2010-2011 Penn State Application Thread

[deleted331965]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Mine has been like 8 weeks plus, and when I call they say "be patient." No word whatsoever from them since I submitted my secondary.

Same here. I submitted my secondary 6 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten a complete status.

 

[moogle44]

Same here. I submitted my secondary 6 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten a complete status. I'm totally cool with waiting a long time for an interview/rejection, but have the decency to check me off as complete.

Some people were complete in 3 or 4 days while others are having to wait 6 weeks+. Weird...

 

[Studentk123]

Hello,
First off congrads to all that got accepted to Penn State.
I got an interview and am nervous about how the interview will go.
can you all possibly tell me how your interview experience was and what kind of questions they asked.
i would truly appreciate it. thanks

 

[Studentk123]

I had my interview recently so if anyone has any questions I'd be more than happy to answer them.

Overall I liked the school a whole lot and the admissions office people were extremely nice. I didn't think I was going to be into the place but the people there all seem really awesome and the facilities are pretty modern and advanced. The hospital and school are all incorporated into one building which seems like it works out really nicely. The students I had lunch with were friendly and hilarious. I can definitely see myself going here.

Interviews were pretty straightforward and laid back. My first interviewer had been there since the beginning of the school and my second interviewer seemed like he had only given 2-3 interviews before mine...ever. He was really nice and seemed "overly" impressed by my application as though he hadn't seen too many before (I'm pretty average). Both were very nice, informative, and low-pressure.

The only thing I was put off by was one of the doctors coming in after our introductory presentation and giving us a lecture on healthcare reform. He came in and started with "okay, no politics here, everyone take off your political hats..." and dove into a story about a woman with four kids who died because she didn't have insurance. He went on about how healthcare is a right and anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't really care about medicine and the community. You could have cut the tension with a knife in that room.

hello
can you please share your interview experience. i have an interview soon and am nervous. how long were each interview and what kind of questions did they ask. I would really appreciate it. thanks

 

[moneymill4569]

For any applicants who are worrying and wondering, I sent my secondary application and the fee on 8/18 and I am still not complete and my application has not been sent to the admissions committee. You are not alone.

 

[Tapepsi]

Does anyone know the statistics for chances of acceptance to PSU after an interview? I found something for 2009 like 908 interviewed and 144 matriculated (67 IS out of 264, 73 OOS out of 623 ,and 2 Internationals out of 21) but it doesn't include those who were accepted (since the acceptance rate is usually higher because not everyone who got accepted decided to go there).

 

[sphun65]

For any applicants who are worrying and wondering, I sent my secondary application and the fee on 8/18 and I am still not complete and my application has not been sent to the admissions committee. You are not alone.

In the same boat here.

 

[SallySparrow]

Does anyone know the statistics for chances of acceptance to PSU after an interview? I found something for 2009 like 908 interviewed and 144 matriculated (67 IS out of 264, 73 OOS out of 623 ,and 2 Internationals out of 21) but it doesn't include those who were accepted (since the acceptance rate is usually higher because not everyone who got accepted decided to go there).

Do you mean those who were accepted outright? Or total eventually accepted, including off the waitlist? From reading last year's thread, the things I do know is it seems like things take a while, so don't give up hope, and there will be a lot of movement off their hold list, especially later in the season as people withdraw due to acceptances at other schools.
(Just curious what people generally mean when they ask this question. Is the difference negligible due to the nature of the process? e.g. once people start withdrawing, both off the acceptance list and the waitlist, are those who are left to get taken off the waitlist usually only people who definitely accept? Either way, I don't really have the stat offhand, but I imagine an estimate could be calculated at least from the responses to previous years' threads.)

 

[DancinSarah]

For any applicants who are worrying and wondering, I sent my secondary application and the fee on 8/18 and I am still not complete and my application has not been sent to the admissions committee. You are not alone.

