OT: Odds of getting into University Park
- Thread starter wbcincy
- Start date
No, but I recall when when Main admissions was on the level of the likes of a UC Berkeley. When I was in HS we pretty much needed a +1300 SAT to have a decent chance but that was in '86 when PSU was probably at its academic and athletic pinnacle. No idea what it takes now. Good luck.
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One of the issues that I recall from the 80s and 90s was that a lot of really strong candidates would get wait listed; this was a function of Ivy League kids using PSU as their safety school. No idea if that is still an issue or not, but that definitely used to drive up the admissions criteria for UP fall semester (no waitlist).
My son went through the admission process 2 years ago. PSU was never really considered because we would have to pay out of state tuition. However, I learned a fair amount.
One good website is prep scholar. Here is its entry for PSU. https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Penn-State-admission-requirements In the age of Covid and some colleges de-emphasizing standardized tests, I wonder how accurate it is. It does say that the SAT average for PSU is 1265, which means your niece may have an uphill climb.
If PSU gives the ACT equal credence, I would suggest that she practice for it and take it multiple times if necessary. ACT test takers have total control over the release of their scores, so there is no reason not to take it multiple times. Based on my son's experience, a student's scores can be greatly increased.
My son started with a 25 score (Maybe top 25%) and finished with a 33 (top 2%). His scores steadily increased as he took the test 5 times and took practice tests over and over again. (He had a little bit of help -- I paid about $500 to $1000 for a little bit of tutoring)
I gave him a bonus for scores on the individual components of the test as well as the total score and I think he made $7,000. I made $50,000 with the scholarship he received. I will say that my son is unusually motivated and disciplined, but if your niece is president of her class, she is also probably very motivated. Good luck to her.
One good website is prep scholar. Here is its entry for PSU. https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Penn-State-admission-requirements In the age of Covid and some colleges de-emphasizing standardized tests, I wonder how accurate it is. It does say that the SAT average for PSU is 1265, which means your niece may have an uphill climb.
If PSU gives the ACT equal credence, I would suggest that she practice for it and take it multiple times if necessary. ACT test takers have total control over the release of their scores, so there is no reason not to take it multiple times. Based on my son's experience, a student's scores can be greatly increased.
My son started with a 25 score (Maybe top 25%) and finished with a 33 (top 2%). His scores steadily increased as he took the test 5 times and took practice tests over and over again. (He had a little bit of help -- I paid about $500 to $1000 for a little bit of tutoring)
I gave him a bonus for scores on the individual components of the test as well as the total score and I think he made $7,000. I made $50,000 with the scholarship he received. I will say that my son is unusually motivated and disciplined, but if your niece is president of her class, she is also probably very motivated. Good luck to her.
Ok. What percent of applicants with a 1060 or 1090 (can’t remember OP) get admitted to PSU. Can’t believe it is more than 50%, but you seem to know so what is it? I’m just curious
Way more than you think, and that’s as close I’ll get to an answer.
3 years ago my son did not get in UP. 3.8 gpa 1160 SAT, Healthcare Policy major. I was happy, he went 2 years at Wilkes Barre before transferring to state college saved around 30 grand.
That’s pretty sad for dear old state, then, if 50th percentile on the SAT gets you in.
Take a look at this link. These are the from The most recent incoming class.
Admission Statistics
admissions.psu.edu
Can someone explain to me the test optional thing? Is this solely about covid? If so, that seems dumb (not a covid denier, but it would be really easy to administer tests safely). Or are schools really getting away from standardized testing? Tests are imperfect, but so are high school grades (vary too much by school).Take a look at this link. These are the from The most recent incoming class.
Admission Statistics
I've often wondered if a way around that would be to use required standardized national testing to rate/rank high schools, and then normalize GPAs to that ranking (in other words, a 3.5 at a top 10 HS in the country is far better than a 4.0 at a lower tier school). I think universities have "unofficial" rankings of high schools anyway (my ex-GF knew a recruiter who when she found out what public HS I went to basically said "yeah, if you are in the top 10% of your class there, you are getting into any non-Ivy league school pretty automatically).
Fast Facts: SAT scores (171)
The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). Get answers on Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education here.
nces.ed.gov
The middle 50% of the UP class of 2025 had an SAT range of 1280-1450 and an unweighted GPA of 3.56-3.91.
admissions.psu.edu
Admission Statistics
admissions.psu.edu
At the end of the day, SAT and standardized testing has been seen as less important in college admissions for several years. That has nothing to do with COVID. But it is still seen as a dick waiving contest as you see in this thread, and schools still talk a lot about SAT scores because it sounds good to some parents.
My daughter was accepted into Penn State, but the out of state cost is crazy. She is headed to Arkansas on a partial scholarship instead. It will save us $120k over 4 years. Wooo Pig!
