2020-2021 Pennsylvania State

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Thunderduck44 said:
+1. Still haven't been marked as complete because of me LOR, but everywhere else my letters.
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I emailed them earlier this morning. They updated it and sent me a complete email shortly after. I would just reach out.
 
I submitted my primary on 8/8 and still waiting for a secondary. Does anyone know when they will start sending out secondaries again?
 
Thunderduck44 said:
+1. Still haven't been marked as complete because of me LOR, but everywhere else my letters.
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Me too. I submitted 8/2 and emailed a week later. They said that letters are marked completed manually and it could take more time but mine still say incomplete... any thoughts on what I should do?
 
Does anyone know if they started sending out interview invites?
 
galliumspork said:
Heads up to nontrads that the LOR requirements are set in stone. They don’t make any waivers regarding the non science faculty letter. Fortunately every other school I applied to with this requirement waived it for me. Waste of $41 lol.

EDIT: apparently others have been told to just send the secondary in, so this seems dependent on who answers you. I’m not sure why the person who answered mine made it seem like the requirements were set in stone.
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Does anyone else have input on this? I don't have a non-science faculty letter
 
Does anyone know if they will review your app if you don't have your mcat score yet?
 
N3utr0ph!l said:
Does anyone know if they will review your app if you don't have your mcat score yet?
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In the secondary application they ask you if you want to hold processing of your application until they get your MCAT score. So, I'm assuming you don't have to have the scores for them to start reviewing your app.
 
Finally got the complete email at 5:00am EST. Secondary submitted 7/29.
 
sc972810 said:
does anyone know anything about university park program? i feel like people keep asking Qs about this but no one answers/really knows?
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Hello! I am a medical student in the University Park (UP) Program. I am here to tell you about our program and answer any questions you may have. This is open to anyone who is accepted to Penn State College of Medicine. I recommend you check out our website which dives into our curriculum. The website is https: //med.psu.edu /md/university-park (new SDN account so it won't let me link it 🙁 )

Who are we? We are a regional campus in State College. The UP Program is currently in its fourth year (you'd be our fifth class) but since it is a track you graduate with the same Penn State Hershey diploma. Each cohort is 12 students. Here is a very brief overview of our program:
  • First year: We have early clinical experiences (approximately 8 hours/week in primary care clinics) and meet three times a week for small group (called inquiry sessions or IQ). In small group we present patient cases, select two for the week, and then develop learning objectives to address Penn State's four pillars (basic science, clinical science, health systems science, and health humanities). Our week is supplemented with volunteering, clinical skills (e.g. creating/defending differential diagnoses and physical exam skills), as well as basic science lectures and anatomy lab (prosected).
  • Second year: Clerkships begin second year! We use the longitudinal integrated clerkship model. Unlike 4 to 6 week blocks with different specialties, your clerkships will be interspersed. The goal is to have more continuity of care. You will also be able to follow specific patients throughout the year. You will still complete some clerkships at Hershey. If you need to be in Hershey, housing is provided.
  • Third year: Clinical immersion will continue into third year but third year goes back to the classroom to engage in more meaningful small group learning in order to prepare for Step 1. Third year has dedicated Step 1 study time which we (as well as Hershey students) will take at the end of MS3.
  • Fourth year: Fourth year is similar to other medical schools. It is a continuation of rotations as well as electives, away-rotations, and residency applications.
Why join? We are an innovative new program that is ideal for learners who like collaboration, team-based, and experiential learning. We have early clinical exposure and aim to integrate all of our basic and clinical sciences into what we see in the clinic. We are a tight-knit community and since it is a small cohort, you get close mentoring by faculty and attending physicians.

How to join: In order to be considered for the UP campus, you need to be accepted into Penn State College of Medicine first. There were supplemental questions on the secondary for the UP campus but you can still apply even if you did not fill those out initially. Please email our Student Services Manager, Kristen Horn, if you have interest in applying at [email protected].

Please message us if you have any questions!
 
ShottyJames said:
Does anyone else have input on this? I don't have a non-science faculty letter
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I finally ended up calling them today after debating whether or not I was going to send my app in, as I also don't have the non-science letter, but have the rest of the letters. I asked straight up if missing the letter would break my application, and he said that it shouldn't. He also said that he's been getting a lot of calls about non-trads and non-science faculty letters, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of applicants don't have that requirement. I just hope that it wasn't a money grab, and now they'll just screen us all out :laugh:
 
parquetshorts said:
I finally ended up calling them today after debating whether or not I was going to send my app in, as I also don't have the non-science letter, but have the rest of the letters. I asked straight up if missing the letter would break my application, and he said that it shouldn't. He also said that he's been getting a lot of calls about non-trads and non-science faculty letters, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of applicants don't have that requirement. I just hope that it wasn't a money grab, and now they'll just screen us all out :laugh:
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Hahaha thank you so much for doing my legwork for me 😎 I will just submit and hope for the best then!
 
