<p>School: Public NJ, usually sends 1 student to Penn each year
Rank: 1/360
GPA: 4.0
SAT: 2260 750 M 710 CR 800 W
SAT 2: 770 Chem 700 Math 650 Spanish
Most rigorous course load (all AP and honors)
Chem: 5 English: 5 Stat: 4
Senior year: AP Bio, AP Calc, AP Spanish, AP US, AP Physics, AP English</p>
<p>Some standout EC's/Awards
*Raised $10,000 for church, letter from diocese of Trenton
*2 yr member of NJ Greater Shore Band
*Drummer for church orchestra
*3rd Place/14,000 kids nationwide in Ayn Rand Contest
*National Latin Exam 4 consec years "summe cum laude"
*5th highest scorer on NJSL Chemistry II Exam
*Boys' State graduate; Freeholder of winning county (Eaton Award)
*National Honors Society & Latin Club Tutoring Coordinator in Spanish, Chem, and Latin --also private tutor
*4 Varsity Letters in Tennis, starter in singles
*Acceptance in NJ Atlantic Tennis Center "Elite Class"
*100+ Community Service hours in school club</p>
<p>Guidance Counselor/Teacher Recs: Awesome (I read them), very gracious and memorable</p>
<p>Essays: Definitely the best part of my application. My EC's/Awards probably are scattered, and my SAT 2 scores probably aren't that great either. Essays are what I am proud of.</p>
<p>My "Why Penn" essay addresses chemistry, languages, and chemical/biomedical engineering. I have an interest in sciences and perhaps getting a degree in Applied Science. However, I don't think I have the math stats (SAT 1 and SAT 2) to get into SEAS. I am undecided though, and not entirely committed to engineering.</p>
<p>Should I apply to SEAS or CAS? What's my best shot?</p>
<p>whichever you prefer... is anyone applying ED from your school because otherwise, you should apply to the one you want because i like your chances at both</p>
<p>Does SEAS have a higher admit rate than CAS? Because I think I wouldn't have a great shot if applied to CAS where there are unbelievably qualified candidtates. That way, if I wanted to switch out of engineering, it would be easier to transfer into CAS since I would have no problem with course requirements.</p>
<p>Which school is safest for me? I'm interested in both..</p>
<p>i would just say CAS if you are interested in both because then you can take a wider range of courses... and i BELIEVE it is almost as easy to transfer into engineering because most people would prefer to transfer out after dying... but i cant tell you what you want to do</p>
<p>Believe me, CAS. You have the credentials to get accepted. Engineering here sucks. CAS is considered one of the best of its kind in the country. See the difference?</p>
<p>Yeah, I was leaning towards applying SAS under chemistry.</p>
<p>In my Why Penn essay I talk about my love for languages, cultural studies, chemistry, and even chemical engineering. It goes pretty into detail with chemical engineering (even mentioning a project they are currently doing at Penn). Would it sound weird for an applicant talking about science/engineering, when he's applying to the school of arts and sciences?</p>
<p>"I have an interest in sciences and perhaps getting a degree in Applied Science."</p>
<p>That's SEAS to me right there, unless you have an interest in something other than science, in which case I'd recommend CAS. There's a foreign language requirement in CAS and I don't think 650 in Spanish would do the trick. Take it again and aim for 700+ if you're applying for CAS; don't bother if you're applying for SEAS.</p>