Am I a Student that will Fit into Penn?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading this -- I want to be a student that will fit into Penn, and will really enjoy being there. I am not too sure about all the Ivy League requirements, but ever since visiting the Penn campus last summer, I was captivated by the school! Do you think I am a student that Penn will want?? </p>

<p>A little bit about me:
When I first entered high school in grade 8, I didn't really give a heck about grades. I went to school solely for Model United Nations, Debate, Speech, Youth Parliament and other ecs related to politics or international events. My transcript really wasn't good, but that was a really productive year for me. I realized what my passion was, and where I wanted to go in life. In grade 9, I volunteered at WorldMUN 2012 (hosted in my city, Vancouver) and met some of the most inspirational people in the world! Many of them were from Harvard, and they told me about Ivy Leagues. Since then, I've wanted to attend an Ivy and become one of them. In September I will be starting grade 10, and I joined college confidentials in the hopes that individuals with more experience with Ivy applications will give me a brief overview of what I need to do to attend Penn! (By the way, I am an asian female).</p>

<p>Transcript:</p>

<p>I attend a public school, that is known for it's MUN and Debate clubs -- it is pretty competitive.</p>

<p>GPA: Around 3.4 -- 3.5 <--I will raise it to at least an unweighted 3.8 gpa before I graduate
Rank: Our school doesn't do ranks, but I think I am in the top 10 - 15%
AP: I will be taking AP European history and AP psychology in grade 10. Maecro and micro economics in grade 11. US Comparative government and world history in grade 11.
SATs: Currently studying this, aiming to get at least 2200.
Grade 10 Course load: English 10, French 10, Biology 11, Law 12, Social Justice 12, French 11, Pre-calculus Math 11, and Chemistry 11.</p>

<p>Weak points: I am really bad at math and sciences (no joke, REALLY bad), and I have completely zero interest in them. Because many have said that math and sciences are very important for university entrance, I am trying really hard to be better in it right now!</p>

<p>Strong points: I have an passion in history, law, civilization, social justice, and humanity courses in general.</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>

<p>-Executive member of Model United Nations club. I have won many best delegates at conferences, and chaired at equally as much. I am in a Secretariat team for Canadian International Model United Nations -- most of the members are in grade 12 or university, so I am the youngest USG in it atm. (Started in grade 8)
-I joined Youth Parliament in grade 8, I was given the role of the Minister of Archives in grade 9 and next year I am aiming to be the premier. (Started in grade 8)
-I LOVE LOVE LOVE speech! In my first district speech meet, I was awarded 2nd place in the Junior category. I also went to the Junior National Speech Competition. I am also the executive of Marketing in my school's Speech Club. (Started in grade 8)
-I am part of the Because I Am A Girl speakers bureau and am currently the president of the Because I Am A Girl club in school. I directed a fundraising event along with 4 team members in June. It was an arts and crafts event sponsored by Dollar Max, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Freshslice Pizza, Staples and many more. We had no funds to start with! We also held presentations at elementary schools prior to the event. (Started in grade 9)
-I am one of the founders of the iDeal team. This is a business team where we strive to learn marketing, leadership and other skills through making innovative events. We also held a Christmas Charity organizations where we created a buffet for students and parents to enjoy in return for brand new toys. We collected more than 100 toys and donated them to BC Children's Hospital. (Started in grade 9)
-Not a big fan of debate (participants are really scary and competitive), but I have won awards and made it to regionals, then provincials. (Started in grade 8)
-Part of the Junior Achievement Program. Was one of the chosen five to attend the Next Generation Leader forum, held in Nova Scotia.
-Youth representative for my school during the 2010 Canadian Federal Elections. I was with the Liberals!
-I love music (my mom is also a violin teacher), and I have an ARCT diploma in piano and am currently violin 1 in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. (Started in grade 9)
***I was featured in Toronto Sun and Plan Youthh for being one of the most inspirational youth that tackles international problems (mostly women rights in developing nations). </p>

<p>I know I don't have to worry about extra curriculars as much -- what do I need to do to be a prospective student of Penn? Sorry for writing so much, this is my first thread and I'm not too sure how detailed I should be. Sorry! If you guys need me to chance you, or give you advice, I'll gladly do so!</p>

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<p>By my own admission, I have no idea what my chances are and am not sure about all the Ivy League requirements, but you should trust me to chance you back. (This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, you do realize that.)</p>

<p>First off, without an SAT or ACT score, it’s too early to ask for chances. Aiming-for-scores don’t count. Get the score, and then ask about your chances again.</p>

<p>Secondly, the most important part of any college application is your transcript, specifically your course rigor and GPA. This is especially true for all the Ivy’s.</p>

<p>To raise your GPA from a 3.4 to a 3.8, you need to get an ‘A’ in every class for your entire sophomore and junior years. Input your grades here and try the calculations for yourself: [University</a> of Pennsylvania GPA Calculator](<a href=“http://thegpacalculator.appspot.com/college/upenn]University”>http://thegpacalculator.appspot.com/college/upenn)</p>

<p>Question: "what do I need to do to be a prospective student of Penn?</p>

<p>Answer: You need to raise your GPA!</p>

<p>Best of luck to you.</p>

3

<p>^ and this is vastly more important, at this point, than your EC involvement. Unless you have stellar GPA, you’re out of the picture in many institutions. Seemingly nice ECs won’t make up for mediocre GPA. Enjoy your soph year and good luck!</p>

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<p>Thank you so much!! I didn’t get the best grades in Freshmen year so I will definitely be aiming towards all As for grade 10, 11, and 12! Thank you so much for the suggestions,best of luck to you too!</p>

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<p>If you feel you will be a good fit for Penn, then I really think you will and you should apply! I’m nervous so far about going in as a freshman, but I wish you the best of luck. Always do your best, and you’ll be satisfied</p>

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<p>Hey HvePassion, fellow vancouverite here. What high school are you going to? Definitely consider joining an IB program.</p>

<p>As for your actual question, I’d have to agree with above posters and say fit is more about if you like Penn and its hard to chance you so early. That said, feel free to shoot me a message or email if you have any questions. Going to be a senior at Penn this year though so don’t blame me if I can’t remember much about the application process… haha~</p>

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<p>No matter what - apply. Do your best to bring up your GPA, obviously, but I was admitted to Penn with a 3.22 unweighted GPA. My school didn’t do official GPAs, actually, but that’s what my grades averaged out to.</p>

<p>As a disclaimer, I did attend an elite prep school in NYC, so that certainly was part of why it didn’t matter as much, but even there we were always told that if we didn’t have at LEAST a 3.5, to give up on most of the top schools. So don’t give up! You never know!</p>

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Ended up committing to Columbia! Can’t believe 4 years have gone by so quickly…

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Congratulations, @HvePassion ! I am very happy for you.

I am sorry that Penn did not work out; I was hoping you were still going to end up someplace awesome. And you did! The thoughtfulness and energy that you put into this process was very impressive, and I am very glad to see that you will be going to Columbia. Be sure to find the owl in Athena’s robe, and good things will happen for you!

Congratulations again.

M2L

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Thank you so much @Much2learn! Could not have done it without the support and helpful advice from the members of this forum!!

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Wow congrats! What ended up being your SAT and GPA?

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Thanks for the update! Best of luck to you at Columbia

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@ZBlue17 My GPA was around 3.8, and my SAT was 2260 (single sitting)/2280 (superscore)