Chance Me, and Tell me how I can Improve

<p>Im a rising Junior. I had a bad freshman year of high school but im back on track and by the end of my Junior year I should have a 3.5 or a little higher.
I have had a big grade improvement trend. Im African-American, and going to be a first genereation college student(parents were born in Africa). After my senior year I should have a 3.7. Im in numerous honors classes. I was wondering if I had any chance at a top school. This is my schedule for my Junior year.
Finance
Physics Honors
AP Lang
US VA History
PreCalculus Honors
AP Macroeconomics/Microeconomics
Spanish 3
I should get straight A's in this schedule.
I should have a very good SAT score I am taking classes and studying hard for it, I should definately get 2000+ on it. Im an intelligent kid but I had a lot of problems my freshman year.
My EC's include: Freshman Basketball, JV Basketball, Varsity Spring and Winter Track for 11th and 12th grade. I am also volunteering at my church as an assistant teaching a 1st grade sunday school class, and im also a volunteer in the church office and have been doing so since last summer.
I want to be an Investment Banker and U Penn is my dream school (along with some other schools in the north east). What can I do to improve and what are my chances at U Penn and other top schools? Thanks again.</p>

<p>Are you applying to Wharton? or CAS?</p>

<p>You have a decent application, I don't see anything that pops though. You also need to boost up the GPA as much as you can (problems freshman year isn't an excure) because Wharton, if you're applying there, is weighting a little heavier on your GPA and stats this year.</p>

<p>Are you invovled in any in school or out of school clubs? Leadership positions is clubs also really are helpful to your application. You want to show a sense of passion, leadership, and intelligence, and most definitely SHOW YOURSELF. If you can do those, you stand a fair chance. Good luck!</p>

<p>I want to apply to Wharton and major in Finance, I also forgot to add to my EC's that im in the National Business Honor Society at my school</p>

<p>lol, what about me???
harvard and penn are my dream schools (not because of names, but because they have the most amazing resources, extraordinary student body and a lot of things no other places have) and i want to apply but i want to be realistic about it because it seems like the only way to get in is to find the cure for aids or something. so im gonna list my resume and see if anyone who knows about this or has gotten into penn can tell me if i have a chance...</p>

<p>im from puerto rico, lower middle class, from a small town from where probably no one has even heard of penn. english is my 2nd language.</p>

<p>gpa is not calculated in my school as it is in the states but ive gotten As in every subject since 9th grade so i asume it would at least be 4.0</p>

<p>ranked 1st in a class of about 90
1910 SATs which i realize is 0 for their standards but should improve now in october..
top score in my class and one of the best in the country on the college entrance exam in puerto rico (not the SAT but also by the College Board)
ive taken the most advanced classes my school has to offer ( no APs cos my school doesnt have them)
student council member
national honor society member-president of my school's nhs
vice president of the science club
six years of classical guitar education, played in a bunch of different ensembles in school and elsewhere
played soccer for the last two years
community group member</p>

<p>i went to a journalism program at penn state summer before last, and to a biotech program at a university here last summer but i realize none of this is too weird or extraordinary like the things other rejected applicants seem to have done (cancer research, summer in a third world country feeding the poor...) i know that the other 25,000 kids who apply have much more impressive resumes, so does anyone think i have a chance of at least getting my app looked at by a school like penn (provided i write some damn good essays)??</p>

<p>irepr08,
I currently attend penn so you can pm me if you have any questions. Your class rank and academic performance in high school is very strong, and this is weighted more heavily than the SAT. Your SAT score is weak, the average SAT score for the Class of 2011 was 2137. You should try to get your score up to the range of that average. However, your SAT score will never make or break your application esp. given that you're #1 in your class so don't worry too much about that. Also, try to score above 700 on your SAT II Subject Tests.
I know a few people at penn who scored between 1900-2000 on their SAT, and it isn't a rare thing. But, they were all very strong otherwise--had amazing EC'S and grades. Focus on your essays and make sure you get great recommendations. Your EC's are about what the average penn applicant would have, so they're not going to hurt or help you in any major way.
Your chances at penn are a lot more realistic than your chances at harvard and your best shot would be if you applied to penn ED. good luck, and pm me if you have any questions about penn.</p>

<p>How about me?</p>

<p>I am currently a senior, from an upper-middle-class family in the Midwest. I will be a second-generation college student. I am hoping to Early Decision to Penn for the CAS.</p>

<p>I currently have a GPA (unweighted) of 3.8. If you were to weight my GPA it would be about 4.2. My current schedule is:
AP Statistics
AP English
AP Psychology
Spanish II
Forensics
Drama Level III</p>

<p>I have so-so ACT scores (28). I am involved in: Varsity Cross Country (4 years, currently a team co-captian), Varsity Track (3 years), Student Council (2 years), Drama Club (3 years), Key Club (a service club, 3 years), National Honor Society (2 years).</p>

<p>Some of my accomplishments:
-All County Cross Country Runner for 2 years
-All Conference for 2 years
-All Region for 1 year
-Academic All-County for 2 years
-Organized an annual cross country trip to volunteer at a local Soup Kitchen.
-Attended a Summer College Program at Cornell University. Took 2 (transferrable) classes and recieved an A- and a B+.
-Planning to work on a campaign for a 2008 presidential candidate.</p>

<p>to blondie forever:</p>

<p>you have maybe a 10% chance of admission to upenn.</p>

<p>your grades are far below averagee considering the weakness of you schedule, and you still do not even have close to straight A's!!</p>

<p>obviously, your act score is hideous and has to be at least 6 points higher.</p>

<p>your ec's are average, at best.</p>

<p>the only way you have a chance is if you talk to xc coach and they support your decision really really hard. which it doesnt seem like you are that good at running, but maybe what are your pr's?</p>

<p>how about me?act 31,sat 1990,combined from two sitting above 2000.golf,volunteering,job,chess,some other clubs also.chem680,math 740,3.6 gpa.may be more at the end.good essay.</p>