2010-2011 Penn State Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Interview invite today! Shocked at this one - I submitted my application on August 4th and wasn't marked complete until October 8th, so I just assumed that I was making a roundabout way to the rejection pile.

Good luck to everyone else waiting - even if you submitted the first day and haven't heard anything there is still hope!
 
So whats the best way to get to Penn State from Harrisburg? I am thinking of taking the Amtrak to Harrisburg but then...don't really know anything about the area
 
Randomly got invited for an interview today. I finished the application the first day the application was available but did not get marked complete until a week ago. Thought for sure they were done looking at me. I am excited for this interview! I'll have to wait till Monday to schedule my interview but I'm excited. Baltimore is an option to fly into just so people know. I have family in Hershey and they often fly in and out of Baltimore because it is often cheaper and relatively close (2 hours).
 
luckys said:
lol thanks but I was wondering if there were cabs or buses that go to Penn State
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You could probably take Amtrak to Harrisburg and take this bus from the train station to Hershey.

http://www.cattransit.com/routepdfs/sep10/Route_322_Hershey.pdf

Keep in mind this bus runs M-F only and runs about 10 times a day in each direction, so it's not like you can just show up anytime and catch the bus.

The "Hershey Intermodal Center" stop should be about a 10-15 minute walk from the Days Inn which seems really popular for interviewees.

Also, someone in last year's thread said the Days Inn in Hershey will run shuttles to both the train station in Harrisburg and the medical school on request. That'd be (by far!) your best bet if that information is true.

If you're not pinching every penny, you could just get a taxi from the Harrisburg Amtrak station to your destination in Hershey.

These are the possibilities I can think of (I'm from the area)... the bus looks very doable if you have to, but I would recommend finding a hotel willing to shuttle you around, it's the ideal situation. This is not a public transport friendly area.

For anyone flying in... you can fly to BWI and rent a car. AFAIK public transport from BWI-Hershey is poor or nonexistent (both BWI and Harrisburg have Amtrak, but to get from one to the other, you'd have to go through Philly). The airport very close to Hershey, Harrisburg International Airport, is MDT. Days Inn's shuttle should pick you up at MDT if you arrange beforehand, or you can get a cab. If money is the biggest issue over convenience, I'd price out the cost of flying into BWI and renting a car vs. flying into MDT and getting around via hotel shuttle. Flying into MDT isn't usually all that expensive, it's my home airport and I rarely find it's worth it to drive to BWI or any other airport.
 
Last edited:
david06 said:
You could probably take Amtrak to Harrisburg and take this bus from the train station to Hershey.

http://www.cattransit.com/routepdfs/sep10/Route_322_Hershey.pdf

Keep in mind this bus runs M-F only and runs about 10 times a day in each direction, so it's not like you can just show up anytime and catch the bus.

The "Hershey Intermodal Center" stop should be about a 10-15 minute walk from the Days Inn which seems really popular for interviewees.

Also, someone in last year's thread said the Days Inn in Hershey will run shuttles to both the train station in Harrisburg and the medical school on request. That'd be (by far!) your best bet if that information is true.

Also, if you're not pinching every penny, you could just get a taxi from the Harrisburg Amtrak station to your destination in Hershey.

These are the possibilities I can think of (I'm from the area)... the bus looks very doable if you have to, but I would recommend finding a hotel willing to shuttle you around, it's the ideal situation. This is not a public transport friendly area.

ALSO - for anyone flying in... you can fly to BWI and rent a car. AFAIK public transport from BWI-Hershey is poor or nonexistent (both BWI and Harrisburg have Amtrak, but to get from one to the other, you'd have to go through Philly). The airport very close to Hershey, Harrisburg International Airport, is MDT. Days Inn's shuttle should pick you up at MDT if you arrange beforehand, or you can get a cab. If money is the biggest issue over convenience, I'd price out the cost of flying into BWI and renting a car vs. flying into MDT and getting around via hotel shuttle. Flying into MDT isn't usually all that expensive, it's my home airport and I rarely find it's worth it to drive to BWI or any other airport.
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Thanks 🙂
 
does anyone know when penn state starts sending out admissions decisions?
 
6-8 weeks post-interview. Check last year's thread to get a better picture.
 
Secondary submitted 8/4
Complete 10/8
Hold for further review 10/12

Anyone know if they accept update letters?
 
LifeLngStudent said:
Secondary submitted 8/4
Complete 10/8
Hold for further review 10/12

Anyone know if they accept update letters?
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Penn State doesn't accept update letters - I tried to send one a little while ago and received an e-mail in response saying,

"Thank you for your email. Only official transcripts can be accepted as updates. Please let us know what else we can do to help and thank you for your interest in Penn State College of Medicine."

Lame.
 
Does anyone have the link or information on the student hosting program at Penn State? I can't seem to find it.

Thank you 🙂
 
camelback said:
Penn State doesn't accept update letters - I tried to send one a little while ago and received an e-mail in response saying,

"Thank you for your email. Only official transcripts can be accepted as updates. Please let us know what else we can do to help and thank you for your interest in Penn State College of Medicine."

Lame.
Click to expand...

Really? I sent an update letter, and they said they would add it to my file.
 
how long did it take you guys to get complete?

I submitted 8/9 and still not complete - I called the lady and I got "We ask for your patience"
 
Got my first acceptance today in a big envelope! This relieves so much pressure... 🙂
 
Haha right on cue. Congrats! When did you interview?
 
