schreyer, but just wondering…
@obwian22 If you got turned down from Main Campus and were accepted at a satellite, is there anyway to be put on a waiting list for Main Campus? Our student really wants to be on Main as that is where is friends are. Currently he is at Altoona because it’s the closet to Main campus. Any creative ideas? HIs stats aren’t bad and equal to some of his friends that got into Main plus the Summer program…
I had originally applied to University Park for my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. They offered me admission to Berks, with a 2+2 plan, concluding at University Park. I am skeptical about Berks, it looks like a really small campus with no life. I am an international student and housing too seems difficult there. What do you suggest, is Berks good?
@Shivansh159 we toured Berks when my son was looking at ENG. Options. I was really impressed with the school, especially the ENG dept. The campus is very nice. I grew up in the area but I never really gave Berks a chance. Touring completely changed my mind about the school. What I didn’t like was the whole lack of dorm space and choice. This campus is known as a suitcase campus. Meaning that a good amount of student go home on the weekends. The whole dorm deal was disappointing to me. This branch would have been our second choice if my son hadn’t gotten into UP.
Anyway, I know 2 students that started at berks and transferred to main for the last two years. These two lived on campus and they loved it. They said that there is enough to do on the weekends. The surrounding area has many stores, movie theaters and restaurants.
One other ENG student transferred after the first year only because the courses he needed for the following year were not available at Berks. It was not a common known Eng. Feild.
If you want to attend PSU, I guess this is your way to get there. Do you have other schools options?
@Westnovasalle If you got turned down from main campus you can ask for reconsideration for Main Campus if your student is willing to change his major and/or starting semester. They already have a waiting list, so if your student were eligible for that I think that you would have been offered that.
There are many people on this board who were initially denied UP and then changed to DUS (Undecided) and got in for fall or summer. DUS does not hinder your overall plan for most majors.
@Shivansh159 I don’t know anything about Berks, but maybe you could ask for a bigger branch campus? Altoona is the closest one to State College, and Berhend is the largest branch campus.
@PERplexD I got into Arizona State Univ and University of Texas(Arlington) , but I am not really inclined to them. I feel a Penn State degree holds a lot of importance and if I can make the transition to UP after the fourth semester, starting off with Berks might be worth it.
But jlhpsu made a great point. See if you can transfer to Altoona or another campus. Altoona is closer to UP. My son has a friend that comes up on Thursday evenings and hangs with them until late Sunday or early Monday before he heads back to Altoona. You may not have this option through a friend, but quite a few of the Altoona students head out on the weekends to hang in UP.
If not, Berks is still good start.