Penn State c/o 2017 Applicants (2013/2014) Forum

[LShopeful628]

Of everyone who is seriously thinking about going to PSL, which campus are you most interested in?

I'm all for Carlisle-- it's the home of the clinics that I'm most interested in, I had a great experience touring it, and it's close to the Appalachian Trail and some really cool historical places (Hopefully going to take a trip to Gettysburg while I'm here)! Also, it's still close enough to University Park that we'll still be able to get over there for football games on the rare occasion that we actually have time for things like that.

What are everyone else's thoughts?

[osubucknut]

I'm thinking university park. While Carlisle seems cool, I'm from Ohio and UP is a lot closer to home.

[Carabear]

I'm leaning towards UP, trying to plan a visit. Really excited

[Nonconsecutive]

FWIW, I have a former classmate who is now at UP and loves it.

[kjm4815]

I'm considering applying, but can someone explain how their two campuses work? I'm a little confused why they have two, the differences between them etc... Thanks!!!

[Lwoods1020]

I got in with a full ride this week too. According to the email, it's good if I maintain above a 3.0 GPA. Penn State wasn't my first choice, but it's going to be to pretty difficult to justify paying money to go elsewhere.

Hey, would you mind posting your LSAT and GPA so I can use your scholarship offer as an estimated projection for my own?

[mach9zero]

I got in with a full ride this week too. According to the email, it's good if I maintain above a 3.0 GPA. Penn State wasn't my first choice, but it's going to be to pretty difficult to justify paying money to go elsewhere.

Hey, would you mind posting your LSAT and GPA so I can use your scholarship offer as an estimated projection for my own?

I'm full-scholly with a 3.68/162.

Penn State really wasn't going to be my top choice, I swore to myself I'd stay in Philadelphia! But I gotta say, I'm about 95% sure I'll be a Nittany Lion come next fall We gotta create a form for housing.

I did a tour last Saturday at University Park. The campus is incredible and the new building is really cool. I'm concerned about being so far away from a major metropolis, but downtown State College is very nice.

[LShopeful628]

I got in with a full ride this week too. According to the email, it's good if I maintain above a 3.0 GPA. Penn State wasn't my first choice, but it's going to be to pretty difficult to justify paying money to go elsewhere.

Hey, would you mind posting your LSAT and GPA so I can use your scholarship offer as an estimated projection for my own?

I'm full-scholly with a 3.68/162.

Also in with a full scholly with a 3.50/161.

[Lwoods1020]

Been "in review" since 12/20. So because of winter break, nothing has progressed for weeks haha

[kek5250]

In today with a full scholarship! Stats are in profile. I'm a PSU undergrad student as well, so if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me!

[Nucky]

In today with a full scholarship! Stats are in profile. I'm a PSU undergrad student as well, so if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me!

Congrats! Is PSU your first choice? Your stats are quite good. Great job!

[kek5250]

In today with a full scholarship! Stats are in profile. I'm a PSU undergrad student as well, so if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me!

Congrats! Is PSU your first choice? Your stats are quite good. Great job!

Thanks! PSU isn't my first choice, I'm hoping to go to Penn. I doubt I'll get in there though, so realistically I'm thinking Georgetown or Cornell. But PSU with a full ride is super tempting given the market right now! For those of you who haven't been to PSU, the campus is great and there's lots to do. Housing can be a little dicey though, so if you choose to go make sure you get that sorted out ASAP! I also can't recommend strongly enough coming here for a tour and staying the weekend. It's a seriously awesome place and there's lots of fun things to do! (Not to mention just about everyone on campus is good looking... it's kind of strange)

I don't think I'll attend PSU most likely, primarily because I've already spent 4 years here, but I really can't recommend the school highly enough!

[Lwoods1020]

In with a full scholarship ! (they seem to be giving them away like candy...) They called me.

159 LSAT, 3.75 GPA
and I have had great internships etc IDK how much that factors in

[Lwoods1020]

Does anyone think there is a reason to be, for lack of a better word, wary of how many full tuition scholarships penn state is giving out?I read on another website it is risky to take a full tuition scholarship because of the risk of losing it. Does anyone think they're giving them out like candy because they know many will lose it after the first year?

[LShopeful628]

Does anyone think there is a reason to be, for lack of a better word, wary of how many full tuition scholarships penn state is giving out?I read on another website it is risky to take a full tuition scholarship because of the risk of losing it. Does anyone think they're giving them out like candy because they know many will lose it after the first year?

I've definitely had the same thoughts, but I don't think so. I spoke with someone in the financial aid office before I knew the stipulation and she assured me that it wouldn't be so high that it would be impossible for anyone who was offered a scholarship to not retain it. The stipulation is a 3.0, which seems pretty reasonable and is actually a lower stipulation that I have for a lesser scholarship offer from a way lesser ranked school.

