Chance for Wharton ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I've posted this in the main chances forum, but I thought I'd get an opinion from a more specific area. </p>

<p>I'm completely aware that Wharton is an extremely competitive endeavor, especially in terms of undergraduate admissions. Nevertheless, what would my chances be? I know I'm not the ideal candidate scorewise, but I think my passions are pretty clear, and hopefully I'll be able to convey them well through my essays.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.7 UW, 4.2 W
SAT: 2300 (740 math, 760 reading, 800 writing)
ACT :34 (planning to retake, fairly certain I can manage a 35 or possibly even a 36 this time around)
SAT II's (720 Bio-E, 720 US History, planning to take Math II and Lit)
AP Scores: AP European History (4), AP Calculus AB (5), AP English Language (5), AP US History (5), AP Psychology (5)
PSAT: 237 so I understand I'll get some kind of recognition from the National Merit, hopefully it can help?
California resident
Pretty competitive private school </p>

<p>5 AP's, 7 Honors (freshman-junior year, pretty close to the maximum possible)
Senior Year Courseload: AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government, AP English Literature</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Speech (Captain, biggest club on campus): My true love from sophomore year, finalist at several big tournaments on the national circuit, placed top 3 in my district which qualified me to NCFL Grand Nationals and NFL Nationals, both of which I made it to elimination rounds at, chanced upon a speech company online and saw myself ranked in the top 20 in the country if that counts for something?
Tae Kwon Do/MMA: 2nd degree black belt, teach classes for younger students around age 5
Classical Guitar: Been playing for 7 years
Interact Club (Board Member): Nominated for Rotary Youth Leadership Award, was recognized by the local Rotary and invited to attend Rotary meetings
Radio Club (Board Member): Managing the school's radio station and training DJ's
Stock Market Club
International Club
Teen Awareness Program
Science and Engineering Club
Ran cross country and track for two years </p>

<p>Essays: I've started and I think they're pretty solid, I'd call myself a good writer and I'd like to think of myself as a pretty quirky person
Recs: From my AP English teacher who I was very close with, my speech and debate coach who has travelled with me a lot and knows me very well (possibly better than I know myself), and my fantastic counselor, should all be pretty strong</p>

<p>Summer/Work Experience:
Stanford EPGY
Summer camp counselor at a camp for autistic children
-Currently interning with the city council for a very well known city (paranoid about this government stuff so I won't give the name away haha), working on some big projects including rewriting the city's banking policy. I've given speeches to city council, drafted my own council items, set up meetings with various organizations, been in local news with our projects, and directly worked with residents that call the city council & mayor's office seeking help. It's daunting to realize that people's lives depend on even what the interns in the office do. It's been a very intense "real world" experience that will hopefully show as one. </p>

<p>^My common app essay underscores this experience, and my 'Why Wharton' essay will touch upon it, as I'll be explaining my goal of pursuing socially responsible finance/banking for struggling/developing communities.
Any feedback would be appreciated so much!</p>

2

<p>Don’t retake the 34, that’s very solid. And you don’t need SAT 2’s if you have the ACT for Penn, so don’t send your low SAT scores at all. You’re GPA is kinda low. SAT 1 is great. If your dilemma is high SAT 1 + Low SAT 2 vs in-the-middle ACT, still send the ACT. You’re ECs are unique, better if they relied around business, but as ED you have a real shot of getting in.</p>

3

<p>You’re pretty much set. I’d be very surprised if you didn’t get in with those EC’s under your belt…</p>

4

<p>From post #5

</p>

<p>I’m baffled by comments such as this. If you had gone to a non-competitive public school your UW GPA will most likely be 4.0 or even higher depending on the grading approach. In some private schools a 3.7 is a very strong UW GPA. We don’t know if your high school is one of those schools.</p>

<p>So what matters more than GPA is rank. While private schools often claim that they do “not” rank, indirectly they do. They often provide decile statistics to colleges, and from these and counselor recommendations the college can infer rank. I expect that you have a pretty good sense of your rank anyway.</p>

<p>Compare your stats with alumni who’ve applied to UPenn on Naviance. It will provide you with a much better sense of where you stand compared to candidates from previous years than we can.</p>

<p>I would encourage you to take the Math II SAT 2. Wharton recommends that you take this test. An “800” or so would no doubt help your application. Scoring on Math II is relatively lenient.</p>

5

<p>Thanks guys! The feedback that I’ve received regarding my Common App essay and my ‘Why Wharton’ essay have both been awesome, so I’m pretty sure I have two pretty strong essays at my disposal. I think the main issue with my application at this point is my GPA, a 3.7/4.2 is a little on the lower end of the scale.
On one hand, I really want to apply ED - I’ve got my heart set on Wharton, it seems absolutely ideal for my career and personal goals, and I can really see myself going there. However, I’ve read posts recommending some applicants to wait for the RD round so that they can show an improvement with their first semester grades. However, I know Penn (and Wharton specifically) are a LOT more competitive during RD as opposed to ED. What do you guys think?</p>

6

<p>Your GPA isn’t a deal breaker with those scores and EC’s. If your essays really are that strong, I think that you could make it ED. Wharton looks more at SAT/ACT scores than GPA. I would take the Math II.
You seem like someone who has a real shot.</p>

7

<p>Thank you very much! If anyone wants to suggest any other top-tier schools that you guys think I should apply to, I’d really appreciate it.</p>

8

<p>I think you have a great chance, but I would call it a low reach just because it’s Wharton. Your ECs are phenomenal!
Best of luck to you.</p>

9

<p>Thank you!
Do you guys think it’s a good idea to email my regional admissions rep? I’d like to introduce myself and get some kind of a conversation going, but she’s probably a busy person and I don’t want to come across as a suck up or anything.</p>

10

<p>Definitely contact your regional admissions rep. I think it gives your application a personal touch. I feel like if you contact him or her, by the time he or she receives your application, the rep can have an idea of who you are. Good luck to you! I’m having a wonderful time at Wharton.</p>