Chance me for CAS ED w/ low GPA

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Intended Major: Biology</p>

<p>GPA: 3.79 (UW), 6.69 (out of 7, Weighted)
Rank: Top 5%, 22/534
SAT I: 2330 (800CR, 770M, 760 W)
SAT II: Bio E 800, Math I: 770, U.S. History:750</p>

<p>AP Scores: Biology 5, U.S. History 5</p>

<p>Extracuriculars:
Founder/ President of Forensics Club (1 yr)</p>

<p>Volleyball Team (4 yrs)</p>

<p>Science Olympiad (3 yrs)</p>

<p>Future Doctors of America (3 yrs)</p>

<p>Model UN (4 yrs)</p>

<p>Research in Science Program (4 yrs)
-->Currently working on a 2 year ongoing medical research program in the field of oncology. Doing this research under the mentorship of a professor at UPENN.</p>

<p>Cum Laude Society (2 years)
--> Recognition for being in the top 10% of class starting junior year, society tutors other students for free in various subjects</p>

<p>Volunteer Work:
150+ hours at local pediatric facility</p>

<p>Summer Work Experience:
-Shadowed a Cardiologist at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (last summer, once every week for 4 weeks)
-Volunteered as a lab assistant at UPENN (last summer, 2.5 months)</p>

<p>Awards:
-2 time regional science fair winner in medicine and health category (for my research done in the research in science program).
-4th place in State Science fair (last year)
-National Merit Commended Scholar.</p>

<p>Course Load:
All honors and AP classes. A few B's freshman and sophomore year but all A's junior near.
Senior Year Courses:
AP English
AP French
AP Calc
AP Economics
Physics H
Human Anatomy H</p>

<p>*Misc: My mother is also a a faculty member at UPENN. Don't know if that really increases my chances though.
Ethnicity: Asian American
Background: Upper middle class, both parents graduated college.</p>

<p>As you can see I am very passionate about the research I am doing outside of school. I hope UPenn can see this as they really encourage their undergrads to pursue research. </p>

<p>I'm worried that my GPA is a little low for Penn and that I do not have many leadership roles.
Please give me an honest chance me, I would really appreciate it!</p>

2

<p>Great overall resume, why the low GPA?</p>

3

<p>You’re good so long as your grades show a decent upward trend. If you have a sharp downward trend without some kind of extenuating circumstance (like an illness or death in the family), your chances will be pretty low though.</p>

4

<p>I had two Bs freshmen year and I guess I got a bit overwhelmed sophomore year and got 3 Bs. But I got all As junior year so hopefully UPenn can see that upward trend and know I have the potential and drive to achieve all A’s. </p>

<p>Thanks for your inputs!</p>

5

<p>Your GPA really matters most in the context of your school. Since you are in the top 5 percent of your class, that suggests that you are doing pretty well academically at your school. Your test scores are also very good overall so that is not an issue either.</p>

<p>I think the biggest issue you face is differentiating yourself from other applicants. This can be done in your letters of recommendation and in your essays if they are well written and demonstrate who you are. The reason I say this is that honestly, pre-med applicants are a dime a dozen when it comes to college admissions, and many of their applications look the same. Typically they have shadowed doctors, participated in science teams or clubs, have done research (mostly done by using connections through parents), etc. Many also have high test scores and want to major in something like Biology. There are way more of these types of applicants than Penn can take. And realistically, a large portion of these students will drop pre-med and/or a science major before they even get to sophomore year. If you want to have an advantage, you need to show that you are not just a typical student that wants to be pre-med (this is actually a negative stereotype, because there are tons of premeds who are in it for the wrong reasons and are probably not suited for a career in medicine), you are someone who is well rounded and open minded, but is interested in thinking about a career in medicine and doing research.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for your detailed analysis Poeme. I totally agree on your points of differentiating myself. But what do you mean when you say I’m “someone who is well rounded…who is interest about a career in medicine…”. Do you think I shouldn’t talk about my passion for research in my supplemental penn essay?</p>

7

<p>I wouldn’t be discouraged by your GPA. Your stats make it look like your school is pretty tough to get As. School profile is also considered in that regard.</p>

<p>I know a few A students that couldn’t get a 1400 SAT score from this one school. They gave out As like candy which was a disservice to those kids. They’d have a better GPA than you but it wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. Penn knows that kind of stuff.</p>

8

<p>I mean you try to show that you are an intelligent and open minded individual with a unique perspective to offer Penn. You can talk about your passion for research, but don’t put yourself into a narrow minded pre-med mold. There are a lot of applicants who do this, and even if they get into Penn many will not end up applying to medical school.</p>