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PENN STATE 2015-2016 application cycle


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I interviewed on September 25th. Still haven't heard a decision. Anyone else in the same boat? Starting to worry since its been over 4 weeks. 

 

 

I interviewed on October 6th and no word either yet 

 

I interviewed in August. I haven't heard a word. I'm just trying to be patient and focusing on my other interviews.

 

I was also sept 25, I emailed them Friday as I have several decisions coming up and I know they made a point to say to let them know. Haven't heard anything still

To those waiting....I know exactly how you feel!!  Try to hang in there!!

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Hi, everyone!

 

I hope you are all well and enjoying fall wherever you may be!

 

I received a few questions to which I would like to respond publicly for the benefit of everyone. The questions are:

 

To what schools did I apply/get accepted?

Why did I choose PSU?

Where am I from?

Where do I plan to practice after graduation?

 

All great questions!!! I’ll start by saying that I am a first year student here at Penn State. I am also a “non-traditional”, or what is also referred to as a “second career”, PA student having worked clinically in cardiology (mostly in cardiac rehabilitation) for 15 years. I am originally from the Hershey area and grew up with a very close connection to the Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College Of Medicine. After living out of state for a few years, I moved back to the area and live with my spouse and children while attending school (so, for those of you with a significant other and/or kids….it’s not easy but…YES!!! It can be done!!!).

 

With all that said, the answer to “why did I choose PSU?” may seem obvious. And I disclose it to you because I, like our program here at Penn State, truly do believe in transparency. However, I can also share that I did NOT choose PSU simply as a matter of convenience. Penn State as a whole has an excellent academic reputation and is fully committed to the education and success of its students. This also holds true for our PA program specifically which, although new to Penn State, is lead by a faculty and staff very experienced in PA education. Having grown up in the area, I also know how highly regarded the Hershey Medical Center is in our region. It is the perfect blend of both a superb teaching institution and community hospital and, as students, we will reap the benefits of what that unique combination has to offer in the form of completely patient centered care and state of the art facilities. In my personal opinion, you will not find a community more dedicated to a university and hospital than you will find here at Penn State Hershey.

 

As for other schools I considered, I applied through CASPA both in 2013 and 2014. The first time I applied, I submitted only to Penn State and its inaugural class. After being waitlisted that year, I re-applied in 2014 to Penn State but also to George Washington University (my second choice). As fate would have it, I was waitlisted to BOTH schools last cycle!! Then, as I was just about to submit my CASPA for the third time (with all of you!!), I got the acceptance call from Penn State just two days before the Class of 2017 began. And my life has changed forever! Had I needed to apply again, however, PSU would still have been my top choice.

 

We are now officially half way through didactic year and I can tell you that the program has been more challenging than I could have ever imagined. But I was expecting, and wanting, nothing less.

 

So, as you may expect, after graduation I hope to practice locally. All of our rotation sites will be within one hour of Hershey so I am looking forward to experiencing clinical sites where I may like to work.

 

Hope that answers your questions! Please do not hesitate to ask if you think of others and we will be happy to respond! I encourage you to take a few moments, if you have not done so already, and read through earlier posts in this thread to see what others have had to say. And continue to talk to each other! Sharing experiences is a great way to learn about the programs to which you are applying and interviewing!

 

 

Best of luck!!

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Hello interviewed candidates - to those who interviewed over the past few weeks, we have our Admissions Committee today and you can rest assured your decision is on it's way after today.  I know it's hard having to be patient and wait for answers at this point but this is part of the process we go through. We appreciate the time and effort each one of you put in to interview with Penn State. We will be communicating shortly. And please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly with questions regarding your status at any point.

 

Best wishes to all today!

Caryn Stopper

Director of Admissions

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Hi everyone. Sorry I am late to post. I received an email that my CASPA application was received on 7/14/15 and that my supplemental app was received on 8/6/15 but I have not heard anything since... I understand the program is on rolling admission, but seeing that some people have already gotten interviews, is it too late for me? Is the program still sending out interview invites for this cycle? Thanks for your help

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Hi PAGuy55 - It is certainly not too late to apply to Penn State! We guarantee that we will not fill our class in advance of our stated deadlines. Any candidate who submits both their CASPA and secondary application by their respective deadlines will receive full consideration for a seat in our program. We continue to accept applications, review candidate files, invite candidates to interview, and offer admission to the program after our deadline has closed.

 

Caryn Stopper

Director of Admissions

Penn State PA Program

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For any applicant or interested student considering applying to Penn State this cycle (or in a future cycle), we are hosting an On Campus Information Session tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3 from 6:00-7:30pm.

 

Register online from the Events tab on our homepage at:

http://med.psu.edu/paprogram

 

Current first and second year students will be on hand for a Q&A with the audience as well. Learn more about our program from our program director, admissions director and current students. 

 

Hope to see you on campus tomorrow!

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What is the parking situation like near and around the school? I'm trying to decide if I want to uber from the airport or just rent a car. Thanks! 

 

 

looking at flights... I prob wouldnt be able to make the flight out of Penn state at 5:40PM the night of the interview huh? Sounds like a long interview if its really going to be 7-8 hours! 

