ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite (they superstore, so 35 superscore)
SAT II: Math II 730
Weighted GPA = 4.07
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): In top 30-20% I think
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio-4, AP Lang- idk yet.
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Calc AB, AP Stat, AP Psychology, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Macroeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing much, just some school-recognized Magma Cum Laude/something like that
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Decent, not stellar by any means
Job/Work Experience: I babysit, I interned with a family friend’s business
Volunteer/Community service: Excellent (over 150 hours I would say at various things)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8.5/10 I would believe
Intended Major: Wharton, Finance/Economics/Related Field
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
School Type: Public, Highly ranked
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Between 300 and 500 I think
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My dad went there, so I am a LEGACY
Just wanted to see what you guys think of my chances. My GPA is low, so there is that. But that is because I started in all regular classes in Freshman year, and did not know my full potential since I always underachieved due to my ADHD in middle school.
Your tests are good, but as far as U Penn goes, your class rank and GPA are low. Being a legacy does help, but not as much as you would think.
Since schools like U Penn get thousands of applicants with good stats, try getting into some good ECs this year - they can really help boost your application and make you stand out, which is super important!
@marijke
I would apply ED, since that is when legacy is considered.
forget about the ECs, I’m not going to be accomplishing much over the summer->Nov 1st, (besides guitar, volunteering, apps, summer assignmnents, homework)
I need to crush the essays as well, I’m going to a special legacy-oriented tour soon, so there is that as well.
The legacy status usually works as a tip factor, but it won’t bring any applicant from the dead. You say your GPA is low, what is your unweighted GPA? Do you have leadership in at least one of your E/C’s? Your ACT score is exceptional but right now I don’t see any commitment to one thing that would make Wharton the best place for you besides that a parent went there. Think, you have to make the admissions officer want to give you that spot over someone else and having a 35 ACT alone won’t do it. Your chances are not high but write outstanding essays and see what happens. Make sure you apply Early Decision too. Best of luck.
@CiteYourSources
I didn’t write any ECs down, but I am a VP in global politics club, treasurer in young republicans club, and yeah other than that my town is fake af so leadership is mostly just popularity. (For example, in economics club, I outperformed the whole club by 900,000 (started with 100,000) but I wasn’t given any recognition or anything despite my obvious background in investing). I also play acoustic guitar, invest on my own, and volunteer a lot (normal kid a lot, not CC 10000 hours a lot)
But thanks
Well that’s good you do have involvement in your interested field. I understand A LOT of high school leadership is dependent upon popularity and I’m sure the admissions officers know this too. It’ll come down to your ability to articulate your role of influence in these activities, sometimes those without titles can have the greatest impact!
It’s a long shot but give it a shot
@ClarinetDad16 yeah Penn isn’t even really my #1 choice in all honesty. I like Tulane more as of now. But I might as well try to get into Penn (and try to milk the legacy status) and if accepted then I’ll get used to it and I’ll eventually be as happy as I would be in Tulane.