This is completely my own speculation so take it for what it's worth: the amount of people applying to law schools is decreasing, so schools can respond in one of two ways (1) lower admission standards or (2) accept less students. When I toured at Carlisle last month, I spoke with a 3L who told me that his section size was 50 something students his first year but now the section sizes are in the 30s, so I can only assume that Penn State has chosen the former course of action. If they don't want to lower their admissions standards (and consequentially their median GPA/LSAT) it makes sense that they're starting to be quite generous with scholarships in an attempt to attract applicants who are also being accepted to schools in the top 50.

I'd be hard pressed to assume that Penn State has poor intentions in offering so many full scholarships, because it would surely get bad press about it a year from now when the majority of students who came in with full scholarships are now having to take out exorbitant amounts of loans because we all lost our scholarships. But like I said, it's just my two cents, so feel free to disagree! I'd love to hear other insight.

[Lwoods1020]

Does anyone think there is a reason to be, for lack of a better word, wary of how many full tuition scholarships penn state is giving out?I read on another website it is risky to take a full tuition scholarship because of the risk of losing it. Does anyone think they're giving them out like candy because they know many will lose it after the first year?

I've definitely had the same thoughts, but I don't think so. I spoke with someone in the financial aid office before I knew the stipulation and she assured me that it wouldn't be so high that it would be impossible for anyone who was offered a scholarship to not retain it. The stipulation is a 3.0, which seems pretty reasonable and is actually a lower stipulation that I have for a lesser scholarship offer from a way lesser ranked school.

This is completely my own speculation so take it for what it's worth: the amount of people applying to law schools is decreasing, so schools can respond in one of two ways (1) lower admission standards or (2) accept less students. When I toured at Carlisle last month, I spoke with a 3L who told me that his section size was 50 something students his first year but now the section sizes are in the 30s, so I can only assume that Penn State has chosen the former course of action. If they don't want to lower their admissions standards (and consequentially their median GPA/LSAT) it makes sense that they're starting to be quite generous with scholarships in an attempt to attract applicants who are also being accepted to schools in the top 50.

I'd be hard pressed to assume that Penn State has poor intentions in offering so many full scholarships, because it would surely get bad press about it a year from now when the majority of students who came in with full scholarships are now having to take out exorbitant amounts of loans because we all lost our scholarships. But like I said, it's just my two cents, so feel free to disagree! I'd love to hear other insight.

Thank you for calming a few worries

[mach9zero]

Does anyone think there is a reason to be, for lack of a better word, wary of how many full tuition scholarships penn state is giving out?I read on another website it is risky to take a full tuition scholarship because of the risk of losing it. Does anyone think they're giving them out like candy because they know many will lose it after the first year?

I've thought the same thing, but their stats on how many lose their scholarship hovers around 15% I believe. Plus, you have to consider that they will hand out quite a few scholarships because they know many people will still choose other schools, so the actual number attending with scholarships is lower.

I had contact yesterday from an alum about the school, and she alleviated some of my concerns about their focus on video-conferencing. I'm also going to check out the Carlisle campus, and I'm just awaiting a response from Rutgers and OSU.

[Lwoods1020]

Does anyone think there is a reason to be, for lack of a better word, wary of how many full tuition scholarships penn state is giving out?I read on another website it is risky to take a full tuition scholarship because of the risk of losing it. Does anyone think they're giving them out like candy because they know many will lose it after the first year?

I've thought the same thing, but their stats on how many lose their scholarship hovers around 15% I believe. Plus, you have to consider that they will hand out quite a few scholarships because they know many people will still choose other schools, so the actual number attending with scholarships is lower.

I had contact yesterday from an alum about the school, and she alleviated some of my concerns about their focus on video-conferencing. I'm also going to check out the Carlisle campus, and I'm just awaiting a response from Rutgers and OSU.

what focus on video conferencing?

[psu2016]

I'm considering applying, but can someone explain how their two campuses work? I'm a little confused why they have two, the differences between them etc... Thanks!!!

So there's Carlisle and UP. Carlisle is much smaller (I go there and love it, so I'm clearly biased). There is currently one 1L section in Carlisle and 3 1L sections in UP. In addition to the size, I think the overall atmospheres are completely different on the two campuses. UP has the international programs and since there are more professors up there, there seems to be a greater emphasis on research (and the SJD program is up there, which helps, too). The towns are also completely different. UP is, obviously, a party scene. Carlisle is small, quiet and suburban. After being at Carlisle, I couldn't imagine being at UP. You can walk to everything, the parking lot is always available for $90/year and the professors and support staff are really great. I've heard good things about UP, too, but obviously I can't report anything first-hand since I'm not there.

How do they work? Well, your class will still be part of the unified campus, which means that all your first-year classes will be taught live. For years two and three, you can pick from the entire selection among all the classes available at both campuses. Say, for example, a class you wanted to take was being taught live in Carlisle and you're at the UP campus: you'd use the A/V technology (which works really, really, well. Don't think it's just Skype) to video conference in. I've never used this for class, since I'm a 1L, but I have used it for ECs that required coordination with UP.

