How Hard is it to Get into Penn State Honors?

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Why do students go to college? Some want to pursue a new or familiar trade and master it. Others want to get a degree and make looking for a job more manageable. And then there are the students who want to bedazzle their resume with the highest honors. Going to Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College can certainly achieve that goal.

But it’s not easy to get into Schreyer Honors College, let alone graduate. How hard is it to get into Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College, and how can you make it easier on yourself? Let’s find out!

What is Penn State Schreyer Honors College?What is Penn State Schreyer Honors College?

The Pennsylvania State University, or Penn State if you’re more familiar with them, is one of the most well-known and prestigious universities in the United States, and for a good reason. Penn State has, among other beauties, a wonderful and lush campus with its iconic buildings and stadiums. A student can major in a wide variety of programs, each being staffed by a handpicked assortment of professors and teachers. Having Penn State on your resume is also enticing. Penn State has a dire acceptance rate, but if you can get into Penn State, your options in the future will increase dramatically!

But if you want to truly experience a college education that is one of the best in the nation, your best bet is to join the Schreyer Honors College. Schreyer Honors College, complementary to the beautiful university it is a part of, is one of the best honors colleges in the country, a highly-ranked honors program home only to the most ambitious and academic students.

The Schreyer Honors College promises more rewarding but challenging courses and significantly more incredible opportunities to put your research and analysis skills to the test. Making it into college is great, but if you can make it to Schreyer, you have a whole new world to look forward to, where you’ll never be turned away from a great career opportunity.

However, there is one thing you should be aware of, and it’s likely something you have been dreading. Schreyer Honors College backs up its prestigious status and informed and academic student body by being extremely difficult to get into. It is, in fact, one of the most competitive public university honors colleges. But just how competitive is it to get into Schreyer Honors College? Do you, a random student reading this article, have a chance of making it in yourself? Let’s find out.

How Competitive is Penn State Schreyer Honors College?

How Competitive is Penn State Schreyer Honors College?

Getting into a prestigious university like Penn State will always be competitive. Some may even say that admission is random at best and impossible for the average academic student at worse. These are the kind of colleges that students prepare to join well in advance by attaining super high scores and extracurricular activities. They will move miles away from home and family, anticipating a future where they can be part of such a successful and rewarding program. And to be part of the Schreyer Honors College is no different. It, in fact, has the infamous distinction of being one of the most competitive honors colleges out there.

But we need something more than big, scary words to get a good idea of its competitiveness. We need something like statistics or averages to weigh and compare. What is the acceptance rate to get into Schreyer Honors College?

What is the Acceptance Rate at Penn State Schreyer Honors College?

What is the Acceptance Rate at Penn State Schreyer Honors College?

The acceptance rate into a college is the average number of students who pass their admission and officially become a member of the campus. The average acceptance rate to get into college is 68%, with more than half of all colleges reporting that number. But what do your chances of getting into Penn State and its Schreyer Honors College look like?

Schreyer Honors College is one of the country’s highest-rated honors colleges. They keep that quality by accepting only the best of the best of students, those who can keep up with difficult work and surpass it entirely. Unlike many other honors colleges, there are published statistics about Schreyer Honors College—but you won’t like what they sound like. The acceptance rate for getting into Schreyer Honors College is an astounding 8% – 10%. Those are incredibly low odds of getting into a college.

What are the academic requirements to join Schreyer Honors College, anyway? What GPA or SAT and ACT scores do you need to get in?

What GPA Do You Need to Get into Schreyer Honors College?

What GPA Do You Need to Get into Schreyer Honors College?

As we made clear, even getting into just Pennsylvania State University will be very difficult compared to other colleges and universities. The average and expected GPA for getting into the honors college is very high, between 3.7 to 4.0 GPA. This requirement is flexible; that is to say, the GPA alone won’t determine your chances, but having a higher GPA will help you.

Other Requirements to Get Into UPenn Honors College

Other Requirements to Get Into UPenn Honors College

Schreyer Honors College shares additional requirements besides sheer academic prowess with many honors colleges. To properly apply to the honors college, one would need

  • At least two letters of recommendation, something from a credible source like another teacher or alumni that shows you have what it takes.
  • Two essay questions need completing; the prompts change year to year, but they typically involve asking a difficult question you need to think about as a student.
  • Finally, you get an interview with alumni if you submit your application before a specific date. While not having this interview doesn’t negatively impact your chances if you don’t get one, having one does make it more likely for you to get in.

