"Chance me" +advice!

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Okay so I'm a junior this year but my Dad is taking me to visit uPenn, Villanova, LeHigh etc. next weekend. I'm skeptical about visiting Penn because at this point I'm not sure I have the depth their looking for to get in...
If anyone could give me any advice at all to help better my application this last semester?</p>

<p>***OH and I'm in IB, does this make any difference?</p>

<p>SAT: 710 M/ 690 CR/ 650 W
2050 total
I have yet to take the ACT or SAT II's, is it really important that I do?
GPA: 3.78 Unweighted, somewhere around 4.4 weighted
Rank: 60/650</p>

<p>I took AP World last year (Failed the exam-2) and AP studio this year, however the rest of my classes are IB which i've been told are counted as the same. My schedule this year:
Newspaper- A
IB Eng- A
IB Math Studies- A
AP Studio/IB Studio- A
IB Spanish 4- A
IB Economics - B
IB Chemistry- A </p>

<p>-VP Habitat for Humanity (A friend of mine and I actually just started this club this semester, but are hoping to do great things with it)
-National Honor Society
-Varsity Swimming my Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior Year (I quit for a year to pursue other things, 10 practices a week was getting to be too much, but I'll swim high school for my senior year)
-Volunteered at an Aquarium all sophomore year
-I've worked at Outback for a year and a half
-National Art Honor Society
-Double Truck Editor of School Newspaper- appointed for junior and senior year
-Internship with a local newspaper called the Pelican press, all i do is take photos involving students though, started december 2010</p>

<p>An IB requirement is to have 250 total creative, service, and action hours (this include community service, sports, workshops etc.) So although Ill have a lot of community service, its not necessarily in-depth. </p>

<p>What can i do in this short period of time to make this better?
I want to go into Communications/Marketing/Advertising in college!</p>

<p>THANKS SO MUCH</p>

2

<p>Your GPA is decent (maybe a bit low for Wharton) and rank is good. Especially if you are applying for business (Wharton), you really should try to raise those scores. I am not picking on you, I got a 2030 myself and was accepted ED 2015. SAT II are required for all schools at Penn and should relate to your major, so you will probably want to take Math II; the requirement is two subject tests. I would take the ACT because you may very well do better on it than the SAT. If you like Penn, go for it!!!</p>

3

<p>SAT II’s are not required if you take the ACT plus Writing. And I think you have a good chance. I have similar stats and am waiting for the RD decision</p>

4

<p>There is this preconceived notion that wharton is hard to get into and the other Penn schools arn’t. Wharton is as hard as HYP, the rest are maybe 0.005% lower. Also, taking a business degree at the undergraduate level is UTTERLY pointless (MBA trumps guys with these degrees in the job market). Go for wharton only if yo have a family business.</p>

<p>As far as you chance at Penn goes. I’m a bit skeptical about that rank of yours. Yes you are top 10% but 60th is a bit too low for Penn.
Also your ECs don’t make up for your SAT score. So I guess you are treading on thin ice.
But do apply. Its worth a shot.</p>