More holistic, but incredibly hard to predict. Many, many in-state kids with amazing applications don’t get the acceptances they want.
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Yes, I didn’t literally mean the “ Cal State schools” which is why I said the universities. Some are so pedantic here 
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Still ghosted here. 8:45 Thursday
It’s not being pedantic. California has two distinctly separate university systems. What you were saying wasn’t true of the system you cited.
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Pedantic, I didn’t say Cal State system, and in the context of the conversation, it’s describing that there are other public systems that do take a holistic approach. Whichever it is doesn’t matter in the context of the conversation which is why your comment is pedantic. I can’t believe this is even worth having a discussion about.
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Honestly I hope someone in PSU Admissions monitors this page and considers the experience they see here. I have hard all the justifications that the regulars here offer; I get it, I know what you’re going to say; I think we’re all set on hearing the purported rationales/excuses/explanations/etc. We all know that yes, we could “wait until December 24 to check” or “just wait for snail mail!”. This is not new information. We know; we get it; repeating it at this point is irritating and unhelpful. I’ll just say that’s a very easy position to take when you don’t have an applicant in this cycle and leave it there.
The truth is PSU’s system is awful and puts huge mental stress on applicants and families. It’s almost like it’s designed to be as prolonged and excruciating as possible. Take the angst you see on this page and multiply it many times over for all the other 17 and 18 year olds checking portals daily because PSU can’t bother to send an email. Or can’t bother to set a date and abide by it. Nope! Why do things that might make the system user friendly? They would rather dole decisions out slooooowly, so that kids in school are hearing them in steady drips, and no one has any idea of when they’re going to hear, and everyone’s comparing notes day by day by day by day. And oh! You have to log into a special network every tine to see what’s going on. So every check-in experience with it is a pressure point and a lousy experience. How does PSU think this is good for ANYBODY?
If they can meet the December 24 date, they can very well meet another established date (like December 20, or 19, or whatever date they determine to work towards) and release in a rationale way. It’s all arbitrary and they are jerking their applicant population around by this absolutely ridiculous and stupid process.
Not trying to be pedantic. This is a forum for sharing information and clarifying the difference between the Cal State apps and UCs might be helpful for some who are reading the comments.
Just trying to help out with info 
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Not to mention the kids locally walk around with bad Info….”oh, I got in”….umm, read the letter….”oh, I got into Altoona (not where I want to go”. ….not knocking Altoona, I hear Great things about it, knocking the flow
Of false info amongst 17 year olds….
My son checked portal on Saturday morning, no decision yet. Received in mail 2 days later on Monday.
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You do realize that many of the people on this forum have multiple applications in place - not just at PSU…and citing incorrect information can cause unnecessary confusion. No one is trying to take a personal swipe at you. We are all concerned parents/students just trying to learn as we move through the process and offer up any information we have that might help someone else.
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From what I understand and based on personal anecdotes - the 4 essays matter a lot
Penn state is not intentionally slowing down the process to create angst in spite of what you think.
As they make decisions, they update the portal. Maybe to avoid xx,000 people checking at the same time and crashing the system. It would be like Taylor swift tickets on steroids if they held all updates until the last day. Ever been at a concert or a football game and try to get a cell signal? It would be worse.
I know you don’t want to hear it, but you can’t control how they release decisions. You can control your reaction. You can decide to not obsessively check the portal. I will stop repeating this when people stop complaining how awful the system is. Penn state hasn’t missed their deadline (yet). They may for some students … or they may defer students to RD. That is a decision.
They did set a date and abide by it. You will hear (if all materials submitted in time) by 12/24. Not ON 12/24. But if you want to reduce stress and angst, just wait.
We wonder why kids have anxiety and stress? Parents are creating it for them.
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I am trying to recall - did both have the same stats? Apply for the same major? Were all applications complete by the deadline?
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All same…
Insert Charlie Brown “adult sounds” here. LOL.
Cornell and Cal Poly, and then the RISD/Brown dual degree program. Needless to say she didn’t leave herself a lot of safe options!
I applied for the B.Arch program and as decisions have started to come out, I’ve become more and more uneasy. Could use some realistic feedback, if anyone has some. Here are my stats:
In-state
GPA: 3.7 out of 4.0 UW
SAT:1410
Rigor: 16 honors, 3 APs
Class Rank: N/A
ECs: Varsity Track Captain (2 yrs), lots of volunteer work, play 2 instruments, pool manager, swim instructor, lifeguard, + lots of clubs
Other: first gen & single parent household
I know half the time admissions are up to chance, but any predictions (good or bad !!!) would be great. Thanks in advance!
same here… well, at least we’ll know about Univ Georgia tomorrow… OOS admits revealed at 4PM EST, In state was last month… right before Thanksgiving… a deferral will feel like a win after seeing the accepted stats.
I think it’s the worst for the kids who are talking to each other and comparing stuff everyday, even if they aren’t stressed or worried. When one gets into a school, it’s like why didn’t everyone hear yet?
What 4 essays?
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