I know several kids who attended Penn State Altoona and they loved it. Both of my kids had a very similar resume to your niece. SAT scores were a little higher but GPA's were a little lower. They both started at UP in the Summer, but must admit they benefited from having a parent who was an employee at PSU.
Yeah I spent 2 years in Altoona myself and had a great time. Liked UP much much more, but still enjoyed it. This is her call though.
Yeah, I don’t get it because she’s much brighter than that. I’ve told them to just exclude it if she doesn’t take it again and score much higher.
Summer at UP is a very wise choice if she wants UP vs. branch campus options.
It would also seem to be an easier transition. More laid back with less of the Fall chaos.
This. With testing becoming less of a factor your high school means a lot more. All colleges have rankings of state high schools and data on how they historically perform at PSU. In NEPA it is better to apply from Abington Heights with those scores vs Scranton or Dunmore.
I enrolled in 1963 and am SAT of 1065 would have been a long shot. They have dumbed down the SAT over the years too. I got 1248 and was easily accepted at State and Pitt.
Granddaughter considering PSU in 2022. 2 AP courses so far, Senior year to go. Weighted average 4.0+.
San Jose, CA resident.. Took ACT last weekend.
PSU relationships (Grads);
Father, Mother, Both .Grandfathers., 1 Uncle, 2 Great Uncles, and 2 other distant relative grads.
One Grandfather:
Golder Lion Society - Contributor every year since graduation (1963)
Centennial Fellow of Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.
Grandfather and Uncle - Football Season Tickets Holders and 2 ORV Holders
Odds?
San Jose, CA resident.. Took ACT last weekend.
PSU relationships (Grads);
Father, Mother, Both .Grandfathers., 1 Uncle, 2 Great Uncles, and 2 other distant relative grads.
One Grandfather:
Golder Lion Society - Contributor every year since graduation (1963)
Centennial Fellow of Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.
Grandfather and Uncle - Football Season Tickets Holders and 2 ORV Holders
Odds?
Yes, I think so, but parents are willing to pay if that's where she wants to go. She probably will not want to be that far away.
Another question for those who may have some experience with PSU admissions....
The UMD will only accept a certain amount of kids from one HS no matter how qualified. I have personal experience with this and was told directly from admissions. (Schools like Centennial HS in Ellicott City will have their top 100+ kids all graduate with a 4.2+ weighted GPA and 1400+ on the SAT but only a dozen or so will get initial acceptance without being waitlisted)
Does PSU have a similar standard?
The UMD will only accept a certain amount of kids from one HS no matter how qualified. I have personal experience with this and was told directly from admissions. (Schools like Centennial HS in Ellicott City will have their top 100+ kids all graduate with a 4.2+ weighted GPA and 1400+ on the SAT but only a dozen or so will get initial acceptance without being waitlisted)
Does PSU have a similar standard?
Interesting question. I don't think PSU had anything similar when I was there but perhaps that has changed.
Can't really say, but I can tell you that PSU has accepted well more than a dozen from two (out-of-state_ HSs with which I'm familiar. Either it has no limit, or the limit is higher.
Nothing officially stated.
As a side note: I haven't read this thread in a while. What you see here is why schools love to tout average SAT scores of admits. It sounds good to the parents who get to brag. In reality, declining SAT scores are not unique to PSU--it is industry wide. Standardized test scores as a major factor for admission is not as big of a "thing" as it was even 10 years ago.
As Art or someone else mentioned in this thread, some majors are more competitive than others--but those are few in comparison to the whole.
Tweren't me.
While it' impossible to measure, I wonder if with the decline in test scores there is a decline in the overall quality of college students.
This issue has come up before. For example State High sends 100's of kids to PSU each year. Would it make sense to restrict local kids from attending the local university? Especially when many of the kids parents work for PSU.
Interesting thread. I have a related question …. It has been recommended that marginal students initially declare themselves DUS and transfer into the more competitive majors later on.
Assuming that a dedicated undergrad takes (and gets good grades) all of the same base/required courses and electives as those officially in a competitive major, is it easy to transfer from DUS into say a STEM program or Nursing/Health?
For this strategy to work, it would seemingly require a number of students to drop-out of these majors during Frosh and Soph years.
Im interested to hear from others that have been successful doing this
Assuming that a dedicated undergrad takes (and gets good grades) all of the same base/required courses and electives as those officially in a competitive major, is it easy to transfer from DUS into say a STEM program or Nursing/Health?
For this strategy to work, it would seemingly require a number of students to drop-out of these majors during Frosh and Soph years.
Im interested to hear from others that have been successful doing this
In my opinion:
The quantity of college students is now greater than it was when most on this board graduated from PSU. Not everyone went to college in past years, and nowadays, a Bachelor's degree is largely the standard for middle-class life unless you're trades (or own your own business). Higher Ed now sees more and more niche Liberal Arts-type majors that need students from "somewhere." Reality is that many of these majors don't require higher math and other quantitative skills, but have plenty of "quantity" to choose from.
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