I am convinced we have been silently rejected, but who knows for sure

 

[tomh98]

Does anyone know the statistics for chances of acceptance to PSU after an interview? I found something for 2009 like 908 interviewed and 144 matriculated (67 IS out of 264, 73 OOS out of 623 ,and 2 Internationals out of 21) but it doesn't include those who were accepted (since the acceptance rate is usually higher because not everyone who got accepted decided to go there).

Just checked this for you... doesn't look like they publish this info. We'll have to speculate

 

[Tapepsi]

Do you mean those who were accepted outright? Or total eventually accepted, including off the waitlist? From reading last year's thread, the things I do know is it seems like things take a while, so don't give up hope, and there will be a lot of movement off their hold list, especially later in the season as people withdraw due to acceptances at other schools.
(Just curious what people generally mean when they ask this question. Is the difference negligible due to the nature of the process? e.g. once people start withdrawing, both off the acceptance list and the waitlist, are those who are left to get taken off the waitlist usually only people who definitely accept? Either way, I don't really have the stat offhand, but I imagine an estimate could be calculated at least from the responses to previous years' threads.)

I mean all of those who were accepted which is usually much higher. Example: For University of Pittsburgh last year a total of 5413 applied, 1031 interviewed, 453 were accepted, and 147 enrolled. So there is definitely a big difference when you compare total acceptances vs. those who ended up going there which is why I prefer looking at total acceptances.

 

[tomh98]

I mean all of those who were accepted which is usually much higher. Example: For University of Pittsburgh last year a total of 5413 applied, 1031 interviewed, 453 were accepted, and 147 enrolled. So there is definitely a big difference when you compare total acceptances vs. those who ended up going there which is why I prefer looking at total acceptances.

That info comes from US News, and they do not have this info published for Penn State. Unless there is another source with these numbers we are out of luck.

 

[deleted248403]

if its not in MSAR, or from the school's website - im skeptical of it

 

[Tapepsi]

if its not in MSAR, or from the school's website - im skeptical of it

Yes that is very true. But I mean assuming they're not just pulling these numbers out of their ass hopefully they give ballpark estimates?

 

[deleted248403]

Well do they say where they get the numbers from? Do they match the MSAR numbers (where available)?

If not to either of those, then its from their ass IMO

 

[courtnes]

If it's from the US News/World Report on med schools, it's based on responses to their survey from schools. It looks like an opt in thing and there's no kind of rhyme or reason to which schools have filled it out or get included.

 

[deleted248403]

Nor does it require the schools to be honest...

The big factor would be the comparison to the MSAR which is definitely accurate (or at least as accurate as its going to get) and should be considered the gold standard

 

[wanderer]

I think that Penn State doesn't like disclosing that information. When I interviewed there they gave the exact breakdown of primaries submitted, secondaries submitted, interviews granted and number of seats, but they didn't say how many were accepted.

 

[courtnes]

Nor does it require the schools to be honest...

The big factor would be the comparison to the MSAR which is definitely accurate (or at least as accurate as its going to get) and should be considered the gold standard

Absolutely agreed.

 

[deleted248403]

I think that Penn State doesn't like disclosing that information. When I interviewed there they gave the exact breakdown of primaries submitted, secondaries submitted, interviews granted and number of seats, but they didn't say how many were accepted.

I've been to 3 MD interviews so far, and this was echoed at all my interview places. They'd give the stuff you said but never the # of acceptances

 

[venacontracta]

If you wanted to make as educated a guess as possible for someone without special access to non-public data, you could probably do so by looking at the US News and World Reports data for other schools. If you went through the list of all other schools and figured out the number of acceptances given out for each seat in their class, I suspect you'd start to see some patterns. Obviously this number will vary from school to school, but I don't think it would be random. You could probably make a decent guess of how many acceptances per spot in the class Penn State gives out based on data from similar schools, then multiply by the size of Penn State's class to estimate their number of acceptances.

 

[Tapepsi]

Everyone makes a good point and no I do not know where exactly these numbers came from (they just list them on the Medical Schools in U.S.A. website). Oh well, I mean even if we did know the exact numbers beforehand it wouldn't really change anything.

