Hi. I’m fairly new to College Confidential, so my apologies if this isn’t formatted properly. Anyway, I’m a student at a suburban New Jersey high school, and we send several (maybe 5) kids a year to Penn typically.
My Stats:
GPA: 3.93 UW / 4.87 W
Class Rank: Top 2%
SAT: 1560 Unsuperscored
SAT Subject Tests: 800 Math II, 780 US History
AP’s: 6 5’s and 2 4’s
Extracurricular Activities:
Have been trading securities for 2.5 years (1000+ hrs)
Top 50 ski racer nationally
Created Free Online German Course
Internship at small hedge fund
President of Politics and History Club
Very involved in FBLA club (minor leadership only)
3 yr varsity golf letter winner
Section leader in charity band
Awards:
1st in a BPA national competition
2nd in a FBLA national competition
2nd in a national stock challenge
Hooks, race:
Legacy
White
Thank you so much! I’m a bit concerned about my lack of volunteer work, but I think it’s probably fine. What do you think? What do you think my odds are of getting in early?
You have a great SAT score: 1560 (75th percentile for UPenn)
You have a very good GPA: 3.9 w/ high course rigor
Class rank is 2%
You are legacy: 24% of last year’s ED class was legacy
You have shown an interest in business and have state and national awards
The fact that 5 seniors from your HS are accepted to UPenn last year is a good sign and applying ED will be a huge help.
The trend last year was less ED applicants and with a rise in acceptance rate to 19.7%. With CV-19 not allowing some students an opportunity to see the campus and the sheer numbers of U.S. high school seniors dropping again this year, I believe the ED acceptance rate will be at least 22% this year.
I wouldn’t worry about the community service hours. UPenn (Warton) is looking for leadership, great stats and very good ECs. Make sure you “package” yourself well, write great essays, and have your LORs corroborate your story.
I give you about a 40% chance of acceptance in ED.
You look to be a competitive applicant with academics and ECs that should get you a serious look at any college. The rest will depend on things we can’t see such as your essays, LORs etc.
If your top choice is Wharton be aware that Penn only counts legacy as a plus if you apply ED so I’d strongly consider going the ED route.
That said, any elite college (with acceptance rates often in the single digits) should be considered a reach for any unhooked applicant. Be sure to take the time to search out a group of match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.