2012-2013 Penn State Application Thread

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I interviewed February 11.

It's all good. This is the process. You never know what can happen! 🙂
 
absolutely - Hershey. I already sent my acceptance withdrawals.
 
Accepted!!! I got the big envelope on April Fool's Day (The universe has a sense of humor!) and interviewed mid-February, so it took ~6weeks. I had a great interview (it seemed like everyone did), I felt valued, and I loved the school and everyone that I interacted with in Hershey….. so yeah, I'm going to be a Nitanny Lion! For those still waiting to hear or who are on the wait list, this process can be really trying at times, but do your best to STAY POSITIVE! It makes a huge difference and our mindset is thankfully something we have control over.

Good luck all!!!
 
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Did anyone go to second look day that can offer some kind of summary for those of us who couldn't make it?
 
I have a few questions for current studies (maybe even prospective students who attended 2nd look, as I was unable to attend). My apologies if these have been asked before.

1. How collaborative is the student body in Hershey? Would you say there are a fair amount of gunners who are uncollaborative and shooting for straight H? Or would you say the student body is friendly and collaborative?
2. Is grading on a curve or absolute (i.e. 90 = H, 80 = HP, etc)?
3. When I visited for my interview it seemed like a few students seemed a bit unenthusiastic about living in Hershey - any thoughts about living in this area?
4. Are OOS students eligible for IS tuition after the first year?
5. How flexible is the clinical rotation site assignment for 3rd/4th year? Do they give more preference to those who may have families or a spouse?
6. Is there any room in the curriculum for time to pursue outside research throughout the school year? How about the summer?
7. Are classes audio/video recorded? How much of class is mandatory?
8. How much PBL is in the curriculum? Would you say it is beneficial to your med school education?

Thats about it for now...thanks.
 
DrPanacea said:
I have a few questions for current studies (maybe even prospective students who attended 2nd look, as I was unable to attend). My apologies if these have been asked before.

1. How collaborative is the student body in Hershey? Would you say there are a fair amount of gunners who are uncollaborative and shooting for straight H? Or would you say the student body is friendly and collaborative?
2. Is grading on a curve or absolute (i.e. 90 = H, 80 = HP, etc)?
3. When I visited for my interview it seemed like a few students seemed a bit unenthusiastic about living in Hershey - any thoughts about living in this area?
4. Are OOS students eligible for IS tuition after the first year?
5. How flexible is the clinical rotation site assignment for 3rd/4th year? Do they give more preference to those who may have families or a spouse?
6. Is there any room in the curriculum for time to pursue outside research throughout the school year? How about the summer?
7. Are classes audio/video recorded? How much of class is mandatory?
8. How much PBL is in the curriculum? Would you say it is beneficial to your med school education?

Thats about it for now...thanks.
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Unfortunately the answer to question 4 is no. More info here:
http://bulletins.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/general_information.cfm?section=Tuition2

I'll leave the rest for current students. Also I think someone already said that all lectures are video recorded except anatomy. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
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jemstone said:
Did anyone go to second look day that can offer some kind of summary for those of us who couldn't make it?
Click to expand...

I went to 2nd look day. It started out in this big auditorium with the two 2nd look day coordinators (two current students). The one talked about how he liked Penn State from the get go because we had to actually call and talk to a human to schedule an interview instead of just being assigned a date or signing up online. I had forgotten about that, but obviously this is just a small example of how Penn State is distinct from most medical schools. Various professors and administrators then talked to us further solidifying that they are there for the students (not the other way around). It was really nice. Dr. Davis told us that they've changed the program with hope in centering the student as a learner instead of having the professors in the center of the attention.

Like I said there were a couple speakers and they all were trying to say that same thing. I liked that they chose speakers (both students and faculty) that were down to earth. They weren't trying to impress us with their intelligence because obviously we already know how smart they are...by doing so they showed us how the school is more like a close knit family. I'm sure anyone that interviewed there already got that feeling. They weren't very specific about the changes to the program, but they did say that we would have class from 8AM-12PM (including lecture/PBL groups) and then you're expected to do independent study or group studying from 1P-5P I think. There's a lot less lecture time with our class in comparison to last years...but there's more PBL and stuff like that. We also won't have the micro or basic science lab because clinicians can't even grow cultures in the field from what the students told us. Anatomy is shortened from 11 to 6 weeks, and is rumored to be the hardest of the courses but everyone but one person passed from last year. We'll have additional anatomy throughout the systems. We're going to have more clinical skill days (once per week) in comparison to last year's class. Because of this, supposedly they are going to try to assign us to cases mostly at Hershey. The farthest assignment last year was 20 minutes away, but they don't have it once a week so they shouldn't assign us too far. But who knows. Anatomy is the only class that's not on MediaSite.

