<p>Please tell my my chances…would like to apply to Penn (Arts and Sciences) ED.</p>
<p>I am a legacy (mother attended Penn). I am 1/4 Hispanic and will be honored by the National Hispanic Recogntion Program since I met the PSAT and GPA requirements. This honor is similar to National Merit and comes from the College Board.</p>
<p>SAT I: 730 (W); 720 (M); 700 (CR)…total is 2150. Combined reading and writing is 1420. For Penn class of 2009, the average SAT for ED applicants was 1413 (per their website). Will also re-take in June.</p>
<p>I attend a competitve private school in NJ. School which does not rank. Overall GPA 3.7 (unweighted). Slight grade dip the first two marking periods this year (but was diagnosed with a serious chronic illness). Expect to have a 3.8 GPA the final marking period.
Have taken all honors courses offered (except in Math). Will be taking AP AB Calculus in Sept.
Took 2 AP courses junior year (AP Spanish Lit and AP American Govt) and one AP exam in Spanish Language without ever taking the course. Expect to get 4’s and 5’s on the three AP exams I just took.
Will take 3 AP courses next year (AP Calc, AP Bio and AP Comp. Gov)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: 150 hours tutoring English to Latino adult immigrants on Saturday’s. JV tennis; Worked 10 hours per week this past fall and winter after school; School Ambassador; Senior Staff writer of school newspaper; Model UN (won verbal commendation twice); Debate; Head of Spanish Club;Dropped basketball after soph year because I almost had a tooth knocked out during the game. </p>
<p>Summer Programs: Studied Spanish in Spain the past two summers and skipped a year of Spanish at my high school. Will be attending a prestigious program this summer for minority students who are interested in pursuing a career in business. (Very selective program which is practically free to those who are accepted)</p>
<p>Awards: 7th place in NJ on the National Spanish Exam (but I understand this doesn’t mean much…according to a book I read written by a Duke admission’s officer). I took the exam for bi-lingual students so I wasn’t competing with kids who never had Spanish outside of school.</p>
<p>I expect Recs to be outstanding and I can write really well (got 11 out of 12 on the essay portion of the SAT). I expect to be able to write a superb essay.</p>
<p>I dont think getting an 11 out of 12 on the SAT speaks for your writing. Two totally different things and types of writing but good job nonetheless. I like how you actually do things with spanish etc seems to go with the URM status your claiming.</p>
<p>I am 1/4 Hispanic..I expect to receive National Hispanic Recognition from the College Board. To receive that recogntion, there are several variables that must be met, including a certain PSAT score and GPA. The other variable is that one must be at least 1/4 Hispanic (which I most definitely am).
Am I supposed to say I am NOT Hispanic on my college application when I am 1/4 Hispanic for the College Board?<br>
Spanish is in my blood and I love the language and the culture. It's part of who I am. You make it sound as if I'm making up a fable or something.</p>
<p>No offense meant. There is this girl at my school top of her class and she is half hispanic. But she never claims that she is hispanic until comes down to college admission. I was complmenting you on the fact that your really into your heritage and everything. Sorry if you read into it the wrong way.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, Penn accepts over 50% of legacy students early (something ridiculous like that.) Penn also accepts a large percentage of Latino students. You seem really well qualified. I think you have a great shot!</p>
<p>Just shows you that there are no "sure things" any more. When you have a admit rate that is less than 15%, they are rejecting like 6 out of 7 applicants). Out of those 6 in the reject pile there may be 2 who applied to Penn as a "reach" and had no real chance to begin with, 2 whose scores are average for Penn and 2 who are right at the top and who would have gotten in 5 or 10 years ago for sure. But they just have too few spots to fill and so they take super qualified people and more or less randomly put them in the reject pile. And if the pool breaks up the way I say, then for every three "sure thing" candidates, 2 end up rejects. What this should teach you if you are a reject is that it is nothing personal, nothing that you did, nothing that's wrong with Penn or a reason to be bitter. It's like buying a lottery ticket and you don't win - just a matter of odds, the will of the gods. So move on, and for the class of 2012, be prepared for this to happen to you - let Dulce be a lesson to you - don't count yourself a "sure thing" until you're actually in and don't be bitter if you don't get in.</p>
<p>I should add that that they don't really randomly throw you in the reject pile (though it almost seems that way). What I think they do instead is look for some reason NOT to take you despite your strong record. Some of these things you're not in a position to influence by the time you apply (your race, your grades and scores), some you are (how you come across in your essays, the "package" that you present). For example, even though Dulce proudly saw himself as a Hispanic, he was not really the "kind" of URM that Penn is looking to give a leg up (the kind whose mother is a cleaning lady and who may not have had the same chances as a private school kid, so we'll give him a break on his SAT scores) Dulce is basically a privileged upper middle class kid who happens to have some Hispanic heritage. So as far as Penn was concerned, they judged him the same as any other rich white/Asian kid. In fact, I think it might have counted against him because he was perceived (rightly or wrongly) as trying to "game" the system and claim a spot meant for someone who is "underprivileged" - this is what some of the other posters hinted at. </p>
<p>Also, in Dulce's case, there might have been some mis-match in personality/ cultural approach. What Dulce perceived of as being "proud", an adcom might read as "arrogant". On some level, they have to like not only your stats, but like YOU as a human being, think that 'this would be a good person to have in a class, someone I'd like to have lunch with." But, as I said before, they are so overwhelmed with qualified people that the reasons for rejection can really be reed thin so you shouldn't blame yourself or the school if they don't take you.</p>