Penn State

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are Penn State and Ohio State are realtively easy admits for OOS students, who have low/avg GPA?

eg DC has 4.0 W GPA , 1450 SAT - looking at business/MIS. Avg EC,s

We are looking 2-3 safeties for a kid with this profile.

I’d say a target or maybe low target for your student for direct admit business, but not a true safety. [/quote

Smeal direct admit rate for business is 20 percent so quite selective

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine if that's where your kid gets in but I don't get the push for OOS kids from this area to go to PSU. I mean often the out of state push comes from parents who are PSU alums and OBSESSED with the school in ways that are really odd at age 40+, 50+ etc. I

t's fine for a state school with the same problems as many other state schools - switch majors too many times and you may not get your required classes done in time to graduate. It's a huge place - if you don't carve our your own social scene and also get to know profs etc. you'll be a number (assuming you need law school, med school etc recs). You are very much on your own - one pre med advisor has thousands of students, they aren't sitting with you and carving out your path to med school. No different than say a Rutgers or Maryland - in fact Rutgers and MD are a bit smaller class sizes.

This describes life. No one will hold your hand. Not a big deal. The real world is the same way.

YMMV but if I’m paying 40k/ye tuition for my 18-22 yr old and he has questions regarding how to make himself competitive for med school, I’d like someone who can answer those questions rather than shrug and say good luck with that. Yes people will do that in life but I won’t be paying those people yearly tuition for them to shrug.

My friend attends a big state school for undergraduate and then for medical school. He now owns his own practice and makes mega bucks.

He didn’t need people to hold his hand. If you’re going to be a doctor, I sure hope you can figure things out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll be a Penn State booster. My DS wanted to attend a state flagship for Engineering. He did not get into in-state flagships (Va Tech, UVA) so made the decision to go to Penn State. Has had a very positive experience there and some excellent internship opportunities.

Very glad to read this. My DS in same situation (rejected at UVA, waitlisted at Tech for engineering). This thread is getting me down and wondering if it’s a huge mistake to select Penn State for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most F ed posts Ive seen here in years. My kid had a 36 ACT (one sitting) and an uwieghted GPA of 3.9. Turned down Ivy's to have a life . PSU has been a blessing to him coming out of a small private. Deans list and loving life. Not like my kid at Dartmouth!

I’m happy your student is happy and thriving at Penn State (and happy to hear the humble brag that they got into Ivy’s plural).

That doesn’t change Sandusky, and what they knew he was doing to so many young people for FOOTBALL. Scumbags the lot of them and more people should’ve been fired for what went on there.

There’s no reason to be defensive, you had nothing to do with it. You and your student made a choice and they’re happy and that’s fine. Acknowledging the atrocities that went on there and your student enjoying their college experience can happen at the same time.

I appreciate your comment. The scandals of the past are not a part of my kids education. I don't blame the Catholics for the scandals in the church. In my experience, people and even institutions make mistakes! It really has nothing to do with each other!

That being said, I hate the rage on many campuses about Jewish students. It must stop!

[Anonymous]

Our DC wrapped first year at PSU a couple of weeks ago. Came from small DC private often mentioned on this site. First semester was massive adjustment, size of school most importantly, as well as the pre-set friend groups that came in from Phila, NY, NJ. Second semester found the groove. Connected with professors, made friends through class (especially those who were in an advanced language track as much smaller courses), joined Greek life, hosted high school friends at PSU and showed them around. It became home. It is BIG but becomes small when you find a pod. But a pod that is made of spokes, and not only hubs. Academically, mathematics, econ, science are tough. Big lectures, scantron exams. Basically same as college in the 80s/90s. Liberal arts are more intimate, thoughtful. If your child is proactive with advisor by end of freshman year they can design an interesting major that pulls from all PSU disciplines for a pretty unique and targeted degree that engages them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC wrapped first year at PSU a couple of weeks ago. Came from small DC private often mentioned on this site. First semester was massive adjustment, size of school most importantly, as well as the pre-set friend groups that came in from Phila, NY, NJ. Second semester found the groove. Connected with professors, made friends through class (especially those who were in an advanced language track as much smaller courses), joined Greek life, hosted high school friends at PSU and showed them around. It became home. It is BIG but becomes small when you find a pod. But a pod that is made of spokes, and not only hubs. Academically, mathematics, econ, science are tough. Big lectures, scantron exams. Basically same as college in the 80s/90s. Liberal arts are more intimate, thoughtful. If your child is proactive with advisor by end of freshman year they can design an interesting major that pulls from all PSU disciplines for a pretty unique and targeted degree that engages them.