Financial Aid packets are being sent out. I got mine in the mail last week. You should also apply for housing online, the sooner the better because their aren't enough apartments to accommodate everyone. The apartment I saw was actually nicer than the pictures online, but that's probably because it was decorated and all. They do not come furnished. They also don't have a dish washer. There's a lot of housing within a close distance from the campus. I've gotten mixed signals about whether to live with a roommate or not. If any current students could give me feedback on this I would appreciate it. Also, is it cheaper to live off campus? Some of the rates looked similar, but I didn't really look into it that much.

We met in a small group room, where I think PBL's take place, and we were given a case study. The patient had chest pain and we had to tell two current med students what are differential diagnoses are and what type of questions we would ask the patient. It was just an example of a case that we will be doing shortly! They were really laid back and didn't talk down to us. I've experienced many situations where people expect you to know more than you've ever learned, but they really took the time to explain things to us and talked to us more conversationally. I didn't really like the increase in PBL until I saw it in action. I tend not to ask too many questions in lecture, but this style of learning really turned my brain on and made me think of new questions. Then you have everyone else's questions..so obviously it's a limitless and multi-directional style of learning. Really didn't grasp that fully until experiencing it. :idea:

My favorite part of the day was when we got to listen to regular heart beats and then heart murmurs through the stethophones they provided. I've always learned that it was a whooshing sound, but you really can't appreciate a murmur just by this description. Over all I thought the professor speeches could have been a little more interesting, but I think they were trying to get the point across that they're there for us and that they're down to earth which was effective. There was a panel of students that answered a lot of our questions. They started off by playing their version of the Harlem Shake which was better than most I've seen on YouTube. One of the 4th years recently matched at UCLA for otorhinolaryngology residency. In case you don't know that's a very big deal. It says a lot that a student that's already accepted into such a prestigious residency is still helping out around the school for something like 2nd look day on a Saturday morning. I don't think you'll find a school with more compassionate students, physicians, or faculty.

Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. So much that I wrote this long novel instead of writing a paper for a stupid gen-ed class. I can't wait to be at Hershey. 🙂
 
Thanks so much for posting this, ekoorb. Did they say anything about when to expect more information about orientation or anything else? It's my understanding that with the curriculum change, our orientation has also changed? I absolutely love the school and all they have to offer, but I've recently been getting the vibe that it seems to be quite a party school. Is anyone else getting this vibe?

Ekoorb, did they touch on the Global Health opportunities or any student groups at second look day?
 
DrPanacea said:
I have a few questions for current studies (maybe even prospective students who attended 2nd look, as I was unable to attend). My apologies if these have been asked before.

1. How collaborative is the student body in Hershey? Would you say there are a fair amount of gunners who are uncollaborative and shooting for straight H? Or would you say the student body is friendly and collaborative?
2. Is grading on a curve or absolute (i.e. 90 = H, 80 = HP, etc)?
3. When I visited for my interview it seemed like a few students seemed a bit unenthusiastic about living in Hershey - any thoughts about living in this area?
4. Are OOS students eligible for IS tuition after the first year?
5. How flexible is the clinical rotation site assignment for 3rd/4th year? Do they give more preference to those who may have families or a spouse?
6. Is there any room in the curriculum for time to pursue outside research throughout the school year? How about the summer?
7. Are classes audio/video recorded? How much of class is mandatory?
8. How much PBL is in the curriculum? Would you say it is beneficial to your med school education?

Thats about it for now...thanks.
Click to expand...

Hey. I'm a first year who helped coordinate second look weekend so I'm hoping I can provide some insight.
First, I'm glad everyone who was able to make it enjoyed it! We tried to make it a fun weekend as well as informative.
To your question specifically.
1. Not at all. This was actually one of the main reasons I chose penn state. Our class especially is very quick to help eachother (we have a facebook group and are always posting articles, youtube vids, flash cards etc to help other study). I've constantly been impressed with how awesome our class is in helping eachother study. At the end of the day, I could end up treating my fellow class mate's family member so there's no point in trying to hinder eachothers learning experience. That said, there are people who care more about honoring than others. I'd say by far that's the vast minority and it's always about doing your personal best, not beating the rest of the class.

