Is anyone having trouble getting on the Mypenn Portal, mine keeps loading forever.
Took a bit to load but did come up
I cant get on it either right now
@ashley41 it sure is tough and when others share their acceptances and stats it is hard not to wonder what the process is as you sit waiting with a 34 ACT and a 4.6 GPA.
need to just “walk away” from the forums for a bit 
@fanoffriends: Your stats are amazing which only proves what others here have said - the process is random and has no rhyme or reason. I’m sure good news is forthcoming!
As for the portal, My D is getting a “server is unavailable” message. Maybe it’s crashed from all the acceptances they’re processing before the holiday break? One can hope!
There is a thread that explains the process…albeit it was 5 years ago. However, the outcomes have not changed much.
The applications come in and get sorted based on a wide variation of data…GPA, test scores, state, high school, major, campus, etc…
Then they get further sorted from there - so two people with the exact same stats can hear a decision at very different times because one sorted line may be moving at a different pace than the other sorted line or one line is longer, etc… Plus, add in that the “lines” get placed into different admissions reps piles and some admissions reps move faster than others. So, it all depends on what bucket your application ends up in and who is sorting through that bucket.
Basically, it’s organized on their end - on our end it looks random.
Make no assumptions about YOUR application status based on the turnaround time or decisions of others. I’ve seen students with very similar stats…or what appear to be very similar stats…get different results because there is a lot in the application that we don’t know.
At the end of the day, a 34ACT and a 4.6 GPA will be an easy admit - once your application gets to the front of whatever line you are in. So I wouldn’t worry, it’s just a matter of time at this point (unless your UW GPA is very low and your school weights too heavily).
@ashley41 it is the ONLY logical reason why the server is down. 
LOL @fanoffriends.
Thank you for the succinct explanation of the process @jlhpsu. It makes better sense now. Wondering if they can tweak the process to be more efficient, or seemingly more logical? That’s another conversation tho.
FYI -I tried the link on the thread I think you’re referring to, and it requires a sign-in to view.
Hmmm…I’ll have to try to find a different link to it! It was very interesting but I wonder if it’s been archived since it’s a few years old. I’ll check!
This new version of CC is awful You probably won’t see me around here very much.
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Agreed!! None of my bookmarks saved and I can’t find anything.
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For sure- talk about confusing. I’m getting dizzy trying to navigate the new format. Horrible
That’s not true. My D has two acceptances and did not enter Sat or ACT.
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does anybody know if penn sends out decisions on a schedule or if it’ s random? 24 days until ALL decisions will be sent out…
I think it’s completely random. I applied August 1st, and I have still not heard. I applied in-state to the college of liberal arts, and I’m also a double legacy. Some kids at my school applied in November and got accepted less than a week later. There is no clear pattern to my knowledge.
You will see batches drop, evidenced by many posts here on CC. But keep in mind CC is a small snippet of the population of applicants.
PSU decisions are random. It doesn’t matter when you apply. It’s modified rolling - not a traditional first in, first out, rolling. Also keep in mind, that a decision by Dec 24 can ALSO be a deferral to priority decision which is a decision by Jan 31. A deferral is still a decision.
EA is new in the last couple of years, and this year there were no test scores, so decision timelines can be a tricky thing to predict.
But yes, everyone who applied EA should hear SOME decision by Dec 24.
My portal has changed to “Your application has been updated. Please check back soon for a statu update”. Does it mean i am gonna hear the decision soon? If it does do you guys know approximately when? Thanks so much.
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i’m definetly thinking it means decision soon…
my guess is tonight! goodluck!!
Thank you! I hope so!
My daughter’s portal changed and says the same thing! Hope that means a decision is coming!!