Penn StateUndergraduate Admissions Viewbook2015
admissions.psu.edu
In the know
Finding the program that fits you best
You have so many things on your mind. Which college should you choose? What should you major in once you’re there? Is it okay to change your mind? Whether you know where you want to end up after graduation or still need some time to sort it out, it’s likely that Penn State has an academic program for you. No matter which path you choose, you will earn a high-quality education and a degree that employers respect.
I wanted a school where I could have my independence.
—Tracey Edouard
Being big has its advantages. With more than 160 majors and 500 specialized options across twenty campuses, Penn State can provide you with an educational experience designed to meet your goals.
What should I study?
Not sure what to major in at Penn State? Not a problem. The Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) is for students who haven’t decided which field to study. You can try out different courses and majors to determine which one fits you best. To help you on this journey, you have an academic adviser who will help guide you through the exploration process.
Tracey Edouard knew shewanted to attend Penn State but wasn’t sure how she would combine her interests in communications and the arts. Tracey entered DUS and began to explore classes and extracurricular activities in these areas. In her first year at Penn State, she got to observe actors in a Theatre 100 class, receive credit for playing the violin in the Sinfonietta orchestra, and explore classes in several other academic areas.
Tracey formed a close relationship with her DUS adviser, Laura Brown. “She was really like a second mom to me,” she says. “She helped me pick majors and minors and was always there to answer any other questions I had. It seemed like she always knew exactly what I wanted; it’s amazing how quickly she got to know me.”
Tracey, who is from Long Island, New York, eventually decided on the Advertising/Public Relations major. She’s part of the Great Show Squad, a group of students who do on-field promotions at Penn State football games, and helped capture Penn State’s forty- six-hour dance marathon on film last year. “I was looking for a school where I could have my independence,” she says. “I liked Penn State because it’s close enough to home, but I can be on my own and be around other people who are excited to be here, too.”
The importance of advisers
Advisers played a key role in Mohamed Raouda’s collegeexperience. Mohamed (“Mo” forshort) started his Penn State experience at Penn State Altoona. While there, he worked closely with advisers to help transition to college life after moving to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon.
“Coming from a different country,I wanted to integrate into the cultureat a small campus,” he says. “Thestudent services were great and I felt very quickly like I was part of a community.”
Once he arrived at University Park, Mo, who majored in International Politics, began studying Middle East history. He found an academic mentor in Arthur Goldschmidt, a professor emeritus in the field. Although he’s retired from Penn State, Arthur still teaches one class per semester and often meets with students, including Mo, to discuss projects and future plans.
“Art loves this field so much and wants to teach about it. He invited us to dinner at his home and to view the collection in his library. He’s very well respected in the field and it was an honor for me to learn from him,” Mo says.
Transitioning from high school to college
New Student Orientation helps first-year students evaluate their educational plans before they register for their first-semester classes. The orientation is the first stage in preparing for your academic future at Penn State. Once you accept your offer of admission, you will receive information about taking an online placement test and coming to campus to meet with academic advisers and schedule classes. All course scheduling is done online, so making changes is easy if you want to add, drop, or changea course.
The summer before her first year, Erica Foley, who majored in Biology, came to Penn State for New Student Orientation not knowing what to expect: “I figured that, with thousands of students there, personal attention and help with making my schedule was unlikely. But that’s exactly what I received.” A professor from her intended major talked with her about classes she would enjoy, and several students offered their insight on classes, student life, and things to do off campus.
Study abroad
If you’re interested in studying abroad, Penn State can help you get there. Thousands of students study abroad every year in more than fifty-four countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
These programs contribute to the global expansion of Penn State’s classroom walls. Matea Dujmusic, who majored in Secondary Education with an English/Communication Teaching option, spent her junior year studying abroad in Sweden and England as part of the Consortium for Intercultural Reflective Teachers (CIRT) program, which takes a student cohort to each country. The group, whom Matea calls her “second family,” spent a year at Penn State after a year in Europe. While abroad, Matea and her classmates studied the differences amongthe educational systems in the three countries, which she says was a very enlightening experience. “In Europe, the cultures are much more mixed together than they are here, so we learned how to avoid bringing our cultural biases into the classroom,” she says. “It was also interesting to see how much Sweden is focused on teaching democracy in the classroom, compared to the schools here.”
