Jeez, you know how many applications they get? Imagine reading a lot (1000 per day). UCLA received over 111,000 this year.
^^^Yeah, but I don’t think they “read” most of them. In go the numbers and out go the majority of acceptances and rejections, even if those decisions are not really released on a “rolling” basis. Admissions offices are only literally reading a small subset.
There is no such thing as “holistic admissions” at most schools this size. It’s just not possible. Holistic admissions can invite lawsuits, as well, when we’re talking about prestigious flagships. (UT-Austin and UW-Madison come to mind.)
Agreed with Lucie…this thread was mostly about Rolling Admission and why Penn State should not call their process “rolling”. Traditional rolling is a FIFO process (first in, first out)…Penn State is a random notification so it shouldn’t be called rolling. Doing so causes a lot of stress for the students. My next child wants to go to Penn State as well, but wants to start at a branch campus so I don’t think we will have the painful wait next time. Most direct branch applicants hear in October!
In fairness to Penn State, the “rolling” does work for many families (my son heard within a couple of weeks of applying in the fall of 2013), but that experience is probably more typical for the highest and lowest stat students. The vast majority will not be ruled in or out until much later in the process, so, while stressful, your child hasn’t been denied admission until you hear one way or the other, and the odds are you won’t hear until close to that July 31 deadline.
My impression is this roller coaster ride takes place every year. Not how I would run a university, but I’m sure PSU has its reasons. That’s why I think it would be helpful for students to review the previous year’s admissions threads to be well prepared for what could turn out to be a long wait.
I applied to Michigan state, but missed the deadline. I noticed they were rolling admisions. So I applied and got my r rejection letter one month after I applied! I
Sorry, I mean JAN. 31 deadline in post #203!