 

[wanderer]

I've been to 3 MD interviews so far, and this was echoed at all my interview places. They'd give the stuff you said but never the # of acceptances

I remember some of the other schools mentioned the number of acceptances, but at this point I don't know what percentage said what. Also they tended to give you an idea if you were likely to get accepted right away or if most eventual acceptees were initially placed on a wait list. Penn State just said decisions are sent out in 6-8 weeks and nothing else.

If you wanted to make as educated a guess as possible for someone without special access to non-public data, you could probably do so by looking at the US News and World Reports data for other schools. If you went through the list of all other schools and figured out the number of acceptances given out for each seat in their class, I suspect you'd start to see some patterns. Obviously this number will vary from school to school, but I don't think it would be random. You could probably make a decent guess of how many acceptances per spot in the class Penn State gives out based on data from similar schools, then multiply by the size of Penn State's class to estimate their number of acceptances.

It isn't that easy to tell. It's usually between 2 and 3.5 acceptances per seat, but it depends on a lot of different factors so that it's hard too figure out for any given school.

 

[crixx]

I received the complete email this morning after submitting the secondary hours after it originally went out on 8/4. That only took two months and four days.

Lawl.

 

[chrisoc13]

I received the complete email this morning after submitting the secondary hours after it originally went out on 8/4. That only took two months and four days.

Lawl.

Same here! My favorite part:
"Please understand that the time necessary to process our many applications means that your application will not be reviewed immediately. We request that you refrain from calling our office for your application status. This will enable us to process your application in the timeliest manner possible."
Yes a timely manner indeed. It only took over two months to mark me as complete, I can't imagine how long it will take to actually review my file.

 

[DancinSarah]

Speak of the devil, I just got an e-mail saying my app is complete

Submitted on day 1

 

[jaym3]

I recently reviewed an interview invitation to Penn state through e-mail! I am a Canadian and my stats are mediocre and nothing outstanding so i was surprised to be invited. I booked it for Nov 22 and was wondering if those who had recently interviewed there could share their experience.

The process was quite slow I must admit, I completed the application August 10th.

 

[DandomRan]

My complete email came today, I submitted my secondary the day it was available. The email I received had a little disclaimer that their admissions are on a "random rolling" basis. Can anyone shed any light on what this means?

 

[jaym3]

Its pretty odd the system. I received an interview without being marked complete first. Even though I have an interview invite, my status on the site still says the "not determined whether your application is complete..."

 

[SistaYaa]

Me too! I also submitted my secondary 8/4, the day I received it, and only just received my complete status this morning.

What gives? I am not impressed. Way to be on top of it, Penn State.

 

[NYYk9005]

Secondary received 9/6
Application Complete 9/14
Rejected! 10/08
3.67, 33Q, OOS

GL to all!

 

[obuckseyesu1]

Complete 10/1
Invite 10/8

In-stater - wow, that was fast.

 

[ThrusH]

Sorry to hear NYYk. I submitted 9/7 and haven't even been marked complete yet. Sista, I submitted my secondary 2 days after receiving it. What's the secret to having them process your app?

 

[venacontracta]

I interviewed about 2 weeks ago, and my status on the site is now

Our records indicate that your application is complete, and is currently being reviewed by the Admissions Committee. You will be contacted by mail and/or phone during the next several weeks with its decision.

"Several weeks" sounds a lot shorter than the 8-9 weeks for a decision which the admissions office told me on the day of the interview. It makes me wonder if the status message I have is just an automatic status which you get once you've interviewed, or if it has some relationship to the progress of reaching a final decision regarding my application.

 

[Westonski]

My timeline:

9/25 Submitted
9/28 Complete
10/5 Placed in the "Continue to Review" category

Anyone else get this notice? I received a letter in the mail.

 

[firfghtr]

My timeline:

9/25 Submitted
9/28 Complete
10/5 Placed in the "Continue to Review" category

Anyone else get this notice? I received a letter in the mail.

9/4 submitted, still not complete. Nothing makes sense in this whole process.

 

[tomh98]

Submitted 8/5 here. No complete email... so expect to wait...

