<p>Every day I find out about more and more kids from my school applying to Penn ED. I know of 12 right now, but I'm sure there are others I don't know about, as I just found out about another one a few minutes so I'm calling it (approximately) 15+. </p>
<p>This is a crazy number, and is really making me reconsider my ED. Out of the 12 I know, at least 10/12 are more qualified than me, but a lot of them are applying to engineering. I know Penn isn't going to take all of us, and my app. will look especially weak compared to theirs, but does inner-school competition not affect me? Does the fact that they are applying to engineering and I am applying to CAS also not hurt me? </p>
<p>Really looking to consider my odds before throwing away my ED on something that seems pointless. Penn is my first choice, but perhaps I could find another first choice if I look harder. Thanks!</p>
<p>Talk to your college advisor at school about this, and also take a look at the Naviance or similar stats for your school. If your school is a Penn feeder (which I think you said in another thread), or is in Philly, or you are a Philly resident, Penn may take more kids from your school than would normally be the case. In any event, your college advisor should have more insight into your personal chances within the context of your school’s applicants.</p>
<p>my guidance counselor just says to ignore it because it isn’t something I can control… and according to naviance Penn has taken 2-4 the last couple years… so wouldn’t exactly call that a feeder school unfortunately. </p>
<p>So if I am positive that the other applicants from my school are much stronger than me, then would it make sense to ED another school (if there is one I like just as much)?</p>
<p>also are engineering applicants from my school competition for me, a cas applicant?</p>
<p>Your guidance counselor, imo, is wrong in effectively saying “don’t let 12+ kids from your HS who are all applying ED to Penn, many of whom seem more qualified than you, affect your decision to apply ED there too”. To put it bluntly, it sounds like your counselor is playing checkers at a chess match.</p>
<p>There aren’t separate admissions folks for Engineering versus CAS, so the same rep(s) could be looking at a fair number of your high school’s applicants.</p>
<p>You only have one ED “move on the chess board” that you can use. If you think you’re wasting the move at Penn, and you have some additional college choices that also have higher admissions rates for ED versus RA, then use it where it will likely do some good.</p>
<p>Other parents may say “…but Penn is this student’s best fit / first choice / dream school so they should use the ED there regardless!”, to which I’d say “there are 3,500+ colleges in the US so most students probably have 100+ best fits out there…they just don’t realize it”. So go find one of those other 99+ best fits where your ED move can do some good (versus RA) and use it!</p>
<p>Sorry, I must have gotten you confused with another poster (regarding the feeder school).</p>
<p>How many of those who were admitted in the last couple of years applied ED? Or more significantly, what was the acceptance rate for those who DID apply ED? And also, how do the stats of those who applied ED, and those who were accepted, compare to yours?</p>
<p>Of course, it’s not all about stats. Your ECs, essays, background, and/or recs can distinguish you from the other applicants from your school, as well as your academic and extracurricular interests and how you intend to pursue them at Penn.</p>
<p>@ivyparent I couldn’t agree more and it’s nice to hear someone that finally agrees with me. everyone else I have talked to has just said to stick with my plan and not let that affect me… but i feel like it isn’t something I can just ignore. Problem is, I am having difficulty finding options that I like just as much as Penn; many I like quite a lot, but none as much as Penn. </p>
<p>@45percenter I am definitely on the low end in naviance comparison and until last year not that many people had applied to Penn so there isn’t so many ED stats to look at. My biggest problem is that I was/am not in all the highest level courses at my school, whereas these other kids applying ED are. I feel like that automatically puts me in the trash My test score, ECs, and essays, however, are competitive. (By the way I am applying ED to a reach because my other top choice only has early action; i never expected to be a strong applicant at Penn, but now I am dealing with two obstacles: getting in in general AND getting in against the plethora of other applicants from my school. I wonder if there is a more realistic reach where at least I can only have to deal with 1 out of the 2 feats lol. But I guess in the end it won’t really matter since I am not the right caliber for these types of schools).</p>
<p>Cake; do you have any hooks? URM or college level athlete or legacy or first gen or your own patent or…? How much $ in aid are you likely to need, or are you a full pay?</p>
<p>I’m asking because if you have any of the above hooks then that puts you potentially a notch above others…and even “full pay” does unofficially in many instances.</p>
<p>Just a way to get more pieces on your side of the chess board compared to the competition.</p>
<p>Also, not to point you away from Penn, but have you toured Cornell yet? They have a good bit higher ED admissions rate than their RA rate and it’s a very solid school too.</p>
<p>P.S. You say: “I am applying ED to a reach because my other top choice only has early action”. Be careful, because many schools won’t let you apply EA to them if you apply ED elsewhere. Our DS applied ED to Penn, and when he did that it kept him from applying EA to Stanford, Georgetown and Yale. Per rules we could only apply RA at those 3 due to the ED at Penn. So, check the rules at each school.</p>
<p>45%er: True, Penn does say they don’t set quotas / limits on # of students from a high school. But, that said, if OP says they take 2-4 a year from his school and OP thinks he/she is 12th of 15 or so from their HS, then realistically there’s no way Penn will take that many.</p>
<p>i asked a penn officer at a college fair if they compare you to other students in your school (because a lot of people from my school apply as well) and she straight up said yes, we do we look at you in the context of your school.
so yes it will definitely affect you.
also i know that a regional officer will look through the apps to all schools so its not like there are seperate admission officers for each school (wharton vs. nursing etc.)</p>
My test score, ECs, and essays, however, are competitive. (By the way I am applying ED to a reach because my other top choice only has early action; i never expected to be a strong applicant at Penn, but now I am dealing with two obstacles: getting in in general AND getting in against the plethora of other applicants from my school. I wonder if there is a more realistic reach where at least I can only have to deal with 1 out of the 2 feats lol. But I guess in the end it won’t really matter since I am not the right caliber for these types of schools).</p>