My future as a hurricane forcaster might have a kickstart

[Jim Cantore]

I heard I nailed the PSAT

I'm looking to get to Penn State and be one of the guys that chases the hurricanes and reports in

[wxmann_91]

Congratulations Hurricane Floyd!!

I'm looking to get to Penn State and be one of the guys that chases the hurricanes and reports in

You mean a storm spotter? Well, that's a great job for someone who likes the adrenaline rush. If you want to really be a forecaster (add to that, more pay), then you should work at a WFO.

[Stephanie]

EXCELLENT NEWS!!

[TexasStooge]

Excellent!!!!

[Skywatch_NC]

CONGRATULATIONS HURRICANE FLOYD!!

Eric

[kevin]

Take math and science AP classes if at all possible. You'll want AP physics, AP chemistry, and AP calculus before graduating. I assume that since you took the PSAT that you are in 10th grade?

[wxmann_91]

Take math and science AP classes if at all possible. You'll want AP physics, AP chemistry, and AP calculus before graduating. I assume that since you took the PSAT that you are in 10th grade?

Am taking Algebra 3-4 this term and (regular) Physics next, will hope to get some AP classes in my high school sophomore year. PSAT can be taken in 9th grade. Just a question (and sorry if this strays a bit OT), do the colleges look at the PSAT a lot?

[HurricaneGirl]

Congratulations Hurricane Floyd!! How exciting to be so young and in control of what you are going to do with your life. Good luck with all of your dreams and accomplishments.

[azskyman]

Congratulations and best wishes. I have toured the Penn State Meteorology Dept and have friends still working at PSU. What a great opportunity for you in the years ahead.

Set your sights on keeping the grades up and keeping options open for colleges and universities (there are others with great met programs too). The PSAT is just one of the tools used in determining enrollment acceptance.

Keep your dream alive by working working working hard to make it happen.

[terstorm1012]

Take a look at Millersville University's met program, it's quite good, very small but still quite excellent. The profs are all very knowledgeable as well.

http://www.millersville.edu

Most of the program's grads go to some very good graduate programs too.

(my alma mater, was only a met major for a semester, so I have to hype it up a little.)

[kevin]

Take math and science AP classes if at all possible. You'll want AP physics, AP chemistry, and AP calculus before graduating. I assume that since you took the PSAT that you are in 10th grade?

Am taking Algebra 3-4 this term and (regular) Physics next, will hope to get some AP classes in my high school sophomore year. PSAT can be taken in 9th grade. Just a question (and sorry if this strays a bit OT), do the colleges look at the PSAT a lot?

Things like the National Merit Scholar and other scholarships might. Colleges are concerned with your SAT/ACT scores, high school GPA and course difficulty (if you make B's in AP classes and do well on the tests that is far better than making A's in lower level courses), and extracurricular involvement.

If you do high school right, it should be harder than going to college because in high school you have to be in school longer, do more busy work, and deal with more annoying peers. Use your time there to its best advantage, get into the university of your choice and failing that the best you can, and good luck.

[wxmann_91]

If you do high school right, it should be harder than going to college because in high school you have to be in school longer, do more busy work, and deal with more annoying peers. Use your time there to its best advantage, get into the university of your choice and failing that the best you can, and good luck.

Yeah, that's what everybody says, and I believe it. Thanks also.

Another question: what if you get A's in AP classes and B's in the regular classes how will that look?

[DoctorHurricane2003]

Congrats Hurricane Floyd, and I look forward to you joining us here at PSU!

Of note though, colleges do not look at PSAT scores at all. So keep up the good work, do well on the SAT and ACT (especially the SAT, that's what PSU looks at the most...but take both of them) and get a good foundation for the meteorology program here. I also suggest, if it is possible where you are, to look into taking classes at your local community college in math, physics, and chemistry, to help boost your chances here.

Good Luck!

[CharleySurvivor]

Congrats and MORE congrats for it being Penn State... a fine and well known university.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Congrats Hurricane Floyd! Good Luck!

[Derek Ortt]

may want to consider a school like UM if you want to be a hurricane specialist, as it better prepares you for grad school, since it emphasizes quantative meteorology (treats it as a pure science), and is not synoptically based

[Derek Ortt]

PSAT is basically meaningless for college admission. It's really nothing more than a practice SAT exam (hence, PSAT)

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

PSAT is basically meaningless for college admission. It's really nothing more than a practice SAT exam (hence, PSAT)

PSAT is not meaningless at all...

PSAT can get you scholarships that pretty much guarentee you at
many schools. For instance many FL schools have been after me
non-stop about my PSATs and offering me scholarships.

Hurricane Floyd you are going to be in scholarship heaven

[DoctorHurricane2003]

Actually Penn State's Meteorology Program is great if really want to do anything in meteorology. Once you get into the research/graduate levels, you can basically do any research you want to as you have all of the necessary knowledge for tropical, synoptic, polar, and midlatitude meteorology...as well as any weather communications majors (which I think is what you would be interested in if you want to be a storm chaser). The undergraduate B.S. in Meteorology have six options you can choose from, and you must choose one of them to graduate.

-Air-Quality Studies

-Atmospheric Sciences- (The Option you want to take if you want to go to Graduate School)

-Climatology

-Environmental Meteorology

-Weather Forecasting & Communications

-General Option- (No Longer Recommended, but you can build your own program with it)


You can get an example of the courses you would be taking as a student in the meteorology program here with these two links:

Required (Core Courses) of All Options in Major:

http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/Courses/FRMgen.html

Professional Electives (Some may be required for specific options, but for General Option, you must have at least 16 completed):

http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/Courses/BSelectives.html


This semester I'm taking METEO 201, and next semester I'm taking METEO 300 and METEO 431. They will start offering a meteorology-based statistics class (METEO 497B) this spring which I will take next fall...that one I'm particularly excited about. Again, Good Luck Hurricane Floyd!

[Derek Ortt]

I did well on the PSAT, but got a 1/2 tuition scholarship to undergrad thanks to a high ACT score. PSAT was not even considered at all by UM