I am an international student from Peru. I really want to go to Penn as they have exactly the major I am looking for combining Wharton and the college of arts and sciences. My grades aren’t really bad, I have a B+ GPA. Still I have an interesting EC activity, I own and run a business in my country and have made major contributions to charity events. This is my major extracurricular activity. I play in my school’s varsity basketball team as well. I also think that my essay is very good and demonstrates passion for what I do. I will be appliying early decision on November. I have really good recommendations and supplementary materials. Additionally, I explain in my Essay the reason why my grades aren’t that high and why Penn is Perfect for me.
Ps. I do not need any form of financial aid or scholarships.
UPenn has a 9% acceptance rate so your chances are 9% at best. You will be competing against a lot of straight A students with impressive ECs. Give it a try but know your odds going in.
As an international applicant, closer to 4-5%, since the competition is that much stiffer, and Penn, like most top schools, limits the percentage of international students.
@ViviSanchezh you definitely seem to have an unusual profile. as you can expect not having top grades reduces ones chances dramatically. so if you have a chance it is going to be rather small. if you are willing to pay the application fee and take time with preparing the penn supplements then sure go ahead and apply you never know. but keep in mind that your chances will be very low.
@ViviSanchezh I am also an international student and got into Upenn this year. Although, my GPA was 4.0, I did not have stellar SAT score - below avarage in fact, and plus, I needed almost full financial aid. So, what I want to say by this is that the only one factor, grades or scores, does not determine the decision. It depends on your overall application. As it seems you have great extracurriculars, now write great essays, and give it your best shot! I do not suggest posting “chance me” posts, as no one here can predict your actual admission decision. Good luck! Keep in mind that whereever you get in, it is still up to you what you take from your college experience!
@ViviSanchezh I applied on regular decision, and I did not submit any supplementary material - only additional essay on CommonApp, which was elaboration on one of my extracurricular activities.