Penn State "Hold" after interview

[jerseygirl]

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I just received my first post-interview letter. Penn State has decided to put me in their "Hold" category. Is anyone else in the same boat? Does anyone know if this is a type of ranked waitlist, or have any other information on it? Is there anything I can do to help my cause at Penn State? Thanks...

 

[doof]

i was on penn state's 'hold' list after interview in november, then was offered admission a little while later (december) - so don't give up hope!

 

[jerseygirl]

Thanks Doof, and congratulations on that acceptance!

Can I ask you if you sent Penn State a letter about wanting to remain on the hold list, or reaffirming your interest in the school, or if you just hung on and waited until they sent you something else?

Much obliged-

 

[gower]

Penn State, despite the name, is a private medical school without commitments to its own undergraduate institution or Pennsylvania residents. It has a relatively small class of 110, about half are PA residents. About 8 places are committed to an early-assurance program, leaving 102 on the open market.

Penn State has rolling admissions. Wait-listed candidates will be informed if additional information is required or of any change in their wait-list status. Calls from wait-listed candidates are discouraged. The number accepted from the wait-list varies from year to year. All left on the wait-list are notified they have been rejected following matriculation of that particular class in August.


Up to 20% of the accepted are non-traditional, a few in the 35-40 age bracket.

 

[doof]

thanks jerseygirl! i didn't call or send anything to the admissions office after receiving that letter. i personally can't think how writing a letter of interest could hurt, though it sounds from gower's post like the admissions office doesn't want to field a bunch of calls from waitlisted applicants. good luck!

 

[Katie]

jersey girl,

I am in the exact same boat here.. Apparently Penn State likes to take people from neighboring states (MD and NJ) as well as from PA, so I think we have a decent chance at eventually getting pulled off the "hold" list. good luck!

 

[jerseygirl]

thanks for all of the info everyone...and best of luck katie. I emailed one of the admissions counselors about whether or not I should write a letter, and they said that Penn State will accept one letter from you in support of your application. hopefully their list will move soon!

 

[the_rock]

Could You guys and gals please give me some info about the interview at Penn State, and anything else that you feel is important. I just got a phone call from them today, and they want to interview me at the end of this month. I am hopeful, as this is only my second interview. Thanks in advance.

 

[jerseygirl]

hey rock,

congrats on the interview! i posted feedback on my interview at penn state on interviewfeedback.com, but I'll try to remember some tips... first of all, I loved the school-really nice students who have lunch with you, a beautiful location (though rural-ish), really impressive hospital (all of the patient rooms are singles), and the interviewers were very conversational. You have two interviews..they didn't really ask me any difficult questions (i.e. no ethical dilemmas or managed care questions); basically they were looking at my extracurriculars on the amcas form and asking me to elaborate on them; of course they also wanted to know "why medicine?". You should also be ready to tell them why you want to go to Penn State, especially if you are not from PA, or not used to a small town setting. And you should also be ready to answer "what would you do if you are not accepted in a med school this year?" (I believe the "correct" answer is that you will re-examine your app, address the weak parts, and reapply undaunted. It was a very pleasant visit all around. Oh, one more thing, my interviewers actually talked about my SAT scores (! they seem so long ago), which Penn State had asked for in their secondary... best of luck on your interview! Let me know if you have any other specific questions-

 

[the_rock]

Thanks JerseyGirl,
I have a date set for March 30. I will let you know how it goes. By the way, what is the reason for wanting to live in Hershey? It is a good school but what makes it stand out? I hate to come across as a liar or a B.S.'er.

 

[youngjock]

i was put hold for interview long time ago. I still haven't heard anything!!!

Am i just waiting for their rejection letters or I may still have a little hope for an interview invitation?

 

[the_rock]

YoungJock,
I also was put on hold a long time ago but I just received a call for an interview so hang in there...Who knows what tomorrow brings!!

 

[jerseygirl]

Hey Rock,

Hershey is just beautiful for one thing, and the school has a wonderful really close sense of community there. Students mentioned that there is also the local Amish population and a farming community around Hershey that is served by the hospital, and so you might get to experience some things in a more rural setting such as Hershey that you wouldn't otherwise see in a big city or the suburbs. that being said, the hospital facilities are really impressive too. good luck on the 30th! jerseygirl.