I really love UPenn and it has been my dream schools for years. I’m planning to apply SEAS. Could anyone please look at my stat and evaluate my chances? (though i don’t think i got some flashy stuff to impress…)
SAT I: 2200 (May 2015, still waiting for Oct score) / CR680 M740 W780
SAT II: Math2: 800 Chem:780 Physics: 760
Unweighted GPA: 93.7/100 (no weighted GPA offered)
Rank/Percentile: top 10% in 780 ( TOP school in my province, lots of competition and pressure....)
AP: our school don't have AP courses.....
Extracurricular (place leadership in parenthesis):
Model United Nations Club - 3 years
President of school MUN club
Secretary of National MUN Conference (leading the academic branch and organising branch)
Secretary of School MUN Conference
Award of Hong Kong Joint Institution MUN in CUHK
Photography Club - 5 years (since my middle school)
Founder & President of photography club in my middle school - 3 years
President of photography club in my high school - 2 years
Got some awards in national, regional and city photography contest
Student Union (President)
Engineering Club
structure building contest
Chemistry Club
3rd place award in regional chemistry olympic (middle school)
Programming Team
3rd place award in national olympic of informatics in province
Volunteering Group
Student Activity Organizing
Fund Raising: selling my self-made postcards and other product, raised over $500
Running Group
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service:
Library Service (though don’t have any record in my hand)
Community Service
International Volunteer in Cambodia: over 50 hr
Summer School: None
Ethnicity: Asian
School: International
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
BTW: Does my ECs seem like a little unfocused and messy? What can I do to impress AO?
Does anybody can give me some advice? THX a lot!!! ^ ^
Your ECs don’t have to point a direct line to your intended major. My kiddo (Comp engr) had only sports ECs. She coded and developed websites as a hobby only. But she had massive academic achievement and potential based on her transcript. had no probs w/ engineering school acceptances.
Don’t fret about “linking” your ECs so directly with CE or EE
Is this a person who gets involved? Penn students are notoriously very active participants on campus.
Is this a person who achieves things? If provided with resources, can they get things done?
Do the ECs demonstrate an interest in the school you are applying to?
Your ECs may not be as strong on the third point as you would if all of your ECs were focused on engineering, but they are still very good, and no candidate is perfect. Show some passion in your essays, that can strengthen your case. You have demonstrated a strong knowledge of math and science already.
I think ECs show another aspect of a candidate: can this person manage their time well? Or put in another way, together with a person’s class schedule and grades, they want to see if the person take a rigorous academic schedule and do well without spending all their time just on academics.
Schools do not want to encourage the following behavior: take as many AP credits as possible each year, maintain all As, prepare for SAT/ACT from 8th grade, and nothing else matters.
@osuprof “Schools do not want to encourage the following behavior: take as many AP credits as possible each year, maintain all As, prepare for SAT/ACT from 8th grade, and nothing else matters.”
I completely agree with you. These students have not shown that they can manage time well, and they also have not shown achievement outside the classroom. Some students and parents do not understand that when they take 15 or 20 APs, they significantly harm their chances at a top school because even if they get As and 5s in all of them, it will be very difficult to show impressive ECs on top of that. Taking 6-10 APs and showing achievement outside the classroom would be better.
If a student is planning to take 7 APs in a semester, they will almost always be better off to drop one AP per semester and replace it with a study hall, and drop another AP and replace it with a PE class. Suddenly you can have friends, you can handle ECs, and your grades will probably improve. Students should focus on the most important classes and do them well, and not on the volume of classes.
You definitely have a chance. really emphasize the leadership position you do have such as MUN. Also describe your international experience with CUHK Also, I don’t think it’s necessary to include middle school activities and think it actually detracts from the application. Please chance me back!