Annual Kid's/Grandkid's University Choice Thread ...

[Tom McAndrew]

I usually start a threat on or around May 1st, as that is the deadline for accepting admittance offers for most universities. I'm a little late with this year's thread.

As always, the focus of the thread is on PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that accepted an offer from PSU, let us know, and tell us what they plan to study at PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that was offered admittance by PSU, but elected to accept an offer from another university, tell us where they are headed, and why they didn't accept PSU's offer.

If you have a child or grandchild that decided to not even apply to PSU, let us know why.

 

[OMPats13]

No kids or grand kids but I do teach HS near Baltimore and have a few going to PSU. 1 to UP and a couple others to York or Mont Alto. A few others who were accepted to UP are not going due to money. One top student had PSU as her first choice but was offered next to nothing in scholarships while UMD gave her over 50%.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

One top student had PSU as her first choice but was offered next to nothing in scholarships while UMD gave her over 50%.

The most common complaint I hear from parents concerning PSU. It's an even bigger deal for students, like yours, who are out-of-state. Hard to argue with selecting UMD when she could pay in-state rates and get 50% off, or pay out-of-state for PSU and get almost no help.

 

[joeparules]

My daughter is a junior this year, so you'll have to start this same thread next year to find out. But they had senior "decision day" at her high school last week and there are 70 kids from her school going to PSU (50 main, 20 branch). The class is right around 600 kids.

On a different note, my older daughter graduates in the BJC this Sunday with a degree in Enterprise Risk Management and minor in Business Law. She chose PSU over Delaware and Pitt and is a third generation Nittany Lion!

 

[psuguy04]

Congrats to those who have graduated from PSU, accepted their offers, etc. It's a great place, and I hope the memories last you a lifetime.

 

[kgilbert78]

My niece from the Cleveland area did like Penn State but decided not to apply due to the size. She really wanted a smaller campus (she's really a small town girl at heart). She ended up applying to Case and Rochester Institute of Technology and is going to RIT in the fall.

 

[9fold]

Come to Penn State!

 

[androcles]

...I have a granddaughter who graduated from H.S. last year and ONLY applied to PSU ...got admitted to Main Campus and loves it there...

...her younger sister is graduating from H.S. this year ...applied to South
Carolina, Miami and Pepperdine ...got accepted at each... has chosen to go to Pepperdine at Malibu...she loves Penn State but wanted to go to a "warm weather" school ...oh, well...

 

[NatLion]

Proud to have our daughter as a member of Schreyer Honors College Class of 2019! Ag. College -- planning dual degree in Bio-medical sciences and agribusiness management. All it took was a few trips to September games beginning around grade 8, no further coaxing was necessary... From UVA, VT and Cornell she choose PSU!

 

[Valuable81]

My daughter chose Delaware over PSU and UConn. She would have been the 4th generation at PSU after me (1981), my father (1950), and my father's uncle (1920). I would have tried harder to convince her to go to my alma mater but with the way the university has been burning through cash in fines and settlements, I did not have much desire to send more money in their direction. Her main reasons for Delaware were that is smaller and closer to home. She will be studying Bio-Chemical Engineering.

 

[scottpsurules]

I usually start a threat on or around May 1st, as that is the deadline for accepting admittance offers for most universities. I'm a little late with this year's thread.

As always, the focus of the thread is on PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that accepted an offer from PSU, let us know, and tell us what they plan to study at PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that was offered admittance by PSU, but elected to accept an offer from another university, tell us where they are headed, and why they didn't accept PSU's offer.

If you have a child or grandchild that decided to not even apply to PSU, let us know why.

My son will be a freshman at University Park come August!!! He will be majoring in Earth Science and Policy, in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Also, will be playing club water polo and if he finds the time working as a lifeguard.
He was very focused on finding a school that offered both his major and polo. American was probably his first choice in a school, but had no polo at all, ncaa or club. In the end the opportunity to go to a school with a world class education rep, that is very highly recruited is what won him over. His logic is that the smaller schools often have great name recognition regionally, but not nationally/internationally. He also knows the campus quite well, and the club polo team is very competitive and a step above some of the ncaa teams we visited.
So, yes I am a proud Dad!!! My b'day was last week and I requested and got a new tailgate grill to get ready for the next 4 years.......

 

[Steve G]

daughter going to UGA on Zell Miller scholarship (full tuition coverage) Thank God for the folks who play the lottery!! (Son goes to Ga Tech also on Zell Miller I posted last year in this thread). Daughter accepted to Ga Tech as sophomore if she wants to transfer there from UGA next year.