 

[luckys]

Secondary Submitted 8/25
Complete 9/21
Interview Invite 10/12 🙂

 

[jadealer]

I've been complete since 8/11/10 and haven't heard anything. Is anyone else in this situation? Do you think its okay if I call and ask encase my "re-review"/rejection letter got lost somewhere along the way?

😕

 

[jmr86]

I've been complete since 8/11/10 and haven't heard anything. Is anyone else in this situation? Do you think its okay if I call and ask encase my "re-review"/rejection letter got lost somewhere along the way?

😕

Same here! Complete 08/06/10, in state. Haven't heard anything and no snail mail letter.

 

[motes]

Same here. I submitted my secondary 6 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten a complete status.

Same here!! NO completed status. its been over two months!

 

[masterwolfie]

My complete email came today, I submitted my secondary the day it was available. The email I received had a little disclaimer that their admissions are on a "random rolling" basis. Can anyone shed any light on what this means?

I probably don't know any better than you do, but I'm going to take a stab at it:
Random = apps reviewed in a random order, regardless of submission date, and class is usually not filled until last few interviews
Rolling = class continuously filled, will generally review apps in order of submission (first come, first serve)

"Random Rolling" = randomly reviewing apps while continuously filling class?

If so, the adcoms at Penn State are probably people who strongly believe in fate or destiny...

 

[Champaigne]

I probably don't know any better than you do, but I'm going to take a stab at it:
Random = apps reviewed in a random order, regardless of submission date, and class is usually not filled until last few interviews
Rolling = class continuously filled, will generally review apps in order of submission (first come, first serve)

"Random Rolling" = randomly reviewing apps while continuously filling class?

If so, the adcoms at Penn State are probably people who strongly believe in fate or destiny...

Haha I like your line of reasoning...I feel like this is probably an accurate description of their process

 

[4ksibe]

Haha I like your line of reasoning...I feel like this is probably an accurate description of their process

not sure about the random but my friend and i completed our apps same time point, were complete on same day, got interview offers on same day too so if true then this must be one heck of a random coincidence lool

 

[jaym3]

not sure about the random but my friend and i completed our apps same time point, were complete on same day, got interview offers on same day too so if true then this must be one heck of a random coincidence lool

nice congrats!

I booked my interview for Nov 22. Anyone going to be there that day?

 

[luckys]

not sure about the random but my friend and i completed our apps same time point, were complete on same day, got interview offers on same day too so if true then this must be one heck of a random coincidence lool

A very random coincidence indeed...but this (getting invites on the same day) has happened with other schools as well lol

 

[masterwolfie]

Or maybe they are simply regular rolling admissions and additionally utilise what is known as "selective torture". I think I'm going to start saving a dollar for every day that I'm still not complete at Penn, and then buy myself something nice at the end of the year 😛

 

[wanderer]

I probably don't know any better than you do, but I'm going to take a stab at it:
Random = apps reviewed in a random order, regardless of submission date, and class is usually not filled until last few interviews
Rolling = class continuously filled, will generally review apps in order of submission (first come, first serve)

"Random Rolling" = randomly reviewing apps while continuously filling class?

Yea this is roughly true. It's weird though since the random schools are generally not rolling (or are semi-rolling).

If so, the adcoms at Penn State are probably people who strongly believe in fate or destiny...

Funny you say that, I kinda got this vibe when I interviewed there.

 

[venacontracta]

I suspect people are interpreting "randomly" a bit too literally.

How do you think they achieve this randomness?

throwing darts at applications?

or maybe borrowed expertise from the Pennsylvania Lottery?

a scientifically valid electronic hardware random number generator?

I'm guessing the "selective torture" description is unfortunately more accurate. I suspect there is some factor, or some combination of factors, which does influence the order in which they look at applications, and the word "random" is thrown around just to mean "not in strict chronological order."

 

[4ksibe]

A very random coincidence indeed...but this (getting invites on the same day) has happened with other schools as well lol

Lol that is why its not RANDOM!!!! there is some order