Chance Me - Penn

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, I am en route to beginning my junior year in high school (Class of 2014), and am requesting a preemptive chancing to Penn. I will be applying early during the summer before my senior year, going into the CAS to major in English. Here is my information, some of which will be hypothetical goals:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2100
ACT: Likely not taking
SAT II: 750 Math I, 750 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/333
AP (place score in parenthesis): Macroeconomics (5), English Language and Comp (5), American History (4), Statistics (5),
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature, AP French Language, AP Microeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, don't really know of any other awards offered in my area/community.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Soccer- 2 years, JV Soccer- 2 years, Travel Soccer in MAPS Competition for 8 years
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard throughout high school, swim instructor, certified pool operator
Volunteer/Community service: 150 hours of volunteer work at local library and local animal adoption shelter.
Summer Activities: Soccer practice for high school and travel, volunteering, reading, working, AP Summer assignments
Essays: Perfect
Teacher Recommendation: Best in career.
Counselor Rec: Best in career.
Interview: Excellent </p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Bangladeshi (don't know where it would fall on app)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 75,000-100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy
Reflection: Strengths: Legacy, GPA and rank, honest and sincere story, very strong Why Penn essay
Weaknesses: Could have volunteered more, extracurricular's weren't stellar
Thank you!</p>

2

<p>I think you’re on the right track to Penn…especially since you’re only a rising junior. Maybe retake the SAT to get a higher score and just keep doing what you’re doing. Make sure that your essays are strong next year and I would recommend applying ED if Penn is your dream school… from my friend’s experience, it’s a heck of a lot easier… and she had maybe a lower GPA… but a 2200+ SAT </p>

<p>Good Luck! And I’m sure you’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>Thank you ifailedhighsch. And I will definitely apply ED as Penn is my dream school, and has been for quite a long time. I appreciate the feedback!</p>

4

<p>Unless you get recruited, it probably won’t happen.</p>

<p>SAT is definitely not high enough. If you want Ivies you need 2250+ unless you are recruited. You need to retake SATs. Also if you want to be an English major, you need to excel in English. This means you should have 770+ CR and 770+ W. </p>

<p>Also, you need to rethink your courses. If you are only taking 4 classes as a senior you probably won’t get in even if they are all APs. </p>

<p>Still, overall, you seemed to do nothing substantial with your time in HS as far as I can tell. Without being recruited, your ECs are virtually nonexistent. If your passion is English, you need to focus on it. You have no english ECs which are really necessary to get into these top schools. Write for your school newspaper or literary magazine. You could also assemble a supplemental portfolio. </p>

<p>You have to consider that everyone else applying to Penn for English will either be going the Pre-Law track in which case they will probably have stellar Mock Trial/Debate EC list or the writing track in which case they will have a stellar portfolio. </p>

<p>I know someone who was in a somewhat similar situation focusing on Math-CS who eventually ended up getting into Harvard. Up until the end of sophomore year, they had no extracurriculars (albeit they were smarter than you appear to be from you portfolio ie: they took Calc BC freshmen year, got a 2270 on SAT in sophomore year and had already qualified for USAMO once). They really turned it around junior year by, in addition to taking 2 college level math courses at 3 AP classes, joined many different clubs and ended up being an officer in several senior year. </p>

<p>Junior year is make or break. You have got to improve your ECs and SATs otherwise Penn will be a major reach. (Also, one thing to note, Math I has basically no weight for Ivy leagues. It’s the same as taking AP Human Geo. Take Math II which is actually easier so you should get a 780+)</p>

<p>I bet if you work hard enough you can make it, but you have to aim way above what you have listed so far. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>2200+/33+ For Penn</p>

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<p>@quintamonious
I enjoyed taking the time to read your post, a myriad of information and insight. Firstly, thanks for posting! </p>

<p>Keep in mind that my SAT score is one of the hypothetical facets introduced in the short text before my app information. 2100 was my initial goal, but reflecting your suggestion of 2200+, as well as that of barrk123, I will definitely reconsider. The point you made about excelling in CR and Writing is valid, and I will also take that into my new goal.</p>