Georgia is an extremely back ward state educationally but the Hope Scholarship/ Zell Miller Scholarship program is really awesome.....

 

[gogolion]

I brainwashed my son on PSU sports right out of the womb. PSU was his first choice and he was accepted at UP, but he is unable to attend due to getting zero financial aid. He even tried to get an ROTC scholarship, but it didn't work out. He is going to Mizzou, which offered him $8500 in merit aid and has lower tuition to begin with. It is also easy to establish residency in Missouri to qualify for in-state tuition rates when he's an upper classman. The academics aren't as good, but college is what you make of it. Its a nice campus and Columbia seems to be a pretty good college town. It is also about 4 hours closer to home (driving from Chicago suburbs). He's happy with his choice, but it was initially very disappointing that he couldn't go where he wanted to go due to finances.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Not kid or grandkid (I still have about 17 more years before my daughter will have to make her selection!) but my colleague's daughter, a budding engineer, just chose Purdue over Penn State (UP), Illinois, VT, and Maryland. My colleague and his wife are both Penn State grads with engineering degrees. She's a good athlete and has a chance to play a sport at Purdue, and in the end I think that's what put them over the top.

Working on my daughter's list though...

1. Sorbonne
2. Oxford
Safety = Harvard

 

[rjg82]

I have a 16 year old that will be applying to psu next year. Realistically what's the average ACT getting into University Park. I know it used to be 25+. But I'm hearing its dropped a bit. True?

 

[Little J]

My son was accepted to PSU college of engineering. To be honest I was surprised he even considered Penn State as he was adamant about going to a smaller school where he could play soccer. He wanted to play soccer in college but did not want d1 due to the huge commitment for little return. A few d1 schools came calling but none of the majors. He is a good player but not a wow player. He figured a good D3 school to be a great ticket and was accepted at several who wanted him to play. All the while he had this West Point idea in his head and was going through the arduous process of applying. Low and behold he was offered at West Point and will be a cadet there in a few months. The soccer stuff is still being sorted though he was admitted to the academy in merit outside of soccer. The boy had some great options including PSU where his old man in an alum. But you know...I couldn't be prouder.

 

[psuguy04]

My son was accepted to PSU college of engineering. To be honest I was surprised he even considered Penn State as he was adamant about going to a smaller school where he could play soccer. He wanted to play soccer in college but did not want d1 due to the huge commitment for little return. A few d1 schools came calling but none of the majors. He is a good player but not a wow player. He figured a good D3 school to be a great ticket and was accepted at several who wanted him to play. All the while he had this West Point idea in his head and was going through the arduous process of applying. Low and behold he was offered at West Point and will be a cadet there in a few months. The soccer stuff is still being sorted though he was admitted to the academy in merit outside of soccer. The boy had some great options including PSU where his old man in an alum. But you know...I couldn't be prouder.

Congrats or your son--that's such an honor.

Thanks for sharing--I love reading stories like this.

 

[psuguy04]

I have a 16 year old that will be applying to psu next year. Realistically what's the average ACT getting into University Park. I know it used to be 25+. But I'm hearing its dropped a bit. True?

Have your son indicate that he's interested in summer admission and/or the LEAP program. With decent grades, he'll almost definitely get in with any respectable test score.

 

[joeparules]

I have a 16 year old that will be applying to psu next year. Realistically what's the average ACT getting into University Park. I know it used to be 25+. But I'm hearing its dropped a bit. True?

http://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/

Summer/Fall 2014 Middle 50% Statistics
University Park All other Campuses
High School GPA (4.0 scale) 3.55-3.97 3.00-3.50
Combined SAT 1750-2000 1460-1690
Composite ACT 26-30 21-25
Combined English/Writing ACT 25-30 19-24

 

[Art]

Not kid or grandkid (I still have about 17 more years before my daughter will have to make her selection!) but my colleague's daughter, a budding engineer, just chose Purdue over Penn State (UP), Illinois, VT, and Maryland. My colleague and his wife are both Penn State grads with engineering degrees. She's a good athlete and has a chance to play a sport at Purdue, and in the end I think that's what put them over the top.

Working on my daughter's list though...