2. What I said above in 1 is possibly due to the way grading is done. Grade are NOT absolutes but have set minimums. The standard is 68% is passing, 85% is high pass and 90% is honoring. If the class averages are LOWER than expected, the top 10% will honors, top 15% will high pass and 1.5 standard deviations below the average if the bar for passing. Thus far, our averages have all been right on par and so we haven't had curving down. Now, they're changing the curriculum pretty extensively for next years class and the logistics of grading haven't been figured out for certian but you can expect simular results. (there's been talk and surveying on whether to make everything p/f so don't be surprised if that happens in the next few years)

3. Hershey isn't a party city. There's not a great deal to do in hershey proper but we're really close to harrisburg and by and large, if you want to find something to do, you can. That said, you spend so much time studying that you'll find most nights you just want to stay in anyway. Things our class as done to relieve stress : ultimate frisbee club (just started), paintball, soccer, volleyball etc., trips to harrisburg for shopping and clubbing etc.
I come from a city very much like hershey so it wasn't an adjustment for me but if you're coming from NYC, it'll be a bit of a change. Again, your free time is limited so don't look for a city with a great night-life. you'll so vary rarely use it anyway.

4. Already got answered but No. The exception is if you marry a state resident.

5. It's a lottery system I believe. By and large, if you want to stay at the COM for clerkships you can. If you are required to go elsewhere, they have to provide housing if it's more than an hours drive away. Worst case scenario, it's only a few weeks at a time. I don't know a great deal about this specifically but I've never heard much complaining from second, third and 4th years about it so I assume it's a good system.

6. This may change due to the new schedule. My current schedule doesn't allow much time for research but that hasn't stopped a lot of people from trying. With your new curriculum, you're done with classes at noon so you'll have more freetime (caviate is you still have to learn all of the same material). The summer between 1st and 2nd year is when MOST students do their MSR projects (this is a requirement for graduation). I myself am set up to do my MSR project this summer and am getting paid through work-study for it (if you take out loans, you qualify for work-study).

7. All classes except anatomy (may change, I'm not sure with the new curriculum) are recorded and put on Mediasite (our program for viewing lectures). Lectures are available as soon as they finish recording and can be played at .5x, 1x, 1.5x and 2x speed so you can go through them at your own pace. As someone who doesn't go to lecture and only watches mediasite, it's a wonderful thing to be able to 2x speed through a really slow lecture. On average, we have a class or two a week that's mandatory. This is typically PBL (and all PBLs are mandatory) and since you'll be getting more PBL in your new curriculum, I'd expect more mandatory class time. That said, your still done at noon so you've got most of your day free.

8. I was hesitant about PBL. With our curriculum, we typically had 1 pbl case per test during CMBMP (biochem) and have had 6 so far in BBD (pathology). You guys will have more. I'm not sure how much more, but expect more. THat said, I didn't think I was going to like PBL but really, its been great. If your the kind of person who hears something and goes "hmm, I don't know what that means. I want to look that up (on Wiki )" than you'll like PBLs a lot. It's a really evolving learning process and allows you to structure your learning how you best like it. Facilitators are there to make sure you get the necessary material but you often learn a lot more than what will be directly tested on (which I would argue is a good thing). Some groups work better than others. I absolutely loved my first group (we had the same groups throughout CMBMP) and I like my second group as well. Really though, your group is there to confirm your learning and fill in holes you may have missed. It's a process learning rather than just rote memorization through a text book which I appreciated.
 
Hold list mail today.
What are my chances?
Should I just give up?

Anyone know of any movement on hold lists from previous years?
 
jemstone said:
Thanks so much for posting this, ekoorb. Did they say anything about when to expect more information about orientation or anything else? It's my understanding that with the curriculum change, our orientation has also changed? I absolutely love the school and all they have to offer, but I've recently been getting the vibe that it seems to be quite a party school. Is anyone else getting this vibe?

Ekoorb, did they touch on the Global Health opportunities or any student groups at second look day?
Click to expand...

We aren't a party school. Students do occasionaly have group bar outings or parties after tests but it's more of way to unwind than to get crazy. I went to syracuse which was definantly a party school so I can say it's really not that way.

As far as your orientation goes, it has changed but they haven't told us how much. I think your orientation is longer but with less material per day. Really though I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get the info you need and it's actually a really fun time before the whirlwind starts.