<p>I am not taking only 4 courses senior year, I apologize for it appearing that I will. I only mentioned the AP courses – I was tired when posting, it was late, and I didn’t make this section as thorough as possible. I will be taking my senior year, in supplement to the 4 APs aforementioned, Honors Physics, Honors Gym and Phys. Ed (sounds like a joke, but it really does help GPA, being weighted as an Honors course), Honors Anatomy and Physiology, and Honors Discrete Math. Also, in errata, my junior course load will be the 4 APs mentioned in the AP section, and in supplement, Honors Chemistry, Honors French 4, Honors Pre-Calc, and 11th Health and Phys. Ed. Upon correction, let it be known that this will leave me with 8 APs taken in my high school career, and counting freshmen and sophomore year, 14 honors classes. </p>

<p>In terms of your comment on ECs, I acknowledge it as valid that my ECs are weak. This is another one of my hypothetical facets, and I will definitely be adding more to it. Your suggestion of joining the school newspaper is again, very valid, and I will probably do that next year. I already submitted my application for it during my sophomore year for junior year and got accepted, it has just been up to me to decide whether or not I will be able to manage it all, factoring in APs, Honors, sports, my job, and volunteer work. A supplemental portfolio is also a great idea- Perhaps during the period in summer after the conclusion of my junior year and before my early application to Penn.</p>

<p>On a side note, I am planning on going to graduate law school, but let that be a topic for another thread.</p>

<p>It is duly noted on my part about improving my SATs and ECs indefinitely. The comment about taking Math II instead of Math I is moot, however. How did you liken the Math I exam to an AP World Geo class? The two seem expansively different. </p>

<p>One of the most important elements of my application to Penn is the story I have to tell - as my father went to Penn for graduate school and received a PhD in electrical engineering, as well as graduating summa cum laude, he is an inspiration to me to say the least. This intangible element will find deep roots in my Why Penn supplement essay as well as on my Common App essay(s).</p>

<p>Please do reply!</p>

7

<p>@quintamonious
Also, would you also be able to chance me for:</p>

<p>Columbia
Cornell
Ohio Wesleyan
Rutgers
UC Berkeley
Williams</p>

<p>You can answer concisely with percentages of likeliness of acceptance for each. Thanks so much!</p>

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<p>Math I is easy. AP Human Geo is known as one of the easiest AP classes. Either way, Math II is much more challenging. Getting an 800 on Math I would about the same difficulty of getting a 670-700 on SAT II Math II. Math II has a wider subject manner ergo is difficulty on surface but Math II also has a curve so if you have done Precalc, then Math II should be pretty easy. </p>

<p>As far as essay, it’s a fairly good topic if the prompt fits but only for common app. Grad school and undergrad are widely different (as I am sure your Dad has probably told you). I would use the Why Penn essay to talk about something specific about UPenn (ie: location, campus vibe, endowment, college history, a specific professor who’s interest appeals to you, the prep for law school etc.)</p>

<p>For the other schools, I am generally bad at guessing percentages but I’ll do my best. </p>

<p>Columbia 20% - 30%
Cornell 35% - 45%
Ohio Wesleyan - Don’t know, haven’t heard of
Rutgers 45% - 60%
UC Berkeley 35% - 70% (No idea how difficult for out of state admissions and depends on financial situation)
Williams - Don’t know, no one I know has ever applied/visited</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Bump -/-/-/-/-/-/</p>

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<p>How can you be first-generation college and legacy?</p>

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<p>You are a great applicant. GPA is strong as hell, and SAT is average compared to other Upenn applicants. Usually around 2000-2200 is good enough for Upenn. Do not stress and just write a profound essay to blow the readers mind. Good luck! Chance me back please? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1366605-boston-college-transfer.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1366605-boston-college-transfer.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>I would appreciate it!</p>