<p>Soooo I've been pretty reluctant to start one of these threads, but at the same time I want to see what anyone thinks of my chances at Penn, so here goes. I'm applying ED to SEAS.</p>
<p>SAT: 2230... CR-700 M-780 W-750
SAT II: Math 2-770 Physics-750 US-680 World-720
UW GPA: 3.85
Weighted GPA: 4.37
Took hardest classes available, including 1 AP Sophmore, 4 APs Junior, and 6 APs this year, covering all core subject areas each year. I got 3 4s and 2 5s.
National Merit Commended Student</p>
<p>ECs:
-Volunteered at Penn Hospital last summer for about 90 hours
-have volunteered at my old grade school's after school program and help with homework once a week for a couple hours since junior year; my common app short answer is about it
-play piano and trombone in my school's competition band, piano in the musical each year, piano in a chamber music trio, and have been taking lessons for awhile and practice my own pieces
-NHS, I just tutor someone
-Intramurals</p>
<p>I think my essays are alright. I wrote the common app one about my mom's struggle with cancer. I guess my recs are good, but I didnt look at them. The supervisor of the after school program I volunteer for sent an additional rec in. My parents are immigrants from Europe, I'm bilingual, and from Philly, if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance and good luck to anyone else applying</p>
<p>Nothing about you except your volunteer work at Penn hospital leads to interest at SEAS. Especially the “E” part. If you are looking to go into engineering, I would say you don’t have a great chance. Have you taken AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, or AP Calculus BC. Your courses say a good amount about your interests. Being an immigrant will definitely be a plus but it depends when you came over. (Maybe I missed that part.) Your scores are definitely up to par, but your ECs are so weak. Also Ivy Leagues explicitly say that they hate sob stories for essays. This is not to say your essay isn’t spectacular as I am not qualified to say so, but unless it is, I can see it rubbing an admissions officer the wrong way. As for your GPA, it is fine, won’t help or hurt you. You are clearly academically qualified and provide a unique background but your essays and ECs show some level of mundaneness. Unfortunately Penn cares greatly about these two subsets of the application so I think Penn is a long shot for you. Personally I would put your chances at 10% accepted / 15% deferred / 75% rejected. I hope this doesn’t shoot your confidence as I do this objectively. I myself am a fellow ED Penn applicant so I am only reliable to a minute level. I wish you the best of luck and would be thrilled at your acceptance, just not sure SEAS is the perfect fit for you.</p>
<p>wow, 10%? thats pretty depressing lol. I think I go into more depth instead of breadth with respect to my ECs though. Anyways, I do take ap physics, calc, and stat among my 6 aps this year. With regards to my essays, I dont really think the common app one is a sob-story as much as it is about how it impacted my life, as the one prompt asked for I think. Oh, and for the record my parents were immigrants and I was born here. I didnt know if that had any effect so I though I’d put that in my op. Well, thanks for the response and best of luck to you too.</p>
<p>I think you have greater than a 10% shot. Though mjx is right about your ECs – they are very weak. Your GPA and SAT scores won’t help or hurt you, so you are in the mix.</p>