[Lwoods1020]

I'm considering applying, but can someone explain how their two campuses work? I'm a little confused why they have two, the differences between them etc... Thanks!!!

So there's Carlisle and UP. Carlisle is much smaller (I go there and love it, so I'm clearly biased). There is currently one 1L section in Carlisle and 3 1L sections in UP. In addition to the size, I think the overall atmospheres are completely different on the two campuses. UP has the international programs and since there are more professors up there, there seems to be a greater emphasis on research (and the SJD program is up there, which helps, too). The towns are also completely different. UP is, obviously, a party scene. Carlisle is small, quiet and suburban. After being at Carlisle, I couldn't imagine being at UP. You can walk to everything, the parking lot is always available for $90/year and the professors and support staff are really great. I've heard good things about UP, too, but obviously I can't report anything first-hand since I'm not there.

How do they work? Well, your class will still be part of the unified campus, which means that all your first-year classes will be taught live. For years two and three, you can pick from the entire selection among all the classes available at both campuses. Say, for example, a class you wanted to take was being taught live in Carlisle and you're at the UP campus: you'd use the A/V technology (which works really, really, well. Don't think it's just Skype) to video conference in. I've never used this for class, since I'm a 1L, but I have used it for ECs that required coordination with UP.

Hmm don't love the video class thing.

Also, were you the person who said the housing situation was a little dicey? How early should I be to get apartment housing?

[psu2016]

I'm considering applying, but can someone explain how their two campuses work? I'm a little confused why they have two, the differences between them etc... Thanks!!!

So there's Carlisle and UP. Carlisle is much smaller (I go there and love it, so I'm clearly biased). There is currently one 1L section in Carlisle and 3 1L sections in UP. In addition to the size, I think the overall atmospheres are completely different on the two campuses. UP has the international programs and since there are more professors up there, there seems to be a greater emphasis on research (and the SJD program is up there, which helps, too). The towns are also completely different. UP is, obviously, a party scene. Carlisle is small, quiet and suburban. After being at Carlisle, I couldn't imagine being at UP. You can walk to everything, the parking lot is always available for $90/year and the professors and support staff are really great. I've heard good things about UP, too, but obviously I can't report anything first-hand since I'm not there.

How do they work? Well, your class will still be part of the unified campus, which means that all your first-year classes will be taught live. For years two and three, you can pick from the entire selection among all the classes available at both campuses. Say, for example, a class you wanted to take was being taught live in Carlisle and you're at the UP campus: you'd use the A/V technology (which works really, really, well. Don't think it's just Skype) to video conference in. I've never used this for class, since I'm a 1L, but I have used it for ECs that required coordination with UP.

Hmm don't love the video class thing.

Also, were you the person who said the housing situation was a little dicey? How early should I be to get apartment housing?

Nope, wasn't me. Carlisle housing isn't bad at all...as in, it could be mid-July and you'll be totally fine finding a place, but I know things in UP are a little tighter, not sure exactly how much, though I've heard some close calls since there are so many students up there.

[osubucknut]

Visiting UP soon. Anyone here from western PA?

[mach9zero]

I'm considering applying, but can someone explain how their two campuses work? I'm a little confused why they have two, the differences between them etc... Thanks!!!

So there's Carlisle and UP. Carlisle is much smaller (I go there and love it, so I'm clearly biased). There is currently one 1L section in Carlisle and 3 1L sections in UP. In addition to the size, I think the overall atmospheres are completely different on the two campuses. UP has the international programs and since there are more professors up there, there seems to be a greater emphasis on research (and the SJD program is up there, which helps, too). The towns are also completely different. UP is, obviously, a party scene. Carlisle is small, quiet and suburban. After being at Carlisle, I couldn't imagine being at UP. You can walk to everything, the parking lot is always available for $90/year and the professors and support staff are really great. I've heard good things about UP, too, but obviously I can't report anything first-hand since I'm not there.

How do they work? Well, your class will still be part of the unified campus, which means that all your first-year classes will be taught live. For years two and three, you can pick from the entire selection among all the classes available at both campuses. Say, for example, a class you wanted to take was being taught live in Carlisle and you're at the UP campus: you'd use the A/V technology (which works really, really, well. Don't think it's just Skype) to video conference in. I've never used this for class, since I'm a 1L, but I have used it for ECs that required coordination with UP.

Hmm don't love the video class thing.

Also, were you the person who said the housing situation was a little dicey? How early should I be to get apartment housing?

'

I didn't either and it was a potential turn-off. But I was told you do have the option to switch campuses for a semester if you desired (or for your remainder) or if you were so inclined, could take a class at the other campus (though it's quite the drive).

[osubucknut]

Toured UP and loved it.

[LShopeful628]

Toured UP and loved it.

What were your favorite things about it? I've only seen Carlisle and at first I was sold, but I'm starting to think I may feel a bit isolated at the smaller campus.