advice? (and maybe chance?) =)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I'm a sophomore, and I really want to go to Penn in the future. I know I still have a while to go, but I just want to make sure I'm putting myself on the right track. Btw, I am an Asian female and live in Canada.</p>

<p>(and I know I'm setting my goal too high for myself)</p>

<p>Gr.9 + Gr.10 grades: all As. (not sure how to calculate my GPA when a Canadian "A" = 86%)
ranking: not sure. probably 5-10%
SAT: I did a mock SAT without any prior experience with it and got 2050 (with a 780 for math and really sucky marks for W and CR >_<). I think I'll manage to raise it to around 2200.
My average is around 92-94%.
I'm taking IB diploma next year: English HL, Math HL, Chemistry HL, Biology SL, Music SL, History HL, and Mandarin SL (btw, I'm Chinese-Canadian and I'm taking Mandarin. Would that lower my chances to get into a competitive college?)</p>

<p>ECs and other stuff:
school:
- Math club, math team coach(9-10) I will most likely become president in grade 12. I'm - already an executive.
- Student Council (10)
- Debate club (10)
- First Responders Team (10)
- Connections/Freshman mentoring (10)
- I sometimes write music for school ceremonies? I'm quite known for my musical achievements. </p>

<p>outside of school:
- Youth Concert Band in my city (9, 10) ---Flute
- 2010
- Tennis club outside of school (6-10)
- 2010 Winter Olympic Ozone band ----Oboe
- Piano level. 10</p>

<p>awards (I don't have many. >_< and they aren't impressive):
- 3rd place, regional Math Challengers competition.
- Science 9 award.
- consecutive years of Principal's Honour Roll.</p>

<p>volunteer:
-City Art Centre: more than 100 hours
- school: around 40 hours. but i don't think they count much.
I think being a first responder will give me a lot of volnteer opportunities in the future.</p>

<p>I'm aware that Penn is really a far-reach for me. Could you give me some advice as to what is the minimum grade I should aim for or what I should improve on, what to keep up, and, if my Penn-dream is really hopeless, OTHER SUGGESTIONS OF COLLEGES?</p>

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<p>bummppp… anyone?</p>

3

<p>Schools like UPenn are practically a reach for anyone. There is no such thing as a lock, but you’re certainly starting off well. I don’t understand what you mean by Canadian “A”, but the closer you can get to an unweighted 4.0/A average the better, while still taking as many honors/IB/AP courses as you can get.
Regarding the SAT, I always suggest subscribing to the College Board’s Question of the Day [College Board](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.com”>http://www.collegeboard.com</a>) It’s free and is a great way to prepare for the SAT early on. Maybe they’ll do away with the writing portion of the SAT by the time you’re a senior. If not, try to use at least 3-4 citations/examples in your essay even if you have to make them up from “personal experience”.
Why the heck would taking Mandarin be a negative? Just don’t fail the class or get a 2 on the AP exam.
Regarding EC’s, my personal opinion is it’s better to have a few with one or two that you are really passionate about than EC’s that are all over the map. What you’ve got is great, but if there are one or two that you feel strongly about (music?), put more effort there over the next couple of years.
UPenn has summer programs you could look into now. They can be expensive, but they will give you a good feel for the campus and show “demonstrated interest” in the school.
As far as other schools, you need to give us an idea of your intended major.
How you do over the next couple of years will determine whether UPenn is a high or low reach for you. Keep up the good work and good luck!</p>