During SLW we had a student activities far that coincided with our end of weekend BBQ during which various student groups had posters up to show you what they are all about. Basically, any kind of specialty you could want to go into, there's a group for that. There's global health interest groups, etc.
We have a great Global Health program here at PSU and I know I have a friend who's going to somewhere in south america thus summer to do a global health project so if that's your thing, you can very easily do it here!
 
ekoorb and StephBee... You guys are great! Thank you for all the useful info.
 
ash83plus said:
ekoorb and StephBee... You guys are great! Thank you for all the useful info.
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+1

StephBee said:
We aren't a party school. Students do occasionaly have group bar outings or parties after tests but it's more of way to unwind than to get crazy. I went to syracuse which was definantly a party school so I can say it's really not that way.

As far as your orientation goes, it has changed but they haven't told us how much. I think your orientation is longer but with less material per day. Really though I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get the info you need and it's actually a really fun time before the whirlwind starts.

During SLW we had a student activities far that coincided with our end of weekend BBQ during which various student groups had posters up to show you what they are all about. Basically, any kind of specialty you could want to go into, there's a group for that. There's global health interest groups, etc.
We have a great Global Health program here at PSU and I know I have a friend who's going to somewhere in south america thus summer to do a global health project so if that's your thing, you can very easily do it here!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your help. During my interview, my interviewer advised against combining the MSR with Global Health, but a 4th year student told me to do it. Do you know of anyone who did this? Have you heard of the MSR requirements changing at all for our class?
 
As far as I know, there is no change for MSR. I do know a few people who are doing global health MSRs. The issue comes from the fact that there are just a lot of hoops to jump through. You've gotta get approval from both PSU and abroad, make sure your project satisfies the MSR before you go and some other stuff. But those who can get all the paperwork done have all said it was a great experience. There's no reason you cant do it and I know there are some grants available for it as well.
 
2nd year here. A 1st year already addressed many of these, but I can probably give some insight.

1. How collaborative is the student body in Hershey? Would you say there are a fair amount of gunners who are uncollaborative and shooting for straight H? Or would you say the student body is friendly and collaborative?[/B]

Very collaborative and friendly. Even the smartest girl in our class tries to help her classmates understand concepts.

2. Is grading on a curve or absolute (i.e. 90 = H, 80 = HP, etc)?

Depends on the class as stated above. This is changing to P/F next year though, so this is irrelevant for anyone coming in.

3. When I visited for my interview it seemed like a few students seemed a bit unenthusiastic about living in Hershey - any thoughts about living in this area?

Hershey's a small town and as such, it's a bit boring in my opinion (I'm from more of a city atmosphere). The town is very safe though. I wasn't a fan of the on-campus housing, so I live across the street in Briarcrest. I have no complaints about where I live.

4. Are OOS students eligible for IS tuition after the first year?

No, which is super lame...

5. How flexible is the clinical rotation site assignment for 3rd/4th year? Do they give more preference to those who may have families or a spouse?

I'll be honest here. The rotation assignment is pretty bad. It's entirely based on a lottery system (for both schedule and location) and they DO NOT give preference to anyone. My husband and I share a car, so I'm currently unable to get to some of my rotations next year...I've contacted the office multiple times about this, and they basically say "good luck, we can't do anything to accommodate your situation." If you would like more details on the system, feel free to PM me. (I don't want to start ranting...)

6. Is there any room in the curriculum for time to pursue outside research throughout the school year? How about the summer?

MSR's are required, so you have to do them at some point. Most students do them during summer after MS1. If you work on your MSR during the summer, you can apply for work-study or several grants (which is incredibly helpful money-wise).

7. Are classes audio/video recorded? How much of class is mandatory?

As others have said, all classes (except Anatomy) are mediasited. I honestly never go to class, it's way more efficient to watch the videos on double-speed at home. PBL sessions are mandatory (usually 3x/wk) and last anywhere from 2-3 hours.

8. How much PBL is in the curriculum? Would you say it is beneficial to your med school education?

As I said above, PBL is 3x/wk for 2-3 hrs each time. Again, I'll be completely honest here. I absolutely hate PBL. It's incredibly inefficient and a waste of time. We spend 2-3 hrs preparing for each session, in addition to our lectures, then spend another 2-3 hrs having the actual PBL session. Part of the problem with PBL is that have session on topics we haven't covered in lectures yet. As such, most sessions basically consist of us floundering to try to come up with a differential (since we haven't learned about that system yet). Plus, you can't trust what the other students say in PBL, you have to take everything with a grain of salt. On top of this, your PBL experience really depends on your facilitator. I've had some HORRIBLE facilitators and I've have some amazing ones. Some students may like this learning style, but it's definitely not for me.

Hope this info is helpful. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to PM me. 🙂
 
Just withdrew from the hold list (OOS). Best of luck everyone!
 
