Chances of getting in

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>What are my chances of getting into UPENN? Any college is okay, but I"m aiming for Wharton.</p>

<p>I'm a junior right now and its only the beginning of June, so there is still senior year for lots of other stuff to come</p>

<p>SAT *I took a new one and don't know scores yet
Math 770
Reading 740
Writing 710
Total 2220</p>

<p>SAT II
Chemistry 760
Math IIc - 760</p>

<p>AP
Junior Year
Math - scores haven't come yet
US History - scores haven't come yet
Senior Year
AP Chem - ?
AP English - ?
AP Calc BC - ?</p>

<p>PSAT
National Merit semifinalist - not official yet, but i got above 220 in pennsylvania, which is probably enough. Don't know if I will go on or not.</p>

<p>Class Rank
33? out of 130? - <em>yeah I know its awful</em>
that was last year's cumulative average, but this year, I'm in one more AP class than most of the other kids, so probably higher?</p>

<p>I go to a magnet school, (best public school in Pennsylvania, maybe best in tristate area too), and it's in Philadelphia. hope that helps.</p>

<p>ECs
Played the violin since I was in third grade
private lessons since fifth grade
Scholarship at the music school I play at (Settlement Music School) for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade, don't know about senior year yet because I'm not a senior yet)
School Orchestra
Middle School Orchestra - all 4 years
Highschool Orchestra - 3 years so far, plan to it next year too, so 4 years total - Co-Concertmaster 10th grade to 12th grade
Orchestra at Settlement Music School since fifth grade. Concertmaster in 10th grade of the second best orchestra in the music school. Now a member of the best orchestra in the music school.
Philadelphia All City High school orchestra
National Honor Society for Junior year and senior year
JV soccer - 9th grade
Varsity Tennis - 3 years so far, plan to it next year too, so 4 years total
Volunteer at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for summer of 9th grade and 10th grade
Internship/Job at UPENN summer of 11th grade
Volunteer at National Constitution Center summer of 11th grade
Music Theory Class 10th grade, 11th grade, don't know about 12th grade yet
various other school activities such as school musical and performances</p>

<p>Science Fairs
10th grade & 11th grade, don't know about 12th grade yet
Citywide & Regionals/States</p>

<p>Awards
Distinguished Honors for report card numerous times at school
Certificates for musical excellence in Settlement Music school couple of times
Certificates of Recognition from HUP (UPENN hospital) volunteer twice
2006 & 2007 Naval Science Award from Science Fairs
2006
Bronze at Citywide science fairs and Honorable Mention at Regional/States Science Fairs, some other special award at Regional/States fairs
2007
Gold at Citywide science fairs and Silver at Regional/States fairs, some other special award at Regional/States</p>

<p>My dad graduated from PENN, so I'm a Legacy</p>

<p>Thanks for any responses</p>

2

<p>Are you top 20% or top 50%? If you are a top 50% you will not get in, since top half admission rate is absolute 0%.</p>

<p>I think my question is rather dumb.</p>

3

<p>GPA is 4.01</p>

4

<p>If you think you can get in, go ahead. I am just simply indicating my perspective. It is up to you to listen/read. It all depends on your 1) percentile, 2) SAT, 3) essay.</p>

<p>I can always say "you can get in for sure."</p>

<p>I think I'll say that just for the sake of making you happy. Yap! You can get in for sure.</p>

5

<p>Don't weight your GPA; different schools have different systems. What's your unweighted?</p>

6

<p>@iAppler, i'm not posting my GPA to answer your question, I just simply left it out. ALso, if you could do any math, you'd see that I am not at 50%.</p>

<p>I don't know if that GPA is weighted or not.</p>

7

<p>Don't put middle school activities and private lessons. Those are not EC's.
Also don't put JV soccer since you only did it for one term.</p>

8

<p>thedavid123: And also, I was just asking whether your school runs up your percentile or not (top 5%, 10%, etc).</p>

9

<p>thedavid123, that GPA is definitely weighted if it is 4.01.</p>

10

<p>well, I don't know how that can be weighted, since I didn't take any APs before junior year.</p>

<p>I forgot to say, that GPA is for grades 9 and 10, or maybe 9 and part of 10. It does not include junior year grades.</p>

<p>I am not completely sure about this though if the GPA is weighted or not.</p>

11

<p>Max unweighted GPA is 4.0; since 4.01 > 4.0, it would be weighted. </p>

<p>In terms of your extracurriculars, I think you're on the right track for Penn. However, your class rank is a bit weak. Even though you're coming from a competitive school, Penn will probably aim for the top 10 - 15 students, unless your school is a major feeder.</p>

<p>What you can do:
[ul]
[<em>] Get your counselor to print your transcript. Confirm your unweighted GPA.
[</em>] Do something productive & interesting this summer.
[<em>] Read Harry Bauld's On Writing the College Application Essay.
[</em>] Brainstorm throughout the summer. Jot down everyday events that inspire you. Even seemingly insignificant anecdotes can lead to great essays.
[<em>] Write fantastic essays using the tips in Bauld's book. Do NOT underestimate the importance and power of genuine essays; they are rare and can certainly win an admissions officer over.
[</em>] Don't afraid to be original in your "Why Penn" essay. I was, and it worked.
[<em>] Take challenging classes during senior year.
[</em>] Get straight A's during your first semester of senior year.
[<em>] Think about teachers who (a) can write persuasively and effectively; and (b) think of you as one of their top students, not only in terms of grades but also in terms of intellectual ability, active participation, and character.
[</em>] Ask your teachers about recommendations in September, and make the process as easy as possible for them. Give them a copy of your resume (or activities sheet), and type up a brief page of anecdotes, things you enjoyed about their class, etc. Do the same for your counselor.
[<em>] Visit Penn overnight in the fall; call the admissions office to see if this is possible. This extra initiative demonstrates interest, and it'll give you a lot to write about for the "Why Penn" essay.
[</em>] If you don't get 4+ on your AP's, don't include the scores. AP scores are optional on the application.
[li] Apply ED--if you really, really want this. It helps, especially if you're a legacy.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>I think that you have a strong chance at SAS or SEAS--given your awards and strong involvement in tennis, science, music, and community service. But without significant leadership, Wharton might be difficult.</p>