@kris111816 @sos-sos Complete 7/31! Took about 5 weeks. Think if I did better on my MCAT, I'd have gotten an II. Hold is basically a rejection for most places. Anyone know how many people get off Hold?
 
Email! Pre-II Hold. Slightly below avg stats applicant 3.5 511 @futuretrashwoman @future_dr_j

"
The Admissions Committee has completed a thorough review of your application and has placed it in the “Continue to Review” hold category. Your application will be reviewed periodically during the remainder of the process until a decision is made whether you will be invited for an interview later in the cycle or not.

Because of the large size of our applicant pool, many applications must be placed in this category so that the Admissions Committee can provide a fair and thorough evaluation of all candidates for admission. Please know that this is a common action, and that your application is still under active review by the Admissions Committee.

You should also be aware that a decision for interview is based on the information presently contained in your file. We will not accept application updates, letters of intent, or additional letters of recommendation. You will be informed immediately when a final decision on your status is made.

If your consideration of the Medical School changes, please promptly inform the Office of Admissions. We appreciate your interest in The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine."

This is the email I just got. According to last year's thread, they're not afraid of just handing out silent Rs or hard Rs so maybe Hold isn't such a bad thing? Anyone know if people actually get off this? I know at Drexel it's virtually impossible.
 
hopetobedoctor101010 said:
@kris111816 @sos-sos Complete 7/31! Took about 5 weeks. Think if I did better on my MCAT, I'd have gotten an II. Hold is basically a rejection for most places. Anyone know how many people get off Hold?
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Hi! I was placed on hold super late last year ( Feb) I was a late applicant. I called and they said they typically interview hold applicants who had this status earlier in the cycle! So don’t loose hope!
 
@NIKK234 did you get interviewed? That's awesome, I'm sticking out hope now. But also there's probably SO SO MANY people in this pile, they won't interview all of them so does it make a difference that I got put on Hold EARLY?
 
hopetobedoctor101010 said:
@NIKK234 did you get interviewed? That's awesome, I'm sticking out hope now. But also there's probably SO SO MANY people in this pile, they won't interview all of them so does it make a difference that I got put on Hold EARLY?
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I did not get interviewed, I got an email at the end of the cycle basically saying “ we do not have anymore interview slots left” so I am reapplying! The admissions counselor last year said it’s basically a rolling list, so if you are put on it earlier then if an interview slot opens up ( typically happens later in the cycle) you can be pulled for an interview. They interview until March! So you have great odds! It’s way better than being rejected because penn state does outright reject people
 
NIKK234 said:
Hi! I was placed on hold super late last year ( Feb) I was a late applicant. I called and they said they typically interview hold applicants who had this status earlier in the cycle! So don’t loose hope!
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what does it mean to be placed on hold?
 
sc972810 said:
what does it mean to be placed on hold?
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Honestly I’m not 100% sure but from what I understand you are just being held for continued review like not enough to interview right now but we don’t want to say no kind of situation, hope this helps!
 
It's pretty much a rejection at most schools and you don't get taken off of it for the most part. But from what @NIKK234 said, it looks like they have a waitlist for Hold and they interview people who got put on Hold earlier in the cycle. I'm expecting an R honestly but if they do actually interview me (since I'm early) I'm expecting to hear back in at least Jan or February for an interview
 
sports215 said:
Rejected today via email... IS, LM 69, complete 7/29. This one hurts, had high hopes.
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I’m so sorry about that 🙁 did you get the email this morning? I’m IS and complete the same day and haven’t heard anything yet. But this is my number one!
 
This is my top choice and since I have similar stats to those of you who were put on hold and rejected, I am SO nervous 🤢
 
amoney904 said:
Have they marked your letters as received yet? I submitted 8/19 and they already had my letters packet through amcas but it’s still not checked off on the portal.
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I called a few weeks back and they got it sorted out immediately.
 
So if I was marked complete, did they accept my LOR’s? I didnt have a non-science faculty and just submit 3 science letters instead
 
How did you guys address the "unique aspect" question? I'm personally stuck between a diversity essay, special circumstances (COVID) essay, or a "bottom line, this is what type of applicant I am" essay.
 
eartharte said:
How did you guys address the "unique aspect" question? I'm personally stuck between a diversity essay, special circumstances (COVID) essay, or a "bottom line, this is what type of applicant I am" essay.
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I did a COVID essay. I felt like it was too short for anything very significant like a diversity essay.
 
eartharte said:
How did you guys address the "unique aspect" question? I'm personally stuck between a diversity essay, special circumstances (COVID) essay, or a "bottom line, this is what type of applicant I am" essay.
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I wrote about things I’ve learned from being a step-parent. My advice: make it something that shows them who you are rather than trying to frame achievements or accomplishments, but make it something that also makes them want to learn more.
 
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