Can I get into Penn State?

Can i get into Penn State at University Park?

• I had about a 3.7 gpa my junior year and I'm gonna try to keep it around that for my senior year, however, my school is very small and doesn't offer any honor or AP classes so will that hurt my chances? Secondly, my sat score was an 1100 WITH THE OLD SYSTEM, so is that a good score? Finally, I'm the treasurer, played basketball, wrestling, and soccer but they had to cancel them due to very few player, I still play lacrosse, I've been on mission trips, was in the service club the year they had it, and I have stacked my schedules to include a lot of classes, and I have volunteer work. So do I have a good chance or no chance at all? please help Penn State at University Park is my number one choice!!

• Answer:

  Penn State is a great school, but it sounds like you did a good job in high school and will have a lot to put on your application. My suggestion is to write a stellar essay. Perhaps mention that you were scholastically successful regardless of the non-existence of AP classes at your high school. Go see a high school counselor and go through many drafts of your essay to ensure there are no grammatical errors, and your message gets across (being that you are hard-working, involved and a solid candidate for their incoming class). I think you have a great chance, but you just need to make sure that all aspects of your application stand out. Also it wouldn't hurt to go in for an interview, if you feel comfortable with that. Many schools will appreciate seeing that a student wants the acceptance badly and will do whatever it takes. Good luck!