2nd year transfer Carnegie -> Penn questions

<p>Hi, I am in a very weird situation and I wanted to hear your opinions regarding my situation.</p>

<p>I just finished my sophomore year at Carnegie Mellon University as an Electrical and Computer Engineering major and minor in Business. My GPA is 3.43, and I was hoping to transfer to Upenn's engineering school. I have 2 C's and alot of B's, so I was worried about my chances. I am currently on their waitlist. Although I know that CMU has a better engineering school than Penn, I am Korean and my parents have influenced me enough to make me think that in the end, a degree from Penn in general > CMU. So here are my first two questions:</p>

<p>1) If I do get accepted, should I take it? I am planning on majoring in computer engineering at penn with a minor in business, same thing I am doing here at CMU.</p>

<p>2) How many people do they put on the waitlist each year? Is there a significant chance I will get off the waitlist, or is it just another way of saying 'I am sorry to inform you that we cannot offer you a place in the class of 2013...'</p>

<p>Ok, so here comes the weird part. I started my apps pretty late, and finished about 1 hour after they were due. However, I never sent in recs from my professors, my transcript (I sent my high school one but not college) nor a statement of good-standing from my dean. All I sent in was my commonapp, supplement, high school transcript and my resume. </p>

<p>I had a family emergency that caused me to suspend my application indefinitely, and when I flew back from Korea on June 1st, I noticed a letter from Upenn saying I was put on their waitlist. Problem was, I had missed the deadline to confirm, which was may 20th. I also noticed an email from one of the directors asking for my current semester's midterm grades in the form of a fax letter. Obviously, I hadn't responded. </p>

<p>I was even more weirded out when I called, because I was connected to one of the directors, not even my regional director, who promptly put me on the waitlist, and they were just really cooperative and helpful in general. I didn't even have to explain that I had a family emergency. I just sent them an email saying that if they need any more information (which they most certainly do, because I haven't submitted half the requirements lol) I would be glad to fax it over. So here is my question:</p>

<p>3) What is going on? Have any of you heard of a case like this? Am I a lucky bastard or are they just getting my hopes up to drop me in the end?</p>

<p>Here are some of my stats in case you are wondering:
GPA: 3.43
SAT1: 800 CR 800 M 740 W
SAT2: 800 M2C 770 Chem 740 Bio-M
AP: Bio 5 US-History 4 Chem 3
Very good extra-curriculars in college (President of a major student org), 1 research position
I think my common app essay was decent, nothing heart-wrenching though
Highschool gpa: ~9.4 out of 11
Applied to Penn engineering after high school, flat-out rejected, didn't apply for transfer last year</p>