Chance me please!

<p>Hey guys I am a senior this year and just starting the entire college admissions process (yay me!). I've been doing a ton of college visiting to see what schools I really liked and what schools I didn't. I just want to know from people's expertise if I have a good chance of getting into UPenn. I took the ACT already and I am not planning on taking subject tests. </p>

<p>Course load: I have been taking AP and honors classes since freshman year including, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP U.S. History, AP English 3, AP Chemistry, AP English 4, AP Calculus AB, and AP Government and Macroeconomics. The rest of my periods are filled with honors classes. </p>

<p>ACT-32
English-28 (got a 31 my first test)
Math-33
Reading-30
Science-35
GPA Un-weighted- 3.8
GPA Weighted-4.15</p>

<p>Extra curricular activities:
-President of Campus Ministry at my school where I coordinate all religious activities that happen on campus (We are a Jesuit private high school). I speak at masses, run prayer services, and help spread the word of God to my fellow classmates.
-Founder and President of the Fellowship of the Christian Athletes chapter at my school which is a national organization that focuses on taking spirituality and translating it into the athletic world.
-3 year varsity lacrosse player and have won state each year.
-I am a lector at my church as well as a leader in youth group there.
-Internship at an electric car company where I worked on charging infrastructure around the state for electric cars.
-I am a Core member of my high school club that deals with admissions for upcoming freshmen as well as all activities during their first year.
-I am a mentor for 4 different freshmen every year where I make sure they are getting involved in the school, doing well in their classes (tutor them when they need it), and having a great overall experience.
-Going into my freshman year I won the Christian Service Award which was awarded for exceptional community service in the community. I receive a grant of $2,000 each year for the award and I am now a part of the Youth Ambassador Group that heads the entire organization.
-I am an active member in Boys Team Charity and have been since 6th grade taking on various roles of leadership and working at various philanthropies.
-I want to be an orthodontist so I got an internship with my local orthodontist and worked with him for quite a while, learning the different aspects of the job.
-I've created an app that will be released in the app store within this year and I'm learning about the slow process of programming, marketing, as well as the entire technological world.
-I have gone on immersion trips to Guatemala for the past two years (3 weeks at a time) where I stay at an orphanage and work with the kids. I recently "adopted" a child there which means I'm going to be paying for him to continue his education all the way through college. He's 9 right now and it's going to be incredible to watch him grow as a man and as a leader.
-I work at a technology company that focuses on online schooling for tech company certification (like for licenses to work at Apple, Microsoft, etc.) and I do research for them on new innovations to help better the company.
-On top of all of this I work at a restaurant which allows me to fund my love for investing as well as spending money on the weekends.</p>

<p>So as you can see my interests really tend to focus on religion, business/technology, and orthodontia. I really want all three of these things to be a part of my college experience and I really love all three dearly. So my question is, how does my application stand up against typical students and what are my chances of getting in to either schools?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>You’re qualified, but you’re nothing special. Your GPA and ACT scores are good, but they could be better. Your ECs are good, however - they’ll boost your application a bit.</p>

<p>It’s a reach for you, though. Penn and the other ivies are reaches for everyone - everyone who gets into Penn has stats equal to or better than yours (barring some hooked applicants), and they reject a lot of people with the same stats or better as well. Your chances are as good as anyone else’s - but good luck!</p>

<p>Thank you I really appreciate the time you spent and advice you gave. Hopefully I can boost my ACT next time and get a better score. Thanks again!</p>

<p>I would say that you are special in your own way and acceptance or rejection at these top schools can’t take that away from you.</p>

<p>As far as the nuts and bolt, you are in the range of other accepted students. That’s all you need with the stats. Now its about your recommendations, your essay and your interview. You need to shine through. You are heavy on the religious side so its needs to be a part of your application but you don’t want to look one dimensional. Speaking languages, sports, charity work, jobs, etc will help you add more dimensions but you also can’t rattle a list of stuff. Choose the 2 or 3 things that highlight the different aspects of you passion, life, achievement or goals and go from there. All this is in my humble opinion.</p>

<p>Wow I really appreciate the feedback! This meant a lot to me and I will be sure to take it all in and utilize it. It couldn’t have been more useful and I thank you so much. God bless!</p>