Last year it seemed like the people who were put on hold for interviews were eventually rejected. But late in the spring. Supposedly the year before though, someone was pulled off the "hold for interview" list.
They also put people on hold after interviews. This happened to me. I never heard from them again -- never got a formal rejection.
Penn State seems to be really increasing in terms of popularity. When I visited, I REALLY liked it. Though I would have preferred a metropolis, their educational attitude and methods of teaching and just generally philosophy seemed to really match what I was looking for.
Hope you get off the "hold for interview" list. If you don't hear by February and you want to interview, try writing them a letter expressing your continued interest. Who knows, maybe they'll find a slot for you.
Also for some reason it takes a while to get an interview -- during the AMCAS fiasco last year (and also because my printer messed up my green application and I sent one in one white paper, which they didn't accept so I had to start over) I was invited in late November, but the first interview slot was late February. Who knows.
Good luck.