Matea is no stranger to life abroad. She was born in Bosnia and lived in Austria and Germany before moving to the United States at age 11. She started her Penn State experience at the Greater Allegheny campus because of its proximity to her home in Pittsburgh.
“I was going through the application process and visited the Greater Allegheny campus. It was very welcoming and I felt at home,” she says.“I wanted to stay close to home at first, so it was a good fit for me.”
Following Matea’s example, her younger sister is now a student at the Greater Allegheny campus and plans to transition to University Park for her junior and senior years.
Penn State also supports service-oriented trips that allow students to help make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. While other students were kicking back at the beach during spring break, a group of twenty Penn State Altoona students and their faculty chaperones spent a week volunteering at a community school and orphanage in the Dominican Republic. They played with the young students, taught them English, and made hundreds of candles for a fundraiser at the school.
Research for undergraduates
Research is not just for science majors. Lauren Perrotti, majoring in both Italian and Spanish, explored the use of e-readers in academic settings and worked with a German professor to study how people read in German. “Penn State is one of the few places where you can do everything. I wanted to be able to do research and study abroad. I can do that here and there’s such a great support system.”
“As an undergraduate Bioengineering major, I feel very fortunate to be involved with research in the emerging field of tissue engineering. One of my projects involves creating artificial tissue that can mimic live human tissue. Someday, artificial tissue can be used in surgical procedures.”
“Penn State is giving me research opportunities at a level that is amazing for an undergraduate. To be working at a university known globally as a research leader helps me imagine my own potential for growth, along with the fields I’m studying.”
Penn State has thousands of students, there’s still plenty of opportunity for one-on-one interaction with faculty and staff. Laura Matey, who majored in Theatre, developed a close academic relationship with professor Matt Toronto.
“Matt was an amazing teacher and mentor for me. I learned so much about acting, directing, the world of theatre, and life in general from him,” she says. “When we started a new project, Matt always said, ‘Challenge yourself with this show so that in the end you have something to be proud of.’ That really stuck with me and I try to apply that to the work I do.”
Laura worked with her academic adviser, Annie McGregor, to make sure she was on track to graduate on time. Laura’s adviser also helped her plan a study abroad experience at the London Theatre Academy, where she studied Shakespeare and visited some of the sites mentioned in his works.
Learning outside the classroom
How does studying in a submarine in the Gulf of Mexico with a world leader in animal ecology sound? For a number of Biology students, this opportunity was a dream come true. Chuck Fisher, professor of biology, is another example of an outstanding faculty member who combines classroom learning with hands-on research. Pictured here, Dr. Fisher and several of his students prepare to embark on a deep-sea exploration trip to research ice worms.
Athena Abate is involved with several student organizations, including the Engineering Ambassadors, a group that helps get children interested in the field through real-world activities.
Athena Abate, an Electrical Engineering major, has already gotten a taste of what life will be like after she leaves campus for the “real world,” thanks to a yearlong co-op at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“I worked on research to determine whether there will be a collision between two spacecrafts in orbit. I got to present my work with other Penn Staters—everyone from recent alumni to people who graduated inthe 1970s.”
Athena, who began her Penn State education at the Hazleton campus, is confident her co-op experience will lead to a full-time job with NASA after she graduates. In the long term, Athena plans to attend graduate school and become an engineering professor:
“There are so few female engineering teachers and I hope to be one of the people who changes that.”
Challenge yourself
If you are looking for an exceptional challenge that will test your scholastic abilities, consider the Schreyer Honors College, Penn State’s University-wide honors program (shc.psu.edu). It provides highly motivated students with tremendous opportunities to enrich their college experience through close interaction with faculty, honors course offerings, grants to support research and study abroad, extensive out-of-classroom programs, and the completion of an honors thesis.
Eli Glazier, a Schreyer Scholar majoring in International Politics, has taken advantage of several of these opportunities. An information sciences and technology honors course took him to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., where he had the opportunity to interact with policy leaders. That experience led to a summer internship at the center. “I met a lot of very interesting people and had the chance to work on updating the educational curriculum for visiting students,” he says. Eli also enjoys the small classroom environment of his honors courses, like an international affairs class taught by Dennis Jett, a professor in that field. The class has eight students, allowing for many in-depth discussions and lively debates.
