2011-2012 Penn State Application Thread

Started by Sammich117
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lovedocta07 said:
complete early october...nothing yet.
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hmmmm that's weird. were u complete in october or was that just when you sent your secondary in? because i sent in my secondary in october but wasn't complete until december 6th. if you were complete in october though, i'd take that as a better sign - it's probably easier to make the decision to deny people or put them on hold than it is to hand out interviews...
 
Interviewed here on the 12th and was extremely impressed with the school. I didn't know much about it going in and they really blew me away. The facilities are amazing (personal favorite was the sims lab) and I'm in love with Hershey! The staff was absolutely incredible. I was running late thanks to awful traffic in DC and I had taken the keys to my car by accident and my boyfriend needed them. I left them in the office and Linda gave them to him for me, they chatted about our dog and they even let him use the microwave to reheat something (it sounds small but it really impressed me).

They said we'd find out in 6-8 weeks so here's hoping!
 
So it's 8 weeks since my interview and no word yet - anyone else in the same situation? Will they really make us wait until after Christmas??
 
StephBee said:
Interviewed here on the 12th and was extremely impressed with the school. I didn't know much about it going in and they really blew me away. The facilities are amazing (personal favorite was the sims lab) and I'm in love with Hershey! The staff was absolutely incredible. I was running late thanks to awful traffic in DC and I had taken the keys to my car by accident and my boyfriend needed them. I left them in the office and Linda gave them to him for me, they chatted about our dog and they even let him use the microwave to reheat something (it sounds small but it really impressed me).

They said we'd find out in 6-8 weeks so here's hoping!
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I interviewed the same day as you! I loved it too! I Think I remember you did you have the awesome iPad case?
 
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Does anyone have any suggestions for hotels, particularly those that provide airport shuttle service and shuttle service to and from the med school? I know Days Inn offers this, but after reading Google reviews of bed bugs issues, I am a little apprehensive to book a room there.
 
twanette1213 said:
Does anyone have any suggestions for hotels, particularly those that provide airport shuttle service and shuttle service to and from the med school? I know Days Inn offers this, but after reading Google reviews of bed bugs issues, I am a little apprehensive to book a room there.
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Long answer: Of the hundreds and hundreds of people that have stayed there, two or three write a bad review on the internet and it sways your opinion? Not to mention--there is no way of knowing if they are even past customers, much less whether they're telling the truth. If it seems like the best option, go for it.

Short answer: I stayed there and thought it was just fine. I recommend it 🙂
 
Velour Fog said:
Long answer: Of the hundreds and hundreds of people that have stayed there, two or three write a bad review on the internet and it sways your opinion? Not to mention--there is no way of knowing if they are even past customers, much less whether they're telling the truth. If it seems like the best option, go for it.

Short answer: I stayed there and thought it was just fine. I recommend it 🙂
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Okay great! Thanks for your help!
 
twanette1213 said:
Okay great! Thanks for your help!
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I stayed there and ended up bringing bed bugs to my apartment back in michigan. I called the hotel and they said that the room I stayed in has a history of bed bugs, but assured me that it was no longer infested. I stayed Nov 12-15 2011. Needless to stay, they refunded my money for the entire stay

I did stay in Wingate Suites by Wyndham in August in Harrisburg. Beautiful!! No problems.
 
I am OOS applicant and I have been complete since December 5 th. No continue to review letter in the mail to this date. Does anyone know what this means? Is this a rejection?
 
annabanana1690 said:
I interviewed the same day as you! I loved it too! I Think I remember you did you have the awesome iPad case?
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Yup! 😛 I forgot my portfolio at home and opted to use my ipad to take notes. Just didn't think about the fact that it has a BRIGHT pink case on it 😛 At least it made me memorable.

On a side note: Dear PennState; I'd love to hear from you any time now! KThxsBye
 
Submitted 9/10, completed 10/25, and II 1/06. Wow verrrry long turn around time so theres hope for a lot of u 🙂
 
StephBee said:
Yup! 😛 I forgot my portfolio at home and opted to use my ipad to take notes. Just didn't think about the fact that it has a BRIGHT pink case on it 😛 At least it made me memorable.

On a side note: Dear PennState; I'd love to hear from you any time now! KThxsBye
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I know I want to hear back from them so bad!!
 
Got put on hold post-interview :bang:

Submitted 9/2, got the invite 9/7, interviewed 10/28 and the letter was dated 12/16.

I just got back from a 3-week vacation, so I was only able to open up the letter today. I guess it was better for me to find out now rather than before my vacation, eh?

Good luck to the rest of you!
 
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haloschief said:
Submitted 9/10, completed 10/25, and II 1/06. Wow verrrry long turn around time so theres hope for a lot of u 🙂
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Thanks this gives some hope that my not hearing from them means continued interest.

Anyone knows if Penn State rejects folks pre-interview? It seems like everyone gets a continue to review letter. Haven't seen a rejection in this thread.
 
