Calling all Smeal (Penn State) Applicants: (2017 Intake) Class of 2019

Application submitted on 30th September. They added the lost letter of recommendation on 5th October. Invite received on 28th October.

Received an interview invite yesterday night. Submitted my app on 30th Sept.

Have faith in the process. Your invite should be on your way.

I submitted my application on Oct 1. Not received any invite yet.

610-680-730 (third attempt)

I think my application is dinged. No response from them yet.

SrikrishnaSeshadri
I too submitted on Oct 1 and haven't received an invite, yet.

Since Smeal has a rolling admissions policy they sort applications chronologically. In addition, this year they have been very deliberate with their decisions ( They took close to 3 working days to offer interview invites to candidates who submitted on same day, i. e. Sept 30)

So hang in there. Most probably they haven't got to your or my application till now.

As stated before, conversational interview.

-Walk me through your resume
-What do you want to do post-MBA
-Why do you need an MBA
-Why Smeal
-What kind of leader are you
-Something you regret
-What do you like to do for fun

So did you get some of that ice cream? Also, I'm curious about your opinion of the program (based strictly on the interview) as compared to more prestigious institutions where you have interviewed. If you feel like not airing out dirty laundry feel free to PM me. It's really just my own curiosity, as I basically decided on Smeal for SCM and never really considered more elite options.

Hi everyone...
Got an admit offer today with $$

All the very best to others.

No ice cream this time, but I did have some when I came up for a preview day earlier in the fall. A very legitimate question since I'm canvassing a wide range of programs. I think Smeal is a bit of an under the radar program for where they are in the rankings. Perhaps that's because they're super small (about 60 per class I believe) but I was surprised to find out the that the largest industry they put people into is consulting and the largest employer is Deloitte. It seems like they have a great relationship with Deloitte so if that's a target employer for you it could be a great choice. I think I can safely say that you will not have the opportunity to work for MBB going to Smeal.

There was one thing I noticed here that I didn't see occurring at other programs. I sat in on a class during my preview day and a number of students seemed very young, like they probably came there straight out of undergrad. Some of these students were completely clad in sweats. My feeling is that this isn't undergrad, you're getting an advanced degree in business and you should dress the part. At some other programs people wear suits to class without the tie, which I think is a bit much, but there should really be a happy medium.

Thanks for the insight. I agree, sweatpants are really an inside-your-own-house type of attire. It's definitely good to have that in mind (MBB vs. Deloitte) but I'd rather work less and make less than be the master of the universe and never have time to wear sweatpants, so I'm not really targeting consulting jobs. Best of luck to you wherever you may wind up. I look forward to meeting you if that place is Smeal.

Congrats! What a great feeling, no?

sovitarun
when did you apply and when did you receive the interview invite buddy?

I applied on 1st Oct.
Received interview invite on 25th Oct
Had my interview on 8th Nov
Got my acceptance letter on 10th Nov

Oh yesss, it is.

Any other candidate who applied on Oct 1 has received an invite?
I applied on Oct 1 but no invite.
if I contact the team the reply I get is you will be informed before Dec 1 and thats it.
Has the admissions team given any other response to anyone else?

hi srikrishnaseshadri
same status for me. Applied on Oct 1, but not yet invited for interview.