We’re here to help—Penn State is a big place with lots of options. We are eager to help you understand all of the opportunities now available to you.
How big are the classes?
Class sizes vary, depending on the campus and type of class. At campuses other than University Park, classes generally have twenty or fewer students. Class size at University Park depends on the course, but 85 percent of first-year classes have fifty or fewer students.
Will I have an adviser?
Yes. Each student is assignedan academic adviser. In fact, you may make use of advisers in other academic areas. Career advising is also available to all students.
Who teaches classes?
Most classes are taught by Penn State’s full-time faculty. For some introductory courses at some campuses, a supervised teaching assistant serves as the primary instructor.
Finding your place
Finding your place: Figuring out which campus is the best fit for you
By now you probably knowthat Penn State isn’t a single place. We have twenty undergraduate campuses throughout Pennsylvania. Being big has its advantages: it gives you the freedom to pick which campus suits you best. Some students choose to remain at one campus for all four years, while others spend their first two years at one campus and transition to another for their remaining two years. We call this approach the 2+2 plan and it’s the most common path to a Penn State degree.
2+2=4year degree
Nadia and Kristina Wyrsta started at Penn State Abington, located in their hometown, to help their family save money. With two older sisters who are also Penn State graduates, the Wyrstas knew how much of a financial savings the 2+2 program could be. Students can save thousands of dollars per year by starting at a campus other than University Park. “We went to Catholic school, so there wasn’t much money left over for college,” Kristina says. “We attended the Abington campus and worked in the admissions office to earn money while we were there.
“When we saw Penn State Abington and Penn State University Park, we thought, ‘This is what a campus should look like,’” Nadia says. “We never thought about going anywhere else. It really feels like you’re at college here.”
Alcina Bayley began her college career at Penn State Hazleton, stayed there for two years, and then moved to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. She chose to attend Penn State Hazleton because of its proximity to her home and transitioned to Behrend to finish her degree in International Business. “I chose Behrend because it was bigger than Hazleton but smaller than University Park. I knew that when I started classes there the teachers would know me by name and not by a number.”
At Behrend, Alcina was a member of the Equestrian Club and vice president of Theta Phi Alpha sorority, an experience that gave her self-confidence and helped hone her leadership abilities. She also had the opportunity to travel to China, visiting the cities of Hong Kong, Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. “My parents are really proud of me for getting into a well-respected school, and I had great experiences at both campuses.”
Penn State University Park is by far the largest penn state campus, with over 40,000 undergraduates. The students who start here—about 40 percent—generally are here through graduation. The remaining 60 percent begin at one of our nineteen other campuses.
This is what a campus should look like.
—Nadia Wyrsta
Which campus is best for me?
What you would like to study and the kind of learning environment you prefer can affect your choice of campus. While most campuses offer the first two years of study for nearly all of Penn State’s academic programs, each campus has its own array of academic offerings. There are other things to keep in mind as well: In what part of Pennsylvania would you like to live and study? What size campus do you find most comfortable? Do you want to live on or off campus? What extracurricular activities interest you? The best way to find out if a campus is right for you is to schedule a visit through our website at admissions.psu.edu.
Can I get the major I want at any campus?
For most of Penn State’s more than 160 majors, you can complete the first two years of study at any Penn State campus. Please consult the majors listing on pages 26–29 and our website at admissions.psu.edufor more information.
Get involved
Making Penn State your own
What’s the best way to adjust to college and make friends? Two words: get involved. The Penn State experience goes beyond the courses you take by
offering more than 1,200 clubs and organizations across twenty campuses.
There’s always something to do
Whether you are interested in music, sports, movies, salsa dancing, ceramics, or archery, Penn State has a group to help you get involved.
Lynn Nguyen, a student in the Science five-year B.S./M.B.A. program, has had a chance to explore many aspects of Penn State’s extracurricular activities. “Concerts, free entertainment, sports, football games, free movies, game nights, pool, Super Smash Bros. competitions—there is a ton to do around here,” Lynn says.
Across Penn State, events are planned to get students excited and involved. Open-mike nights, coffeehouses, comedy shows, musical performances, and dances are just some of the social events our campuses have to offer.