Application Materials

While it is easy to skim over some of the essay answers in an application, please be sure to look for anything the student might divulge that would require special accommodation, such as a learning disability, a special request for housing, or anything out of the ordinary.  Sometimes the student will put this type of personal information into the last question, which asks for any further information the student wants to include.  If you see an issue that either causes concern or if the student has made any kind of special request for accommodation, please note this in the comments box.  

Note: a request for special accommodation should not be used in determining admission; rather, including it in the comments will draw the request to the attention of the adviser for the program.

Students who have grade issues will normally plead their case in the last question, and they will usually have a detailed narrative that can involve illness or some kind of family issue. These are fairly common for the low GPA group, and what we tell students who inquire after they are rejected is that all students with low grades have a narrative regarding the circumstances of their academic performance.  If we allowed all of them to be accepted we would not have any GPA requirements, nor would we be able to comply with the admission standards of our program providers.  Since that’s not possible, and because we must be fair to students who meet the prerequisites, we must reject students with low GPAs, unless they are what we’d consider being “borderline” (see GPA section of this page).  Students who had a poor first semester and good grades thereafter can be considered, and you can note that in the comments box.  Please contact EAAcademics@psu.edu with any questions.