I'm a bit stressed about my potential application to Penn State next year. Does anyone have a list of the specific high school course requirements to be eligible to apply to Penn State?
Sure, you've come to the right place for information! Penn State admissions does have recommended high school preparatory courses for prospective students, which include the following:
- English: 4 years. This should include classes that require writing, such as literature or speech.
- Mathematics: 3 years of college-preparatory mathematics, including 2 years of algebra and 1 year of geometry.
- Science: 3 years. Two of these years should be from chemistry and physics.
- Social Studies: 3 years.
- World Language: 2 years of a single world language, other than English; these can also include Sign Language or computer languages.
- Arts: 1 year.
- Additional Courses: 5 years of additional courses from the above subjects, foreign languages, or in the area of computer science.
It's important to remember that this list makes you eligible to apply, but admission will be competitive. The evaluation process will look at more than just your coursework; they'll also consider other factors such as your grades, test scores (if supplied), essays, and extracurricular involvement.
The emphasis is on a well-rounded educational background that has prepared you for college-level work. Getting good grades in your courses, and demonstrating growth and improvement over the course of your high school career, can be strong indicators of your preparedness for college.
Good luck with your Penn State application!
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