I’m sorry for such a premature chance me post, but I am looking to validate my intentions of applying to Penn in the ED round next year.
I am currently a junior attending a competitive private school with a graduating class of ~100 kids.
I intend to apply ED to SEAS, likely for biophysics.
ACT: 35 C 35 E 35 M 36 R 35 S 11 W
SAT: 1560 C 770 R/W 790 M
Sat II: Math II (800), Biology M (800), Chemistry (800), Latin (800)
GPA 4.0 UW 4.75 W - Hopefully top 2 (School does not rank beyond that)
AP:
Sophomore - Biology (5), Euro (5)
Junior - Precalc with AB (Weighted as AP but no exam), AP Chemistry, AP Latin, APUSH, AP CSA, AP Seminar
Senior - Multivariable Calc, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C E&M, AP Gov, AP MacroEcon, AP Research, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Stat
ECs:
Mu Alpha Theta - Frequently top5 in school in math contests, elected as senior president.
Latin Honor Soceity - Junior treasurer, helped coordinate aspects of State Latin Forum entries.
SciOly - Senior president. Lead 2nd place regionally protein modeling (Of 87 entries).
Academic Team - Junior & Senior captain.
Speech & Debate - Junior treasurer, senior secretary. Placed 7th in a state tournament along with mentoring junior high competitors.
Research with a biology professor at a local tech college - I come twice a week and assist in data and sample analysis, with the potential to be a published contributor this year.
ER Volunteering - 200+ Hours and selected as a team leader for training new volunteers.
I’m currently developing a website with a peer that will apply neural network techniques to medical datasets. This is the EC I am most passionate in, by far, and I will look to achieve some quantifiable result this summer.
Awards:
Selected as top STEAM student in my class. Likely NMSF. AP Scholar.
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks: None
I would really appreciate some feedback, and I thank you for reading!
I think you have good extracurriculars and there is an established spike in STEM. You also have very strong test scores so I believe you have a good chance. I am also applying ED! Good luck!
I’m also a junior looking to get into UPenn next year (but Wharton not SEAS) so I don’t actually know anything… but your stats are great and ED gives you a much higher chance. I’m thinking that admissions officers would be interested in your ER volunteer work, your work with a biology professor, and the website your working on (other than the fact that you’ve acheived so much in your in-school ec’s). I would say that really focus on the Why Penn essay and talk about how you might want to combine research with change in the real world (like with your website) and how Penn will help you do that. I know that the engineering school has a yearly product showcase I guess it is where students create product prototypes and compete for funding, etc. (on a tour I went on recently one girl in the engineering school mentioned she liked one product where Epipen technology was added to a watch that could automatically sense when there is an allergic reaction b/c children often forget to bring Epipens). I know that UPenn really likes when you combine different passions or academic areas into one (I heard a girl got in with publishing a medical coloring book for children b/c she liked medicine and art). Overall, if you have something to show for your research with your bio professor and your website, even if not something recognized or published, and write something related in your essays, I think you’ll be able to get in.
@bichon_frise99 Thanks for the heads up! I assumed that it was under SEAS as my state university groups it with engineering majors, but upon further research that appears to not be the case.
@patssox2019 – Wharton alum so take my opinion for what it’s worth, but I think you have a great shot esp ED. I think your major falls into CAS not SEAS but I think you’re solid for either. Given your name – are you from Boston/Mass? The only thing that could help further would be NOT being from an over represented state but don’t worry about that – it is what it is.
Focus on your Why Penn essay. I’m not clear whether you want to be a dr. or a researcher, but in either case as you know Penn has a top med school and health system, thus there are MANY research opportunities even for undergraduates. Try to craft an essay where you focus on why you became interested in research; what you have learned from your research; and how a Penn education + access to Penn MDs/Phds will allow you to further your research interests. As you’ll learn in college (any college), everybody and their brother comes into freshman year saying – I want to be a doctor; and a minisicule % actually go all the way because most drop out of premed classes in a year as they are overwhelmed by how hard it is. Penn loves to see students who have such goals who can actually back it up – they know you know what you’re getting into and you’ve been so successful at it at the HS level, that certainly that success will continue through college; it’s one to say I want to be a dr. and I know Penn will set me up for that, it’s another to say – this is HOW I know I want to be a dr; and this is what I can give to and gain from the Penn community as an undergrad.
@aj725
Sorry for the somewhat belated response. I am actually a happy Mass. transplant of 10 years in Fl, not sure that is much better though. As far as career aspirations, I am highly interested in pursuing the intersection of the biological sciences and business-potentially as a strategist for a biotech company. Although I retrospectively failed to mention this in the initial post, I’ve had some impactful experiences in business (founding an entrepreneurship club and small e-commerce business) and the biological sciences (research, website). I plan to expand upon this anecdotally with both my research and business experience in the Why Penn essay, tying it back into Penn’s commitment to a connected curriculum and the accessibility of Wharton from CAS via the one university policy. I really appreciate your thoughtful response to the initial post and would love any additional feedback on this if possible.
