This is my first go around so didn’t realize that the not hearing back thing was normal for the big colleges and universities. Wouldn’t it be considerate to maybe send a note out saying because of covid restrictions and the deluge of applications decisions will continue to go out until after the new year. And not have prospective students checking their portals every hour on Christmas Eve?
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I agree, an email would be appropriate. Other Universities have sent emails before the target date to say they are on track or given another date. Having ALL (or most) of the Penn State EA applicants checking their emails/portals on 12/24 and continuing the week after without an answer is only going to alienate your applicants.
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On December 10 they posted on the admissions FB page that all decisions would be posted by 12/24 then followed up a few days later with a message that their offices would be closed starting 12/18. You’d think they would have known a week before they left for the holidays that they wouldn’t make that date. Several people commenting on the page they applied EA and haven’t heard yet. Everybody occasionally misses a deadline but it’s their responsibility to let people know. I agree that it’s not a good look for Penn State.
@CBK_2022 @DianeMartin2025 @KSB2019 @JMLI @momofthreehrk @m87wb
I would encourage all of you to call and/or email today and ask the following:
- When will I receive a decision?
- Was my application considered EA?
- Why didn’t I hear by 12/24 as stated?
Nothing wrong with calling and emailing and asking those questions. Pass along the feedback that deadlines should be met. They are open today (finally), so you can followup.
And then let us know what they say!
good luck -
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I emailed my regional admissions officer because I had not yet gotten a decision. They explained that because I applied WITH test and my test scores were not received by November 1st, I was pushed into the next admission cycle. If I had applied with no test score and then switched to test score, it would have been okay. I could have also submitted a test score by nov 1 and then updated it sometime after nov 1, but because I said yes to considering my application with a score and they had no score by nov 1st, I was pushed back 
Reported on r/A2C:
Application Status: Due to application volume, your decision has been deferred. The Undergraduate Admissions Office needs more time to review your application. This extra time will ensure that the final decision you receive is the correct admission decision. The need to defer your decision will not negatively impact your chances of being accepted to Penn State. We thank you for your patience. No further action is required by you at this time.
Sounds like “yeah, you applied early and we said we’d review it in December. But we didn’t get around to it, so we’re tossing you out a few months.”
Or is it just really odd evaluated-deferral language?
"Why did you advertise a decision date by December 24 if you could not deliver a decision to all Early Action applicants by that date?
Like many of our peers, Penn State does consider a deferred decision a decision. Essentially, we promised to take action on all early action applications by December 24. Unfortunately, due to the high number of applications, and a need to further review your application in the context of all applicants, we were not able to admit or deny all applicants by December 24. This additional time will allow us to do further analysis on your application to ensure that we provide each student with the greatest opportunity for admission."
wow… what a bummer for the EA pool who hasn’t heard. doesn’t bode well for a decision soon for my kid who applied rolling two months ago and still hasn’t heard
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That is typical deferment language. It’s the same at the Ivy’s as well.
Pretty lame. When Pitt got overwhelmed they sent a very nice email stating as much. Makes all the difference. Blasting out a date (albeit a weird one- who really picks Dec 24 as a decision date unless you are a bit sadistic) and then missing it without any explanation is poor form. Penn State was low on my son’s list. It is lower now.
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Just to add. It is pretty easy to add a field to indicate whether the application was complete by the EA deadline. With SSAR, SAT scores it is hard for people to know for sure if everything was completed by the deadline.
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Yeah deferment stings. My S19 was deferred at Harvard EA then waitlisted all summer! Talk about ouch!! He ended at Pitt late summer, lol and is very happy 
D22 has taken PSU off her list although she did get it. Too far from home for her.
Even their follow-up is unclear. A simple “while we did review your application, we’ve decided to…” and then the rest of the text, would be a lot clearer, IMO.
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Dec 24 was the last day of business, at least until PSU Admin decided to close earlier. That was a surprise to nearly all of the University. It is not a holiday for everyone.
Centre Co had 300+ new cases twice this week. Imagine that at least some of those are staff, or children of staff, or spouse of staff, or parent of staff. Maybe assume things are harder than they seem, not that people working are inherently lazy or uninterested.
Best of luck to all who wait. Remember that waiting, or being deferred, does not reflect your chances
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My S was accepted in December. I went into the portal and it says “your application record is currently being updated”. What does that mean?
My daughter got the same notice on her page as well. I am not sure what this could mean.
No idea what it means, but my son has the same notice on his page and was accepted in November.
I got accepted in November and have same msg.
My daughter’s message just changed back to the original one.
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Same here - 4.2GPA, lots of APs and extracurriculars, 1300 SAT (wish we had gone test optional but oh well). Got 2+2. She didn’t want to consider summer so didn’t check that box. Was pretty surprised those grades don’t get you into a state school, even a competitive one like Penn State. Oh well - guess she is going out of state.
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