Does anyone know when the first day of orientation is? I ask because I'm on the waitlist and I'm trying to get an idea of when I'll know for sure whether I still have a chance of getting in off the waitlist. (I assume there are no acceptances after the start of orientation).

Also, does anyone know if we're told approximately where we are ranked on the waitlist? I was waitlisted at a different school a couple of years ago and they at least let me know what half of the list I was in.

Thanks.
 
Has anyone who interviewed in Feb. or earlier not received any news?? I'm getting anxiousss!
 
Yeah, I interviewed in Feb. and have yet to hear back. I feel your pain!
 
metalgirl14 said:
2nd year here. A 1st year already addressed many of these, but I can probably give some insight.

2. Is grading on a curve or absolute (i.e. 90 = H, 80 = HP, etc)?

Depends on the class as stated above. This is changing to P/F next year though, so this is irrelevant for anyone coming in.
Click to expand...

Is this 100%? And thanks for all the info!
 
chopes31 said:
Is this 100%? And thanks for all the info!
Click to expand...

According to the Dean of Student Affairs, they are already working on implementing this change. While he didn't outright say that it will affect the incoming class, he strongly insinuated that it will.
 
metalgirl14 said:
According to the Dean of Student Affairs, they are already working on implementing this change. While he didn't outright say that it will affect the incoming class, he strongly insinuated that it will.
Click to expand...

We've been getting the same thing. Theres no official "it'll be pass/fail" but I'd be a bit surprised if it didnt happen.

And orientation technically starts the 22nd and last 2 weeks (classes start the 5th) but social events start the 20th (ice cream social and bar outing).

We just started planning all the social stuff for orientation. Its going to be great!!!
 
I hope you guys are planning a day at Hershey Park because those roller coasters are calling my name 😀


StephBee said:
We've been getting the same thing. Theres no official "it'll be pass/fail" but I'd be a bit surprised if it didnt happen.

And orientation technically starts the 22nd and last 2 weeks (classes start the 5th) but social events start the 20th (ice cream social and bar outing).

We just started planning all the social stuff for orientation. Its going to be great!!!
Click to expand...
 
StephBee said:
We've been getting the same thing. Theres no official "it'll be pass/fail" but I'd be a bit surprised if it didnt happen.

And orientation technically starts the 22nd and last 2 weeks (classes start the 5th) but social events start the 20th (ice cream social and bar outing).

We just started planning all the social stuff for orientation. Its going to be great!!!
Click to expand...

2 weeks of orientation before classes?? This just keeps getting better! :banana::banana::banana:
 
Yes theres a Hershey park trip! And it'll be nice to have the 2 week orientation. Ours was a week and we were in lectures about loans, aid etc for 8 hours a day. It was kind of exhausting. But yes! We're planning lots of great stuff!
 
Hold list letter today, Interview March 20th.
 
Via email yesterday morning. Interviewed 3/18. I'm very excited and will have a hard time deciding between my choices 😍
 
Vena7 said:
Via email yesterday morning. Interviewed 3/18. I'm very excited and will have a hard time deciding between my choices 😍
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Congrats!!!!!!!! 👍 I was accepted via e-mail yesterday, too! 😀 😀 IS and interviewed Feb. 20th
 
Withrew my acceptance in favor of Jefferson. Good luck to everyone on the wait list!
 
Vena7 said:
Via email yesterday morning. Interviewed 3/18. I'm very excited and will have a hard time deciding between my choices 😍
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I've already had a couple of people message me about why penn state, so if you have any questions that I can answer to help you make the decision, please let me know!
 
Tomorrow is the day things are gonna happen. Wishing my fellow HOLD-listers some positive movement!!
 
Happy May 15th! Raise your hand if you're committed to Penn State! :hello:
 
So what do we do now? still wait? Do they take any update letters?
 
They take updates on transcripts only. Send them over to the admin office. I spoke with them yesterday about it
 
I interviewed in mid-February and still haven't heard. I have no idea how this is possible given the May 15th deadline?!
 
Anyone know how much tuition will be for in-state students for 2013-2014? I haven't received my financial aid packet yet.
 
Whoops...read the thread wrong...nm! Haha
 
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hey guys, stupid question but when is the first day of orientation? I looked over all the material and cannot, for the life of me, find when that is. Its possible that I maybe missing a page or something. Also, the website for accepted students is still not updated. Thanks.
 
bymotion said:
hey guys, stupid question but when is the first day of orientation?
Click to expand...

The first official day of orientation is July 22nd, but I think that the non-mandatory(?) social orientation starts on the 20th.
 
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