I've just scheduled my interview for January 27th! Does anyone have any advice on how we should aptly prepare?
Also, do you guys know if it's a closed-file interview?
I'd really appreciate any feedback! Thank you in advance 🙂
 
It is an open file interview - check out the sdn interview feedback for hints. At Penn State, I had two one-on-one interviews, both open-file. One of my interviewers was from the humanities department and asked about my humanities courses. The other was from peds and he focused on research I had done. Both never asked why med?, why Penn State?. If you review what Penn State is all about and the curriculum they run, you should be OK.

Tabasco24 said:
I've just scheduled my interview for January 27th! Does anyone have any advice on how we should aptly prepare?
Also, do you guys know if it's a closed-file interview?
I'd really appreciate any feedback! Thank you in advance 🙂
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I interviewed on the 14th of November, as well. Penn State is definitely my top choice. I hope the few hiccups I had during my interviews will be overlooked. Despite having previous interviews (and one the week before), I got nervous because I love Penn State. The emotional speech made by the Director of Admissions was good, but I needed time to recover after hearing it. I hope this works out, as I have only had waitlists so far.
 
Thank you SO much!! The only other interview I have had was an MMI (which suits my personality a bit more than the traditional interview) so I have to adjust my mindset before I go in... plus I was waitlisted for that previous school so there's a lot riding on this one...
 
Comeon said:
I interviewed on the 14th of November, as well. Penn State is definitely my top choice. I hope the few hiccups I had during my interviews will be overlooked. Despite having previous interviews (and one the week before), I got nervous because I love Penn State. The emotional speech made by the Director of Admissions was good, but I needed time to recover after hearing it. I hope this works out, as I have only had waitlists so far.
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Best of luck to you! I'm sure your love for penn state shone through your interview.
 
Interview on Jan 20th!!! I <3 Penn State

This question may seem ridiculous, but I am from CA and we don't really have a winter so I am not sure what shoes to wear... is it too cold to wear heels outside? Should I wear boots outside and change into heels for the interview? Any advice/wisdom is appreciated.
 
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TurquoiseSurf said:
Interview on Jan 20th!!! I <3 Penn State

This question may seem ridiculous, but I am from CA and we don't really have a winter so I am not sure what shoes to wear... is it too cold to wear heels outside? Should I wear boots outside and change into heels for the interview? Any advice/wisdom is appreciated.
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It's going to be 20-30 degrees, and it could possibly snow. To be on the safe side, you should bring boots or sneakers and change into heels when you get there. I'm interviewing 2 weeks after you (and I'm a central PA native) and I will surely not be wearing heels to walk from my car to the school. Brr!
 
Ismet said:
It's going to be 20-30 degrees, and it could possibly snow. To be on the safe side, you should bring boots or sneakers and change into heels when you get there. I'm interviewing 2 weeks after you (and I'm a central PA native) and I will surely not be wearing heels to walk from my car to the school. Brr!
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Thanks so much! I will make sure to wear some warm shoes. It would be awesome if there's snow. We have no snow this season, not even on the highest mts 🙁

👍
 
Put on hold today post-interview (interviewed on the 14th of November). 32Q MCAT, 3.96 GPA. I really wanted to go here. This cycle looks pretty bad for me now. I am on so many hold lists that I feel like I am being molested. I will definitely not apply for a third cycle, so hopefully something works out.
 
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Comeon said:
Put on hold today post-interview (interviewed on the 14th of November). 32Q MCAT, 3.96 GPA. I really wanted to go here. This cycle looks pretty bad for me now. I am on so many hold lists that I feel like I am being molested. I will definitely not apply for a third cycle, so hopefully something works out. All that hard work and, I suppose, I am not really good for anything.
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Maybe you need to work on your confidence or interviewing skills? Hold lists or wait lists? Most schools nowadays accept off the waitlist so just be patient.
 
I am just sort of broken and demoralized because I have waited for so long and this is my second cycle. It is hard not to lose confidence after having to go through the process like this again - I ought to pull myself together.

KLycos said:
Maybe you need to work on your confidence or interviewing skills? Hold lists or wait lists? Most schools nowadays accept off the waitlist so just be patient.
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Comeon said:
I am just sort of broken and demoralized because I have waited for so long and this is my second cycle. It is hard not to lose confidence after having to go through the process like this again - I ought to pull myself together.
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I can sort of relate. I am a reapplicant this year and was terrified by the prospect of another cycle potentially "failing" and having to do it all over again--for a third time.

Since you're sharing part of your story with us, could you perhaps fill me in on what has been different this time around compared to your first application cycle? I mean with respect to both your application (MCAT, GPA, ECs, PS, etc.) as well as the responses of various schools. Fair amount of interviews? More than last time?

It must really suck to be in your position. But, if this is what you really want, there's not much to do but be pragmatic and attack the situation in the smartest of ways. Not to mention--it's not even FEBRUARY yet! Still plenty of time, especially if you have meaningful updates for schools in the upcoming months.

Be strong. If this is your destiny, then you'll get there sooner or later.
 
I interviewed on 11/28. This is week 7 for me and I haven't gotten anything in the mail yet. I'm starting to get pretty nervous.
 
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