Chance me for Wharton ED

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

With just over 11 days left, I am really getting anxious.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800M, 800R, 720 W) one sitting

SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 USH, 700 Literature

Unweighted GPA: 3.93

Weighted GPA: 4.67

Rank: Not given but probably top 1-2%

AP: U.S. History (5), Statistics (5), Art History (4), Calculus BC (5), English Language and Composition (5), Macroeconomics (5), Government (5), Physics I (4), Computer Science (4)

Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro, Multivar Calc & Diff Eqs, AP Euro, HN English IV, HN Entrepreneurship, AP Physics C,
AP Lit and Comp

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:

Volunteer Group (Part of Core Members): Travel every Saturday to one of the worst cities in the country and teach disadvantaged youths math, reading and social skills. Also run various drives to help the general community of the city. Over 400 hours served.

Model UN (Co-Secretary General): Fairly obvious what MUN is. Awards: 2x Best Delegate, 2x Honorable Mention, 1x Best Position Paper, 1x Best Novice at regional conferences with approximately 200 delegates in all.

Interact Club (Vice President): Liaison between club volunteers and community. Help project leaders in the community find volunteers from the club. Canvass local volunteer opportunities for club members. Over 60 hours served

Math Club (Co-President): Participate in math competitions with team. Top 3 finishes past 3 years in county. Highest individual scorer for team last year.

Varsity Golf for past 2 years

First Tee Golf Program Junior Coach

Business Related Extracurriculars - put these ECs as an attached resume that Penn allotted space for along with more selective summer programs

Coursera and edX Online Courses

  • Introduction to Financial Accounting (Wharton)
  • Global Trends for Business and Society (Wharton)
  • The Global Business of Sports (Wharton)
  • Probability (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Financial Markets (Yale)
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior (Duke)
  • Advertising and Society (Duke)
  • An Introduction to Personal Financing (UC-Irvine)
  • Understanding the Federal Reserve (New York Institute of Finance)

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder’s Meeting - attended 6 out of last 7 years (wrote about it in Penn essay)

Columbia Student Investment Management Conference - attended past 2 years

Wharton Business Events

  • Attended a stock pitch competition by Wharton MBA Students in 2012
  • Attended a lecture by Professor David Robinson regarding LEGOs and innovation

eBay Entreprenurial Venture

  • Have raised over $3,100 to date selling items on eBay
  • Research collectible Lego sets that will appreciate in value over time
  • Research bundled products that can be sold individually for return on investment

Summer Activities:

Leadership in the Business World at Wharton - rising senior
Wharton Moneyball Academy - rising senior
Yale Young Global Scholars Politics, Law, and Economics - rising junior
HOBY Youth Leadership Program - rising junior
JHU CTY - rising sophomore

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App - 8/10 about volunteer experience (didn’t write anything along the lines of I realized how much better I had it)
Why Penn - 9/10 about how Wharton will prepare me to become a successful investor, really specific to Penn

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 - Precalc/Calc BC Teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 - AP Macro teacher
Counselor Rec: 8/10 - Students essentially write it for them
Additional Rec: 9/10 - Really amazing rec from volunteer director
Interview: 40 minutes, pretty good

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Hooks : Legacy - Parent went undergrad and grad at Wharton

Thanks so much. Will chance back!

2

Well first of all great test scores and GPA. I see a variety of interests through your APs but your ECs very well demonstrate your focus on your career path. Very strong ECs! I think you definitely have a great chance, and then I saw your legacy which makes your chances even better!

3

@SylvRsr Thanks so much! Good luck!

4

You have a really good chance of getting in!!
Good test scores (Lit SATII is a little low, but I doubt it will hurt)
I really like the depth in all of your ECs, awards, events attended, and classes taken really shows your passion which is a biggg plus
The legacy and good essays/recs will def help too
Overall I think you’re good :slight_smile:

5

Thanks @VaishS

6

Agree with the others- you seem like a passionate and driven individual even on paper and with legacy I’d be very surprised if you were not accepted

7

@decidophobia Thanks for the chance.

8

i would be shocked if you didn’t get in

9

Yes, almost 100% chance.

10

@yaytest33 @f2000sa Thanks, hopefully Penn feels the same way.

11

Uh sorry, but no one has “almost 100% chance” at Wharton. Not even close. You look like a strong applicant, but don’t be too surprised if you’re rejected. Many well qualified students get rejected. Good luck!

12

@anxiousenior1 Thanks, I do understand how competitive it is.

13

@anxiousenior1 while of course no one has a 100% chance at Penn, he actually has an extremely good chance (at least 80-85%+) due to his very competitive stats AND legacy status which especially at Penn matters a huge deal during ED. Legacy ED acceptance rate is rumored to be around 40-50%. now with the kind of stats he has, his chances are easily in the 80%+ range. Yes it is possible that he could be rejected, but it really is unlikely. Also he is applying to Wharton and not the ridiculously competitive dual degree programs (think Harvard/Stanford level of competitiveness) at Penn, which a huge number of ED applicants apply to and which dont really consider legacy status as much. So all things considered I d say his chances are pretty close to perfect.

14

“He is applying to Wharton and not the ridiculously competitive dual degree programs” Wharton is incredibly difficult to get into, one of the toughest in the country. I think it can be considered “ridiculously competitive”.

15

@Penn95 Thanks for your insight. Are you a student at Penn? I’m a “realist” (aka pessimist) so I personally put my chances at 23.9% like other applicants.

16

I’d say 100% but don’t slack on the essay.

17

@ anxiousenior1

"Wharton is incredibly difficult to get into, one of the toughest in the country. I think it can be considered “ridiculously competitive”.

The dual degrees are even more “ridiculously competitive” than Wharton. Only selected few (50 for m&t) from Wharton admits can get into the programs.

Quote from Penn95 in another thread:

wharton is a little bit harder to get in than cas or engineering but i do not agree with the statement that it is significantly more difficult to get in. 2 or more decades ago sure but not nowadays. Also it is very unlikely that wharton admit rate is at harvard/yale level i.e 5-6%. It is much more probable that wharton admit rate is around 7-8%. I have done a very rough analysis based on bits of info here and there and it is more reasonable for wharton admit rate to be in that range. The dual degree programs, huntsman, m&t, lsm prob have admit rates at the level of stanford, harvard and also yields at these levels. Also wharton probably has yield rate higher than yale and princeton but lower than harvard and stanford ( i would bet around 75%). Also i think the there is not really a distinction between wharton and non wharton students in terms of wharton students being more accomplished or anything as a group. I think there is however a substantial difference between students ( as a total group) who are m&t, lsm, the other vagelos programs ( and to a lesser degree huntsman) and the rest of penn students as a group.

18

@Dilant412 yes i am a student at Penn. of course it is very good that you are not taking anything for granted and remain prepared for the worst since anything can happen. but it is safe to say the odds are rly in your favor.

19

I went to Wharton undergrad, and your stats are super solid. Your ECs are really very strong, and showcases a clear interest in your career aspirations!

At a certain point though, all applicants to Wharton start looking very similar in terms of test scores/GPA. So, it’s a great idea to showcase your personality in the Penn supplement and Common App. I say this b/c Penn/Wharton people are some of the most interesting and dynamic people I know. In addition to being incredibly intelligent, many are well rounded – they have passions and hobbies outside of school that are very clearly shown in the essays. So, the Penn admissions folks definitely want to choose a diverse class. So, make sure that unique aspect of who you are shines through in the essay!

Here’s a Penn/Wharton essay example if that helps anyone:
http://www.winningivyessays.com/admissions-essay-example-upenn/

20

What was the result???