1. Sorbonne
2. Oxford
Safety = Harvard

Paris 4 is your top choice? There are at least a dozen better universities in Paris, let alone France. Can't be the neighborhood, because there are at least 3-4 better schools on the Left Bank.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Paris 4 is your top choice? There are at least a dozen better universities in Paris, let alone France. Can't be the neighborhood, because there are at least 3-4 better schools on the Left Bank.

Well, I was actually quoting Max Fisher's character in Rushmore (when trying to impress a female teacher at his school - who went to Harvard - those were his top choices, in order).

As an aside, what schools are tops in Paris? I don't know how their system works but when there all we see are Sorbonne shirts. Are they all under one umbrella (ie, is there a Paris 1)?

 

[Art]

Hard to pick a top school in Paris because many of them are specialized.

Sorbonne is part of the L'Universite de Paris (full name L'Universite de Paris-Sorbonne) which has thirteen autonomous schools. At least two others are considered to be better, Paris Sud and Diderot, and that's not including Pierre-et-Marie Curie which is a heavy duty science research institute and often numbered as the top school in France.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Hard to pick a top school in Paris because many of them are specialized.

Sorbonne is part of the L'Universite de Paris (full name L'Universite de Paris-Sorbonne) which has thirteen autonomous schools. At least two others are considered to be better, Paris Sud and Diderot, and that's not including Pierre-et-Marie Curie which is a heavy duty science research institute and often numbered as the top school in France.

Merci Art! We're pretty interested in having our daughter look at colleges abroad (assuming she has the interest). My wife went to Oxford and LSE and I think the experience (education notwithstanding) of living abroad is extremely beneficial. We have some friends who went to Sorbonne and loved it, but I'm not to familiar with rankings in France and always assumed Sorbonne was well regarded. But, the thought of my daughter living on the Left Bank..... (because of how broke I'll be).

 

[kgilbert78]

Merci Art! We're pretty interested in having our daughter look at colleges abroad (assuming she has the interest). My wife went to Oxford and LSE and I think the experience (education notwithstanding) of living abroad is extremely beneficial. We have some friends who went to Sorbonne and loved it, but I'm not to familiar with rankings in France and always assumed Sorbonne was well regarded. But, the thought of my daughter living on the Left Bank..... (because of how broke I'll be).

Penn State has good exchange programs. I'm also a Universitaet zu Koeln (Cologne) alum through PSU's program. If you can swing it, it's a good idea for any student to get study abroad experience.

 

[Art]

Merci Art! We're pretty interested in having our daughter look at colleges abroad (assuming she has the interest). My wife went to Oxford and LSE and I think the experience (education notwithstanding) of living abroad is extremely beneficial. We have some friends who went to Sorbonne and loved it, but I'm not to familiar with rankings in France and always assumed Sorbonne was well regarded. But, the thought of my daughter living on the Left Bank..... (because of how broke I'll be).

Studying abroad is great, but Americans tend to be over-impressed by foreign universities. My oldest is considering where (more importantly whether) to do his post-doc and is looking at three places overseas, none of which are Oxbridge, though he thinks it's more likely that he'll stay in the good old USofA.

 

[HairyLion]

My daughter is a junior now and is starting to poke around and is hearing from a few schools. She was shocked when I told her not to consider PSU. Being out of state, the cost is prohibitive. I had a great experience there, but my PSU and the current PSU seem to be worlds apart.

 

[CF LION]

Not my kid or grandkid, but the son of a co-worker who is also working part-time after school for me. Bright kid, accepted to PSU-UP and a bunch of other schools, but decided to attend University of Colorado - Boulder. The main reason? He's a skier. He wasn't too impressed with the images of Tussey Mtn that I showed him. He also seems to be a guy who goes against the norm, and attending PSU would fit the norm for a kid from southeastern PA.

 

[Art]

My daughter is a junior now and is starting to poke around and is hearing from a few schools. She was shocked when I told her not to consider PSU. Being out of state, the cost is prohibitive. I had a great experience there, but my PSU and the current PSU seem to be worlds apart.

PSU loves out-of-state kids, particularly those whose families can pay full-freight.

 

[GoNavy]

My daughter is going to PSU! She had better financial offers at other schools (PSU basically gave her nothing while other schools were pretty aggressive with scholarships for out of state) - but at the end of the day she felt more comfortable at Penn State so she pulled the trigger. As a life long Penn State fan, I am extremely happy for her and our family. Can't wait to get up to Penn State more often - especially on Saturdays in the fall! She will study Biotech and can't wait to get on campus.

