<p>First...Would I get into Penn?</p>
<p>GPA (weighted): 4.5
ACT: 33
Math II: 770
WH SAT II: 790</p>
<p>I have an uncle and an aunt who went there as well as 3 cousins. I have a few extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Second...Is Penn an intellectual school? Or are people more interested in like, sports and hanging out rather than discussing poetry and literature?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but the uncle/aunt/cousin thing won’t help you and doesn’t count for anything.</p>
<p>^In this case you are wrong (sorry). Penn is one of the few schools who count uncles and aunts as legacies. Not sure about cousins though.</p>
<p>OP: I’d say you have decent chances if you apply ED.</p>
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<p>Based on some general feelings, because Penn has great athletic teams, its students do tend to have more – shall we say – school-spirit than its Ivy League counterparts. It’s probably not as intellectual per se as U Chicago or Columbia.</p>
<p>While I’ve been at Penn our athletics save girls lacrosse have been pretty mediocre. Our school spirit sucks too, but it is better than most Ivies. I can’t say I’ve ever discussed poetry or literature, but then again my friends and I aren’t interested in that stuff… I would say that its an intellectual school and I have discussed some serious stuff with my friends outside of TV and sports. There are people here who do talk about poetry though.</p>
<p>Officially, having an uncle/aunt/cousin who went to Penn does NOT make an applicant a legacy:</p>
<p>
[Penn</a> Alumni: Alumni Council on Admissions](<a href=“http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/legadm.html#whois]Penn”>http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/legadm.html#whois)</p>
<p>Which is not to say that having relatives who went to Penn can’t help you to demonstrate real knowledge of and interest in Penn, if you mention them in your essays. Penn IS very interested in selecting applicants who have a genuine knowledge of and interest in Penn, so your uncles/aunts/cousins can be helpful in your attempt to demonstrate knowledge and interest in your essays, but they do NOT make you a “legacy.”</p>
<p>Anyone else? :)</p>
<p>Anyone else have insight? :)</p>
<p>Below average? What does “a few exatracurriculars” entail? Also what school are you applying to? Courseload (most rigorous or not)? Interests (academic)?</p>
<p>A few extracurriculars…</p>
<p>1) My school’s award-winning Spanish literary magazine (staff in 10th grade, associate editor in 11th)
2) Soccer (I have played JV, Varsity, and club)
3) Photography (I have been accepted to several contests)
4) Jewish Youth Group (I am very active in it and have won a few leadership awards for it)</p>
<p>Courseload–Very rigorous…I take like 5 honors, 3 AP, and 1 grade level class per year.</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>Go for it and hope for the best! :]</p>
<p>Even if you’re applying ED, I would take another SATII esp. since WH isn’t a core class, ie. math, science, literature</p>
<p>Yea. I am planning on taking Chem SAT II (I expect at least a 750).</p>
<p>I don’t understand where this intellect/athletics dichotomy came from. Penn is largely pre-professional with significant contingents of pre-meds, pre-laws, and aspiring businesspeople. The humanities aren’t nearly as highly revered as some of our peers, such as Columbia, which I would argue is more “intellectual” because of its emphasis on literature, philosophy, etc. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Penn isn’t academic, however; I would say Penn’s version of the Core (i.e. an academic opportunity that uniquely affects its entire student body) is its emphasis on multidisciplinary education. We’re constantly encouraged to explore intersections between fields to better relate to practical applications. Examples include Biological Basis of Behavior, Health and Societies, Philosophy Politics & Economics, Urban Studies, and all the dual-degree and university minor options. Penn kids still learn a lot; we just like our material to incorporate example from what’s happening around us today rather than focusing on the traditional humanities. I’m not arguing whether it’s better or not. That’s just what a Penn education is. Practical.</p>
<p>theoneo, that’s a brilliant point.
First semester last year, I took two Political Science courses, a German course, a Bible course and a Legal Studies course. In my Presidential Elections course, I used a lot of knowledge from ECON002. In LGST210 I used a lot of knowledge from my Ethics class (PHIL002). In my American Political Thought class I used some German knowledge to read German authors who wrote about subjects concerning American politics. My classes always relate to each other, and that is INCREDIBLY exciting. I feel like every course has a very helpful purpose.</p>
<p>The desire for practicality in a Penn education dates all the way back to Ben Franklin.</p>
<p>I love practicality, but wish Penn would mandate at least ONE great books course on the western canon…ah well, at least it’s there for those who want to take t.</p>