Pennsylvania State University

“If you go to high school in PA youSep 03 2004Communications
If you go to high school in PA you basically have to really screw up to not get into a Penn State branch campus. To get to main as a freshman you should have good grades, a decent SAT score and some amount of extracurricular activities. Also, be open to starting early (in a summer session). You're more likely to get to main campus then and the classes are really easy.
SAT: 1420 Female

“I took college prep courses and excelled inJan 22 2004Kinesiology
I took college prep courses and excelled in athletics.
SAT: 1200 Female

“Penn State (especially the University Park campus) is notMar 22 2003Other
Penn State (especially the University Park campus) is not as easy as you'd think. Most students start out at a branch campus and study there for two years. High school gpa, sat's, and extracurricular activities are essential in getting into the campus you want.
SAT: 1280 Female

“I could have gotten in here if I hadDec 17 2002Business - Management and Administration
I could have gotten in here if I had done nothing in high school. But since I wanted to go to University of Virginia, Harvard, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, or one of the academies I did the following: was captain of my lacrosse team and was a county all star for two years, graduated in the top ten percent of my high school class, played the viola for 15 years, was a student council representative, was assistant editor-in-chief of my senior yearbook, played varsity soccer, did cross examination debate on the Forensics team for a year, participated in physics olympics every year, got about 18 credits towards college with AP tests, got National Merit Semifinalist award for my PSATs, worked a couple jobs, and planned school events, among other things. For any nonchalant student who wants to exceed the reputation he has bestowed upon himself with the name of a top fifty university like Penn State, I guess get about 1100 on your SATs, and don't do anything horrifically bad in your school curriculum. Apparently the university doesn't care about the level of intensity of your classes (unless they just screw up once in a while with in-staters) because I know of at least two upper middle class people who had every opportunity in the world to succeed in high school, got sub-1000s on their initial SATs, took average courses in high school and got Bs and Cs, and somehow still managed to get into main campus.
ACT: 33 SAT: 1460 Male