Also - thanks to Tom and others on the board that gave me (and her) some great advice and information regarding PSU. It helped a great deal.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Studying abroad is great, but Americans tend to be over-impressed by foreign universities. My oldest is considering where (more importantly whether) to do his post-doc and is looking at three places overseas, none of which are Oxbridge, though he thinks it's more likely that he'll stay in the good old USofA.

I'd like for her to get at least some study abroad experience, whether it's through a program at a US school or by going directly. Will ultimately be her choice, but I wouldn't mind trips to visit her in France, Germany, Ireland, or England.

 

[Art]

I'd like for her to get at least some study abroad experience, whether it's through a program at a US school or by going directly. Will ultimately be her choice, but I wouldn't mind trips to visit her in France, Germany, Ireland, or England.

Sounds good. Studying abroad is a great experience, but not necessarily to the point of getting a degree. Case in point: my landlady in Tokyo got her PhD in Japanese literature from an American university. As an undergrad in Japan, she was the top student in her department at what was arguably the best university in Japan. When I asked her about what seemed to me to be an obvious disconnect, she said that the American program was clearly better and it wasn't even close, and that there were 3-4 other American programs that were also better.

 

[Bobpsu]

I usually start a threat on or around May 1st, as that is the deadline for accepting admittance offers for most universities. I'm a little late with this year's thread.

As always, the focus of the thread is on PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that accepted an offer from PSU, let us know, and tell us what they plan to study at PSU.

If you have a child or grandchild that was offered admittance by PSU, but elected to accept an offer from another university, tell us where they are headed, and why they didn't accept PSU's offer.

If you have a child or grandchild that decided to not even apply to PSU, let us know why.

Grandson accepted at PSU University Park (Engineering) and Georgia Southern University (Engineering). Selected Georgia Southern over PSU. OOS tuition and expenses prohibitive. We are from PA...but now live in GA. Family graduated from PSU.
Grandson pretty much has full cost of attendance covered. He will live at home and long board to class. No debt at graduation. Still looking at NROTC three year scholarship program and try again for PSU....long shot to get scholarship to PSU (OOS $)

 

[PSU Mike]

Sounds good. Studying abroad is a great experience, but not necessarily to the point of getting a degree. Case in point: my landlady in Tokyo got her PhD in Japanese literature from an American university. As an undergrad in Japan, she was the top student in her department at what was arguably the best university in Japan. When I asked her about what seemed to me to be an obvious disconnect, she said that the American program was clearly better and it wasn't even close, and that there were 3-4 other American programs that were also better.

After having a lengthy discussion with a neighbor whose daughter is at Edinburgh I have a new perspective on options. He said the price is right, provides the abroad experience (although the continent isn't as accessible as other options), and it's a great U. Anyway, this isn't about his assessment, per se, but about taking a broad look early.

 

[JBott]

My son was accepted to PSU college of engineering. To be honest I was surprised he even considered Penn State as he was adamant about going to a smaller school where he could play soccer. He wanted to play soccer in college but did not want d1 due to the huge commitment for little return. A few d1 schools came calling but none of the majors. He is a good player but not a wow player. He figured a good D3 school to be a great ticket and was accepted at several who wanted him to play. All the while he had this West Point idea in his head and was going through the arduous process of applying. Low and behold he was offered at West Point and will be a cadet there in a few months. The soccer stuff is still being sorted though he was admitted to the academy in merit outside of soccer. The boy had some great options including PSU where his old man in an alum. But you know...I couldn't be prouder.[/Q

Have your son indicate that he's interested in summer admission and/or the LEAP program. With decent grades, he'll almost definitely get in with any respectable test score.

My daughter will apply to PSU in September of 2015. Do the admission requirements vary depending on major (ie. GPA, SAT/ACT scores etc)?
We were told about summer admission, but could you explain the LEAP program?

 

[NewEra 2014]

Midnighter, my daughter spent a semester abroad in Paris this past fall through a program run by her U.S. university. This university makes all students take a foreign language as part of their curriculum. Then, a very high percentage (80% +) of the students take a semester abroad somewhere around the world, usually during Junior year.

My daughter has a technical major and took her elective courses while in France. The courses were taught in French. As an added bonus, because so many of her classmates were in Europe studying abroad at the same time, she saw about a dozen countries with kids she knew who had some knowledge of the local scene in each country. Nearly every weekend, she visited someone, or someone visited her.

