<p>Well, I screwed up my high school academics because I was a naive student, not knowing what I do will affect my future. I was kind of laid back too... so my grades suffered.</p>
<p>I only just decided on my major (a month ago) so I didn't choose my courses wisely, nor did I research colleges until this summer. I am an upcoming senior.</p>
<p>Here are some of my stats:</p>
<p>Asian, female
-my sister is an undergraduate now at Penn CAS
-I attend high school in Philadelphia, which Penn recognizes as an exceptional HS (fact)
-first generation going to college</p>
<p>SAT I first time - 2030, CR 600, M 720 W 710 (retaking in October mainly to improve CR and math)
SAT II - Math II 700, Math I 680, USH 640...
AP junior year- APUSH 5, AP Physics B (let's not say)
AP senior year- Enviro, Gov, Psych
I am determined for straight A's this year.</p>
<p>rank- 70/562 (freshman and sophomore year grades only), I think I am going to drop
gpa- 4.00/4.2 weighted; cumulative weighted average 100.59047</p>
<p>No cool honors/awards...
Public Relations officer to two clubs...
no work experience...
basic extracurriculars... nothing exciting or new
I'm doing a free enrichment program at Penn this week.. but it isn't business related at all (signed up before I knew my major)</p>
<p>I want to major in marketing/advertising at Wharton.. but my odds are very slim since my stats aren't amazing at all.</p>
<p>Minimal EC involvement and impact - you are an officer of two clubs, but do you have any significant impact within the clubs? How have you demonstrated your leadership and innovation skills?</p>
<p>No business-related or job ECs - Wharton likes demonstrated business interest and work experience</p>
<p>Unhooked applicant - siblings don’t count for legacy rounds and you’re Asian. Sorry, affirmative action.</p>
<p>Low class rank - a Penn rep who visited my school really emphasized CR in admissions. However, you did say that your school is considered exceptional. Depending on how “exceptional” your school is, you may have a small excuse for low CR. However, this does not compensate for being outside of the top 10%</p>
<p>Basically, weak academics (in terms of test scores and class rank) coupled with ECs that are “nothing exciting or new” and no “cool” honors or awards means you have a slim, slim shot.</p>
<p>In any case, what other schools have you considered?</p>
<p>Sorry to get a little off-topic, but you mentioned minimal EC involvement and impact, and I thought about it. Just a quickie: How do you tell how you impacted? An essay? Interview? Some of my EC’s and my impact on them wouldn’t be known easily.</p>
<p>To stay on topic-Sorry, but I think you have low chances. I do think you have a little bit higher chance at Penn CAS or SEAS, though. Even with good essays, it’s still a reach due to rank.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t go to Wharton, it’s not the end of the world. Have you considered Babson or Bentley? </p>
<p>Plus, your major might change once you hit Freshman year of college. Don’t be so concerned about your major at this stage. </p>
<p>Engineerjw; You could attach a little paragraph or outline in the additional information section that details how you impacted your community/school with that particular EC. I would not devote one whole essay discussing it specifically. You could also write about it in the “Explain one EC/work experience/etc. in detail.”</p>
<p>I appreciate the honest reviews. I will get rejected… ah well.
It sucks that I decided on my major pretty late to properly prepare for Wharton…</p>
<p>@drunkofdreams
I am studying CR at the moment. Hoping to score 750+…
Penn likes students from my high school, but I guess it doesn’t matter at this point.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure I am not allowed to go out of city… but I am applying yo NYU Stern, Drexel LeBow, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, Boston College</p>
<p>If I apply to CAS, is there a chance that I can do anything related to marketing/advertising? I do not like science, but I am artistic.</p>
<p>@xstingx I barely researched what I want to do in college but I am pretty sure it is in the business field since I am not supported in a fine arts field.</p>
<p>So much at Penn happens outside the classroom.</p>
<p>The DP hires students for its business departments. You’d be working on a real daily newspaper.</p>
<p>Student interns work in various department or school offices that do marketing and advertising. If you can’t get a work-study job, you might be an unpaid intern. Again, it’s real experience.</p>
<p>If you have experience with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc., you’ll have very desirable skills. If you’re good at proofreading, you also will be valuable.</p>
<p>Plenty of us earn our livings in communications but never took a class in the field at Penn. (When I went, there were no classes in it.)</p>
<p>I usually don’t respond to these kinds of posts, but having a sibling at Penn is a hook, and if your school is actually IN Philadelphia (not a suburb), that is a HUGE hook. Also, class rank is nonsense. I’m not going to tell you if you have a chance since I have no idea, but you have the ability to get your foot in the door. Your application just has to be phenomenal. I do know someone who got in with a 1360 SAT (on the old version), and I got in with a 1420 SAT and a much, MUCH lower unweighted GPA than what you have.</p>
<p>wait is having a sibling who went to Penn really a hook? My sister finished her Penn Undergrad in 2008, does this give me any help as an 2010 Penn ED Applicant?</p>
<p>Oh, woops. Yes class rank is crucial. My sister’s rank was 17 but her standardized tests were much much lower than mine. I hope the IB kids don’t surpass my rank, which is probably bound to happen. </p>
<p>Yup my high school is in Philadelphia. What I mean about an exceptional high school was that:
“The Controllers of the Public Schools of the First District of Pennsylvania shall have and possess the power to confer academic degrees in the arts upon graduates of the Central High School, in the City of Philadelphia, and the same and like power to confer degrees, honorary and otherwise, which is now possessed by the University of Pennsylvania.”</p>
<p>Today, that act is still in effect, making Central the only high school in the nation authorized to grant its graduates Bachelor of Arts college degrees instead of ordinary high school diplomas (if the graduates have fulfilled the requirements for a degree- see parent handbook for more details)."</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure chrisw didn’t mean sibling is a hook in regards to legacy. It is an undeniable hook if anyone in your family went to a specific school you were applying to, as it would be possible - in the eyes of the AdCom - that your chance of enrolling would be higher, thus working to their yield numbers. </p>
<p>OP - Apply, see what happens. Your likes and wants can change at any given time. You might take a class and fall in love with it, and decide to major in it. Good luck!</p>
<p>worthgold, I go to school in philly too and heard about how Central gives you guys a BA. How does that work? You have a BA but it isn’t the same as having a college degree right?</p>