Name an important or influential person in your life.

Tell us about a challenging time you faced and how you overcame that challenge.

Select an important person in history, and write about how you would interview that person for a school assignment.

Ahh, the college essay!  Perhaps one of the most stress-inducing components of the college application process, the college essay affords you, the student, the opportunity to provide a bit more insight into who you are, aside from your grades and high school classes.  The same can be said for the activities portion of the application, where students may detail those extracurriculars that round out their days.  This is your chance to tell us, the admissions counselors, why you have earned your spot in the entering class of Penn State.

During pandemic times, students certainly have even more to share about their lives and how their worlds have been turned upside down by Covid.  We encourage students to tell us anything they may wish to share about how the pandemic has impacted their schooling, home life, work, travel, friends, and so on.  Or, you can choose to write about anything you like!

However, take heart: while the list of activities and personal statement are portions of the application which we recommend, we rely most heavily on your academic performance from high school when considering your application to Penn State.

So, get those typing fingers ready, tell us all we need to know…but don’t stress too much!