This was all organized between the university and an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA). The ISA team was outstanding--they really have their act together. As your daughter gets to the point of considering colleges, have her keep in mind that ISA affiliation.

I agree that the study abroad experience is invaluable for kids. They gain a great deal of maturity and insight when they are able to experience something like this.

 

[NewEra 2014]

Here is a link to the ISA-affiliated universities:

http://studiesabroad.com/interested/document/affiliatedUniversities

http://studiesabroad.com/interested/document/affiliatedUniversities

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Midnighter, my daughter spent a semester abroad in Paris this past fall through a program run by her U.S. university. This university makes all students take a foreign language as part of their curriculum. Then, a very high percentage (80% +) of the students take a semester abroad somewhere around the world, usually during Junior year.

My daughter has a technical major and took her elective courses while in France. The courses were taught in French. As an added bonus, because so many of her classmates were in Europe studying abroad at the same time, she saw about a dozen countries with kids she knew who had some knowledge of the local scene in each country. Nearly every weekend, she visited someone, or someone visited her.

This was all organized between the university and an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA). The ISA team was outstanding--they really have their act together. As your daughter gets to the point of considering colleges, have her keep in mind that ISA affiliation.

I agree that the study abroad experience is invaluable for kids. They gain a great deal of maturity and insight when they are able to experience something like this.

This is exactly what I'm hoping for my daughter; the kind of education you can't get in a class room - thanks for sharing and I'll definitely keep the ISA in mind!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

My daughter will apply to PSU in September of 2015. Do the admission requirements vary depending on major (ie. GPA, SAT/ACT scores etc)?
We were told about summer admission, but could you explain the LEAP program?

Yes, the requirements vary depending on the major. Engineering, Business, and Nursing are very competitive. PSU put more weight on high school scores than on standardized tests, but if your daughter wants a specific college/program, her HS scores and standardized test scores will need to be competitive with those that are applying for the same program/college. She can also apply for DUS, but she'll still need to have competitive scores.

PSU has historically offered admission to Main for borderline students, with the caveat that they had to start in June. LEAP is a program that PSU has that allows non-borderline students the start in June. I encourage everyone to go the LEAP route. I haven't spoken to a student that did it that regretted the move. They "lose" the summer after high school, but they spend late June/July/early August learning the ins and outs of the campus, the buses, how to live away from home, etc. I forget the numbers, but I think somewhere around 2-3,000 kids start in the summer. Most kids that participate in LEAP end up making great friends during the summer. On move-in day in August, they are the ones that know a lot of people, know the campus, etc., plus PSU allows them to move their gear from their summer housing (South) to their fall housing (usually East) for the 2-3 weeks between the end of the 3rd summer session and the beginning of the fall semester.

 

[JBott]

Yes, the requirements vary depending on the major. Engineering, Business, and Nursing are very competitive. PSU put more weight on high school scores than on standardized tests, but if your daughter wants a specific college/program, her HS scores and standardized test scores will need to be competitive with those that are applying for the same program/college. She can also apply for DUS, but she'll still need to have competitive scores.

PSU has historically offered admission to Main for borderline students, with the caveat that they had to start in June. LEAP is a program that PSU has that allows non-borderline students the start in June. I encourage everyone to go the LEAP route. I haven't spoken to a student that did it that regretted the move. They "lose" the summer after high school, but they spend late June/July/early August learning the ins and outs of the campus, the buses, how to live away from home, etc. I forget the numbers, but I think somewhere around 2-3,000 kids start in the summer. Most kids that participate in LEAP end up making great friends during the summer. On move-in day in August, they are the ones that know a lot of people, know the campus, etc., plus PSU allows them to move their gear from their summer housing (South) to their fall housing (usually East) for the 2-3 weeks between the end of the 3rd summer session and the beginning of the fall semester.

Thanks Tom! I will continue to pick your brain as we progress, if that is OK with you! Is there a website that would show the different admission requirements by major?
I have been a PSU fan for 30 years and nothing would make me happier than my daughter being in the graduating class of 2020!

 

[psuguy04]

Thanks Tom! I will continue to pick your brain as we progress, if that is OK with you! Is there a website that would show the different admission requirements by major?
I have been a PSU fan for 30 years and nothing would make me happier than my daughter being in the graduating class of 2020!

Here you go:

http://admissions.psu.edu/academics/majors/

Another site where you can view course descriptions, etc. is Penn State's University Bulletin, more popularly known as the "Blue Book":

http://bulletins.psu.edu/undergrad/