 

Hi eelimonadee - We look forward to having you on campus in a few weeks. You would have received a confirmation email from me this morning with specific details regarding the amount of time on campus for the interview day, our discounted student rate at a nearby hotel in Hershey, PA, information of the free parking available on campus and campus map. Additionally, I list a local taxi service that can accommodate transportation within the Harrisburg/Hershey area.

 

Uber from Harrisburg airport would be reasonably priced and SweetRide (see email) would be competitive with those rates as well. If you're coming from Baltimore or Philadelphia airports, a rental car would most likely be more cost-effective. 

 

As a reminder, our campus is located in Penn State Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine - We are not located in State College where Penn State main campus is located. Please carefully review the confirmation email and do not hesitate to email me directly at cstopper@hmc.psu.edu 

 

Caryn Stopper

Director of Admissions  

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Still have not heard anything from Penn State with regards to an interview offer. My supplemental application was verified back in September. Is it safe to say at this point in the game that I have little to no chance of receiving an interview? Is there anything I can do to generate interest with the application committee to possibly still have a shot?

 

As a non traditional candidate with a diverse background and EMS experience, I had hoped I would have a good shot the opportunity. :/

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Hello all,

 

I received a question regarding our Program's provisional status and the impact it has on taking the PANCE. Students who are enrolled and graduate while the Program's status is provisional are fully eligible to sit for the PANCE and both the certification earned and degree conferred are recognized as that of fully accredited programs. That said, the provisional status should only be a factor for the Class of 2016 and 2017. Our most recent site visit from ARC-PA earlier this fall went very well and, by my understanding, we are on track to be fully acreddited before the Class of 2018 graduates.

 

Caryn, do you have anything to add?

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In other words, if you are admitted to a provisionally accredited graduate PA program, your class is guaranteed a chance to finish coursework/graduate and sit for the PANCE -- even if accreditation is revoked after matriculation.  i.e., If ARC-PA were to revoke accreditation tomorrow, we first years would all still graduate, sit for the PANCE, and become PAs.  That said, Penn State is already accredited with a medical school, which helps immensely.  There are a million reasons why we won't be denied full accreditation next year (which Chris or Caryn could elaborate on).  Bottom line, choose the program you KNOW is going to give you the best training, get that training, and become a licensed PA.  Once you're accepted, you realize this issue matters very little in terms of your career goals.  Good luck! 

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Still have not heard anything from Penn State with regards to an interview offer. My supplemental application was verified back in September. Is it safe to say at this point in the game that I have little to no chance of receiving an interview? Is there anything I can do to generate interest with the application committee to possibly still have a shot?

 

As a non traditional candidate with a diverse background and EMS experience, I had hoped I would have a good shot the opportunity. :/

Thank you for your interest in Penn State! Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis and the class will not be filled until after the mid-January deadline. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis as well. With that said, only about 5% of applicants will receive an invitation to interview. I know the waiting is tough....every accepted student has been in your place and we know how stressful the application process can be!!

 

What I can also tell you is that our program greatly values diversity within its classes. Speaking for the Class of 2017, we range from new grads to those with over 30,000 hours of clinical experience. And our backgrounds in other areas vary widely as well. While you are waiting to hear, I would suggest that you continually work to improve yourself as a candidate. My understanding of the new CASPA platform (it changed this cycle from previous years) is that it allows you to update your information (courses, HCE, etc) even after you have submitted. I can not speak to whether our program considers information submitted after your application was received but it certainly would not hurt. From my personal experiences of going through CASPA twice and being a waitlisted candidate, it's a good idea to be constantly improving your application in the event you need to apply again.

 

Best of luck!!

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Thank you for your interest in Penn State! Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis and the class will not be filled until after the mid-January deadline. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis as well. With that said, only about 5% of applicants will receive an invitation to interview. I know the waiting is tough....every accepted student has been in your place and we know how stressful the application process can be!!

What I can also tell you is that our program greatly values diversity within its classes. Speaking for the Class of 2017, we range from new grads to those with over 30,000 hours of clinical experience. And our backgrounds in other areas vary widely as well. While you are waiting to hear, I would suggest that you continually work to improve yourself as a candidate. My understanding of the new CASPA platform (it changed this cycle from previous years) is that it allows you to update your information (courses, HCE, etc) even after you have submitted. I can not speak to whether our program considers information submitted after your application was received but it certainly would not hurt. From my personal experiences of going through CASPA twice and being a waitlisted candidate, it's a good idea to be constantly improving your application in the event you need to apply again.

Best of luck!!

Thank you so much for your response! I appreciate it. I'll try to keep up hope.

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I also have not heard back from the program yet! I am wondering if the class is full, or if they are still sending out invitations! Thanks!

While students are not at all involved in the decision-making process, I do know that the class has not been filled. Seats will remain open through the mid-January deadline. If you have interviewed with the program and are waiting on PSU's decision in order to consider other offers, I recommend reaching out to our admissions director to see if a decision has been made. However, if that is not the case, the best thing to do is to continue to wait. Probably not what you wanted to hear but it really is all you can do. I know how hard it is....hang in there!!!
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