How to Get Into Penn State Schreyer Honors College: 3 Tips

How to Get Into Penn State Schreyer Honors College: 3 Tips

We have gotten over how difficult it is to get in. We are sure that you want to start hearing about what you, as a student, can do to make yourself part of the honors college. We have three important tips that, while in no way guaranteeing you admission into Schreyer Honors College, may raise your chances significantly more than if you never found this article.

Study, Study, Study

Studying for Honors College is the first and likely most important thing you must do to secure admission. Being an honors student is about having the acumen to complete honors-level material, which is much tougher, more time-consuming, and more demanding than regular college courses—though you might have already known that.

If you are a high school student, then don’t worry about your past grades. If you want to get into Honors College, you better start studying like an honors student. Even if you cannot land your honors application on the first try, you can carry this study habit and attitude as an official member of Pennsylvania State University; from there, you can try to apply yet again, this time with high grades of a college student.

You need to be able to study, answer questions correctly, do more work than you expect, and even start to work with other hard-working and talented students if you want to join the Schreyer Honors College!

Talk to the Relevant People

You should never forget that you can ask and talk to people if there is anything you want or need to know about joining the Schreyer Honors College. The various teachers, professors, staff, and alumni will all be able to give you more information about what joining the college is like and your chances.

Just because you currently aren’t at Penn State doesn’t mean you can’t contact the people who work there. They will gladly give you information on Penn State and Schreyer Honors College than anything that this article or their website can give you. You also have the option to talk to alumni who have graduated from Penn State and the Honors College to get second-hand knowledge from somebody who has first-hand experience. Finally, if you are at Penn State, you can contact other honors students and ask them for their opinion or advice on how they could be part of the Honors College. This is also a good way to get people who can give you a letter of recommendation.

It is no good to just sit around and assume you have all of the relevant information. If you want to make sure that it is possible to make it in, you should contact everyone who knows more about the subject than yourself.

Prepare Yourself for the Honors Life

While you should always be prepared for the idea of not being able to make it into the Honors College, you shouldn’t go in without faith. You should be ready as if you know you are going to get accepted.

A college student’s performance may be even more critical to their Penn State admission than how well a high school student performs. For starters, this is important to how you get into the mindset to create your application and do other things like get your letter of recommendation. If you act like you are a person who is worthy of being an honors student, other people can see it as well. Second, this preparation is good for you if you are still in high school, as you can achieve the academic success you need to increase your chances of getting your admission accepted. If you are already enrolled in Penn State and are looking to get into the Honors College later in your major, you should get the academic requirements in college.

Finally, suppose you do manage to beat the tight odds and get yourself into Schreyer Honors College. In that case, all that preparation means that you will be able to get through the entire program just as quickly, and you’ll have less of a worry about having your performance drop to a level where you might be lost it all!

Is Schreyer Honors College Worth It?

Is Schreyer Honors College Worth It?

We have built up the Schreyer Honors College as an insurmountable challenge that the average, regular student will have to blister their fingers trying to overcome. Being in college is such a massive boon to any student, so imagine what it’s like to be in one of the best. It is absolutely worth it if you can make it into the Schreyer Honors College with grit and effort!

Wrapping Things Up: How Hard is it to Get into Penn State Honors?

How hard is it to get into Penn State Schreyer Honors College? Schreyer has one of the lowest acceptance rates for a college in the country, a boatload of requirements and qualifications you need before you even think about applying. Even through all of those trials, it may be possible to lose out to other people. Even still, we have given you a laundry list of things to do, achieve, or reach if you still find yourself eager to join the college and become one of its prestigious students. If you can make it there, then you can make it anywhere!

We’ve written tons of guides about honors programs at other universities. Check them out below:

> How Hard is it to Get into Clemson Honors College?

> How Hard Is It to Get into Columbia University Science Honors Program?

> How Hard Is It to Get Into CU Boulder Honors College?

> How Hard is it to Get Into Georgia Tech Honors Program?

> How Hard is it to Get into Ohio State Honors Program?

> How Hard is it to Get into Purdue Honors College?

> How Hard is it to Get into Rutgers Honors College?

> How Hard Is It to Get Into UT-Austin Honors Program?

> How Hard Is It to Get Into the Stanford Honors Program?

Professor Conquer
Professor Conquer

Professor Conquer started Conquer Your Exam in 2018 to help students feel more confident and better prepared for their tough tests. Prof excelled in high school, graduating top of his class and receiving admissions into several Ivy League and top 15 schools. He has helped many students through the years tutoring and mentoring K-12, consulting seniors through the college admissions process, and writing extensive how-to guides for school.

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