Can you chance an Asian (*sigh*) female for Penn Wharton or SEAS?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Will applying early increase my chances?
SAT I:</p>

<p>Math: 780
Writing: 800 (11 essay)
Critical Reading: 730
COMPOSITE: 2310 (one sitting)</p>

<p>SAT II:</p>

<p>US History: 770
Math I: 770
Math II: 800
Physics: Will take in Oct.</p>

<p>AP Scores:
Bio (4), Calc BC (5), AB sub (5), Physics B (5), Psych (5)</p>

<p>GPA: 4.9 UW: 4.0
Class rank: top 5% (at least)</p>

<p>Location: 30 miles from Philadelphia
Gender: F
Race: East Asian
Family Income: $45k
High School: Public (~2000 students)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-School newspaper (Writer-9, Sports Editor-10, News and Production Editor-11)
-National Honor Society (11)
-Model UN (10,11)
-Baking for the Elderly (10,11)
-Chess Club (9,10,11)
-Student Government (11)
-Bowling Club (9,11)
-Soccer (6,7,8,9)
-Band (6,7,8,9)
-Piano (started playing at the age of 7)
-Volunteer at local library (110 hours)</p>

<p>Summer Activities:
Reading, traveling, volunteering at library, informally helping friends prepare for the SAT, cooking and cleaning, babysitting, etc</p>

<p>Intended Major: Electrical Engineering, Comp Sci, or Finance</p>

<p>Senior year courses: 5 APs, 9 AP courses total throughout high school (which is the max number since students can't take APs until jr. year)</p>

<p>Awards: AP scholar with honor, National Merit Commended/Finalist, some excellency awards from my school</p>

2

<p>i’m pretty sure doing stuff for grades 6,7,8 don’t count. there’s nowhere to even put those grade levels on commonapp</p>

3

<p>Don’t put down things before high school (summer of 8th grade is sometimes okay, but not before then). </p>

<p>Academically well of for Penn, but hurting a little in ECs.</p>

4

<p>I think you have a great shot at SEAS, but no business ECs will hurt you for Wharton.</p>

5

<p>Yes, applying ED will increase your chances.</p>

6

<p>Thanks everyone for responding! What more can I do to improve my chances of getting into Penn SEAS? I’m not too keen on majoring in business anyway, so I’ll gladly settle for SEAS :slight_smile:
I put down the ECs I did in middle school to show my dedication to them. I pursued many sports-related and music activities (ex: volleyball, basketball, soccer, flute, etc) when I was younger, but no longer have time to do them now. </p>

<p>Two summers ago, I made over $2000 by buying and reselling items on Craigslist…does that count as a business EC?</p>

7

<p>Not really since it was really continued or anything.</p>

<p>But grade wise and test wise, it’s great. EC’s are definitely lacking</p>

8

<p>“I pursued many sports-related and music activities (ex: volleyball, basketball, soccer, flute, etc) when I was younger, but no longer have time to do them now.”</p>

<p>Im sorry but almost no one in this situation gets into an ivy league…You have great scores but since your ECs aren’t strong you probably wont get into penn. Ivy leagues look at how one can be an outstanding student ( SAT 2250+ GPA 3.9+) and also demonstrate a passion for something that is beyond the classroom. For instance someone who has performed piano recitals and is just in love with musical composition. Or someone who is looking to be pre-med and has fallen in love with the science/medical field after countless volunteering hours at hospitals and medical centers in latin america or whatever. </p>

<p>In other words every student in the country with above a 2200 SAT score is applying to penn, harvard, yale, princeton, MIT, stanford, and columbia. How are you going to distinguish yourself to the admissions counselor so that they pick you over the other 2300 scorer? You need to find time or should have been able to find time to be strong academically, 2200+ sat score, and also have strong and direct ECs. A lack of ECs either says you don’t allocate time appropriately to do both academics and have a life outside of class, or you lack passion to have a life outside of class. Either way an ivy league doesn’t want that type of student.</p>

<p>One last note. If you didn’t have time because of significant personal issues, such as disease, or taking care of a sick parent, then the admissions may absolve you and look softly on your lack of ECs. Also definitely apply ED.</p>

9

<p>You have a great chance at Penn SEAS. Don’t listen to knight2011. He makes it sound like all Ivy league acceptees are supernatural beings who don’t require sleep. You have great test scores, grades, and above average extra curricular activities. Even if you don’t get accepted to Penn, you’ll still go to a great school. </p>

<p>I personally don’t think you should apply to Penn SEAS ED. There are plenty of schools out there that have better engineering programs than Penn. Cornell, Harvey Mudd, U of Illinois Urbana, CMU, and UMichigan are all competitive universities with great engineering programs that you can definitely get into. Good luck with your endeavors!</p>

10

<p>@knight2011,</p>

<p>I stopped reading your post after “Im sorry but almost no one in this situation gets into an ivy league.”</p>

<p>That is completely false. You have to look at the context of the application. If the applicant is someone that works to support their family and no longer has time to pursue ECs to the level that many other Ivy League applicants do, then certainly that is taken into account.</p>

<p>I’m not saying that the OP is in this scenario, but I do think that more than almost no one gets in despite not being a world-renowned pianist and intel finalist while curing cancer on weekends.</p>

<p>I’m sorry if I came across as a little harsh or if I was too quick to judge, I was just a little annoyed when I read the first part of your post because I am in a situation that I just described.</p>

<p>As someone that has to work around 20-30 hours a week at a restaurant to aid in family income, it’s not exactly easy to pursue the ECs that Ivy Leagues find fantastic.</p>

11

<p>^you should have read the rest of my post because I acknowledged that if “personal issues” limited your time then you would in fact stand a good shot. </p>

<p>I, as well as many people I know, have had very strong academics but lacked in the ECs game. Having hung around a pretty bright crowd, most of my friends scored 2200+ on the SAT and did great on the subject tests and had strong GPAs. Many of us also took classes at local colleges. Upon applying to college we were all rejected from ivy league schools and settled at mid tier religious and liberal arts colleges. After one year at a mid tier university, I spent countless hours volunteering and doing activities for intramural sports and clubs, and transferred into an ivy league. The one thing that changed my app was my strong passion for something outside of the classroom. </p>

<p>You don’t have to cure cancer or be a renowned pianist, you just have to show an interest outside of your books. Penn, especially, focuses on the whole person and not just that someone did well on the SAT. They offer tons of clubs, activities, and have many interesting museums and what not nearby and on campus. They want their students to leave the library every now and then and join or participate in something. </p>

<p>Here is a link. Notice it emphasizes ECs and volunteering well into high school.
[3</a> Ways to Get Into an Ivy League School - wikiHow](<a href=“http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Into-an-Ivy-League-School]3”>How to Get Into an Ivy League School (with Pictures) - wikiHow)</p>

12

<p>Your reported family income is very low. If you apply ED,what would happen if you are not awarded enough financial aid ? I think you need to think hard and long about that. Not everyone, if accepted, can afford to go.</p>

13

<p>

Penn’s financial aid is usually quite generous, especially for someone with a relatively low family income. But even if she were accepted ED and the financial aid award were not sufficient, she could always decline the ED acceptance on that basis.</p>

<p>In her case, at least, I don’t think that potentially insufficient financial aid should discourage her from applying ED.</p>