Interviewed 9/13. No status change on website, just snail mail. Gotta love the one thing that most admissions offices refuse to modernize on.
 
Are there any current students around that can comment on how they like Penn State? I have read that the curriculum is "interdisciplinary and innovative," but can anyone be more specific? Is it a block-style curriculum? Small group discussions or sitting in a classroom 8 hours a day? How do you like Hershey? Are you glad you went there? Are the examinations board-style? What kind of support does the school offer for boards prep? What kind of opportunities have you had for research or in the hospital? Are you happy?!?

I have an interview scheduled and I'm not sure if I want to keep it or not. This is getting to be an expensive year and I'm lucky enough to be holding an acceptance already.

Also, is there a particular reason that they have chosen to be unranked? Thanks!
 
did anyone else hear anything from penn state and interviewed in early mid september? acceptance? hold list? waiting?
 
tryin hard said:
did anyone else hear anything from penn state and interviewed in early mid september? acceptance? hold list? waiting?
Click to expand...

I haven't heard anything and I interviewed in early September. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one--I wish we'd get some sort of update soon, especially if they're already sending out acceptances!
 
Wiingy said:
Interview invite today! Shocked at this one - I submitted my application on August 4th and wasn't marked complete until October 8th, so I just assumed that I was making a roundabout way to the rejection pile.

Good luck to everyone else waiting - even if you submitted the first day and haven't heard anything there is still hope!
Click to expand...

This gives me hope! I submitted my application on September 1st and haven't been marked complete yet. I'm hoping for good news soon!
 
ThrusH said:
This gives me hope! I submitted my application on September 1st and haven't been marked complete yet. I'm hoping for good news soon!
Click to expand...

I submitted on 9/1, too and am not complete yet. Hope we are soon!
 
Interview invite today also! Mediocre stats (27Q, 3.7), OOS, file complete on Oct 8. I called them at 3:01 EST hoping to catch them but the scheduler already left for the day. I'll be calling back on Monday or Tuesday to schedule. 😀
 
Almost forgot!

I got rejected by snail mail on Tueday. I'm OOS and my stats ain't nothing to brag about 😎
 
Lorbis said:
Almost forgot!

I got rejected by snail mail on Tueday. I'm OOS and my stats ain't nothing to brag about 😎
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that Lorbis, but good luck elsewhere! Mind sharing when you got the complete email?

PS: I like your signature, can I apply there too? 😉
 
bpost137 said:
Sorry to hear that Lorbis, but good luck elsewhere! Mind sharing when you got the complete email?

PS: I like your signature, can I apply there too? 😉
Click to expand...

Sure thing. Submitted 08/05, Complete 10/08
 
Interviewed early Sept. Snail mail "on hold" letter received today. Anyone know what this means?
 
SistaYaa said:
Are there any current students around that can comment on how they like Penn State? I have read that the curriculum is "interdisciplinary and innovative," but can anyone be more specific? Is it a block-style curriculum? Small group discussions or sitting in a classroom 8 hours a day? How do you like Hershey? Are you glad you went there? Are the examinations board-style? What kind of support does the school offer for boards prep? What kind of opportunities have you had for research or in the hospital? Are you happy?!?

I have an interview scheduled and I'm not sure if I want to keep it or not. This is getting to be an expensive year and I'm lucky enough to be holding an acceptance already.

Also, is there a particular reason that they have chosen to be unranked? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Anyone??? Any super excited applicants willing to share their insights about the Penn State program?
 
I'm heading down on the 15th for the interview... anyone have hotel recommendations? I didn't realize how far out of Hershey the Harrisburg airport was, so any hotels with a free shuttle would be preferred. Thanks!
 
moogle44 said:
I submitted on august 4th and still not complete...when I call they say to be patient. almost 3 month and counting.
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Yeah same here, 8/8 got a "received" email but still incomplete. Maybe cause we're OOS? I wonder if it's worth calling or emailing them about it...
 
Wiingy said:
I'm heading down on the 15th for the interview... anyone have hotel recommendations? I didn't realize how far out of Hershey the Harrisburg airport was, so any hotels with a free shuttle would be preferred. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Didn't they tell you about the Days Inn? You definitely want to use them.
 
can somebody else pleeeaaase say that they got n acceptance from an early september interview so that I can just be sure im getting waitlisted and thats it???? speak up!! im going nuts!
 
wanderer100 said:
Didn't they tell you about the Days Inn? You definitely want to use them.
Click to expand...

Thanks - it's been sort of a crazy week and I misplaced my notes from talking with the interview scheduler.
 
kachan0 said:
Yeah same here, 8/8 got a "received" email but still incomplete. Maybe cause we're OOS? I wonder if it's worth calling or emailing them about it...
Click to expand...
I submitted on 8/9 and called them a few weeks ago just to make sure they weren't missing part of my application. They just said that it takes time to review applications and they are still going through them. I'm OOS so that may play a role too.
 
"If your college or university has a Pre-Health Committee or Pre-Health Office that submits recommendation letter(s), you are required to use their service. If you do not use their service, you must include an explanation (please title your explanation "Reasons for not using the Pre-Health Committee")."

I do not have a pre-health committee letter but I have no idea where or how I should send this explanation. Can anyone point me in the right direction here?
 
finally complete! email today.

submitted 8/5...
 
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