Thank you for this post. I have a kid at PSU. Its what they make of it! Wonderful freshman Year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll be a Penn State booster. My DS wanted to attend a state flagship for Engineering. He did not get into in-state flagships (Va Tech, UVA) so made the decision to go to Penn State. Has had a very positive experience there and some excellent internship opportunities.

Very glad to read this. My DS in same situation (rejected at UVA, waitlisted at Tech for engineering). This thread is getting me down and wondering if it’s a huge mistake to select Penn State for him.

You could argue Penn State is better than either UVA or VT for engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your actual ?

This is not very hard.

Penn State very large state school in the middle of nowhere PA.
Major Party school
Supported profiles for years. Still thinks a football coach is more important than children.
Large classes
Large Alumni network LOL this is touted all the time yet not that useful.
Cost OOS absolutely a financial stupid idea

Most kids go to Penn State if instate of course flagship right. OOS is for for students that do not get in anywhere else in their home state.

But hey if want football, large OOS tuition payments, it's the place.

Where do your kids attend college? Please tell me, the one with great knowledge about PSU!

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of PSU grads. They all have good careers, good lives, and intense pride in the school. They all look back on those years as some of the best of their life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Legends in their own minds.

+1

Penn State is like a cult. I don’t get it.

Also, the grads I’ve worked with have been rather average and unimpressive.

Hey! I went to a much more selective school and I am rather average and unimpressive.

This is one of the nastiest threads I’ve seen in this forum. It serves no purpose.

This! Why the HATE?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most F ed posts Ive seen here in years. My kid had a 36 ACT (one sitting) and an uwieghted GPA of 3.9. Turned down Ivy's to have a life . PSU has been a blessing to him coming out of a small private. Deans list and loving life. Not like my kid at Dartmouth!

I’m happy your student is happy and thriving at Penn State (and happy to hear the humble brag that they got into Ivy’s plural).

That doesn’t change Sandusky, and what they knew he was doing to so many young people for FOOTBALL. Scumbags the lot of them and more people should’ve been fired for what went on there.

There’s no reason to be defensive, you had nothing to do with it. You and your student made a choice and they’re happy and that’s fine. Acknowledging the atrocities that went on there and your student enjoying their college experience can happen at the same time.

Do you hate all Catholics for the abuses that the Clergy have done on their children parishioners? Can you please explain your post? Humble brag? really? or reality.

[Anonymous]

Currently go to PSU and live in DC. Love it here, but the out of state tuition is ridiculously expensive. The DMV's decently well-represented up there, but if UMD is in-state for your kid I'm sure it'd be a pretty similar experience for a way better price.

[Anonymous]

Also insanely stingy with financial aid for freshmen. More likely than not you'll just end up with the $5-6K in loans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll be a Penn State booster. My DS wanted to attend a state flagship for Engineering. He did not get into in-state flagships (Va Tech, UVA) so made the decision to go to Penn State. Has had a very positive experience there and some excellent internship opportunities.

Very glad to read this. My DS in same situation (rejected at UVA, waitlisted at Tech for engineering). This thread is getting me down and wondering if it’s a huge mistake to select Penn State for him.

You could argue Penn State is better than either UVA or VT for engineering.

YOu could argue it, but you would be wrong. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings. UVA and VT in the 30s. Penn State at 47

[Anonymous]

Im just trying to understand. Do you live by US News? Is this where you get all your information