<p>Hello I was wondering if I had any chance of getting into a college like U of Penn
I am going to be a Senior in high school this year.
FAQs about myself are;
SAT scores (taking one more time)
Reading:600
Math:590
Writing:610
Cumulative GPA as of now: 4.152
will have taken: hon physics, AP macro, AP chem, hon english, AP Bio, AP psychology, and AP calculus
have a lot of volunteer hours; over 100
captain of soccer team 10th grade, played 9-10th
captain of lacosse team 10th grade, played 9-12
recieved 2nd team for lacrosse 11th grade
recieved academic all american for lacrosse 11th grade
I am in the National Honor Society 11-12th
I have a leadership position in 2 clubs at my high school
In the top 5% of class
Havnt recieved my AP scores back yet.. thanks so much please respond and let me know if I'm headed in the right track...I want to be a vet when i grow up.
Major: pre-veterinary medicine</p>
<p>Unless you get recruited I don’t think you have a shot with those SAT scores.</p>
<p>No chance at all unless you’re a recruited athlete, your current SAT scores are way too low for any of the ivies/top schools. Try to improve your SAT score or try to take the ACT instead.</p>
<p>Your SAT scores are low…I agree with shaheirunderdog about the ACT. Good luck! My s is in Whartons at UPenn this fall…</p>
<p>I’m a Penn student, so you should take what I say into consideration. Don’t get the posts above bring you down. They’re all discouraging. </p>
<p>You have to understand… sometimes it’s really just luck. You never know if the admissions committee is going to like you or if they see potential in you. Your SAT scores are on the lower side. But I’ve known other classmates who have had verbal scores of 550… or even math scores of 560. Given that you’re going to take it again… Just make sure you take the time to study for it. Contrary to what some people think, the SAT is something you really can study for. Most Penn students didn’t take the exam without studying… they spent a long time preparing for it.</p>
<p>Your extracurriculars are in good shape. It seems like you’re pretty well-rounded, but your academic credentials good be better. First, while you’re in NHS you should understand that most people you’re competing against are probably in NHS… I was when I was in high school, so this won’t really set you apart from most other applicants. Maybe try doing volunteer research at a lab in a nearby university? Also, you need to look at your unweighted GPA. I assume it’s less than 4.152… If it’s above a 3.7, you’re on par with most applicants. </p>
<p>AP scores? They don’t really matter that much. I’m not sure if they even looked at mine when I was applying. The reason is they don’t care much about it. Penn doesn’t even grant credits to AP scores of 5 towards your degree. It’s just a lingering credit that doesn’t do anything. </p>
<p>Bottom line is… don’t get caught up with your numbers. Personally I think you have a decent shot at Penn and a few other Ivy Leagues. Just remember you need to figure out how to make yourself stand out. I’ve had friends who have perfect SAT/ACT scores… who were rejected because they thought those numbers alone would help them. They failed to recognize that most applicants had similar credentials, but did something more to make themselves stand out.</p>
<p>Thank you for your repy, that really means a lot that you took the time to do that. I really appreciate it! This will be my fourth time taking the SAT’s (im not a good standardized test taker :/) but I will definatley go all out studying. I have studied for them before but this time I will try and study all areas very diligently. I also forgot to add that I recieved the english award in 11th grade and I play travel lacrosse during the summer. I did do an internship (i cant say where) but it was a very good one. I will also have very good recomendation letters from my teachers. Some of my family went to Penn too. Not my mom or dad but like my cousins. I’m not sure how to calculate my total unweighted gpa but I know it should be above a 3.7. I volunteer at a nursing home sometimes, and also at a bird rescue (theres only like 4 or 5 in the U.S).
here is the list of my classes i took throughout my high school career; (the grade in parenthesis is my final grade I recieved in that class)
freshman year: Band(played the flute) (A+), honors geometry (B+), american history (A), college prep english (A), honors biology (B+), and spanish 1(A+)
sophomore year: honors chemistry (B+), honors algebra 2 (B+), world cultures (A+), college prep english (A), spanish 2 (A)
junior year: honors physics (B-), AP macro (A-), AP chemistry (A-), spanish 3 (A-), college prep english (A), trig/pre-calc (A+)
senior year: AP biology, AP psychology, AP calculus, honors english, spanish 4
hope that added extra info. Do you have any tips on ways that worked for you to study for the SAT’s?</p>
<p>I completely agree with snitchseeka. People want to believe college admissions is something they can control, but the process is ultimately very subjective. People say things on this forum like “write great essays” or “get great recommendations” but this is much easier said than done. Writing may just not come as naturally to some people as others and just because one admissions committee isn’t particularly moved by an essay doesn’t mean that it’s not a great essay that might really speak to the committee at another school. Also, just because someone does what it required to get a good grade in a teacher’s class doesn’t mean they are truly engaged as a student.
Just because one has a perfect GPA and perfect test scores doesn’t mean that you are more qualified than others (who probably still have very high “stats”, but maybe they missed a few questions on there SAT or had a rough patch on their otherwise outstanding high school record). Colleges are looking for people who are passionate, driven, and think outside of the box. You can’t always determine this strictly from test scores, grades, and a simple description of extracurriculars (like was class president, president of science club, etc.) I personally think the best indicators for these qualities are recs and essays, the most subjective factors.
For example, the scientists who make new discoveries are the ones who have a solid foundation in their field but are also passionate, hardworking, creative, and willing to take risks. They go beyond what has already been done. Penn likes these kinds of people whether their speciality is in medicine, business, economics, comparative literature, physics, philosophy, etc. Many famous scientists think very differently than the average person and even each other, which I notice a lot with my professors. For example, Ampere, both an exceptional theorist and experimentalist thought of many things in loops, which while atypical, led him to many great discoveries.</p>
<p>@OP: Remember just a few things to keep you having a fighting chance in getting in:
—You mention taking the SAT for a 4th time…remember to send ALL of your scores. If you don’t, I believe you are disqualified (since Penn requires all test scores).
—Penn takes GPA in the context of your school…so if your school submits a weighted, they don’t recalculate it (based on what they’ve said).</p>
<p>Can you guys tell me what you think of MY resume? I’m a rising junior from New York and we have 2 semesters per year. PENN is my dream.
Freshman: (first sem grade/second sem grade)
AP music theory: B+/A-
World History: A/A-
English I: A/A
Honors Geometry: B+/B
Biology: A+/A
French II: A/A-</p>
<p>Sophomore:
AP World History: B+/A-
Honors Alg II Trig: B/B-
French III: A-/A-
English: A/A
(Journalism I) School Newspaper:A/A-
Chemistry: A-/A-</p>
<p>End of this year:
Weighted is 4.14
Unweighted is 3.79 </p>
<p>Plans for next (Junior) year: will be getting straight A’s hopefully
AP Chemistry, AP European History, AP Calculus, Honors English III, Honors French IV, Creative Writing and Public Speaking, Journalism II (I’m now editor-in-chief for my paper), Peer Tutor for other students </p>
<p>Extra-Curricular Activities and Extra Stuff:
Model UN, Peer Tutor, editor-in-chief of my school paper, JV Tennis as a freshman, Winner of multiple piano competitions and passed level advanced of piano theory in New York State, Winner of a New York journalism competition (only 25 dollar prize), local hospital volunteer </p>
<p>AP test scores:
Music Theory: 4
Aural 4<br>
Non-aural 5 </p>
<p>AP World History: 4 </p>
<p>SAT: I JUST took it the other day as a first practice at my town SAT center. Didn’t study for it whatsoever and almost fell asleep halfway through so hopefully my score will rise significantly.
Reading: 560
Writing: 580
Math: 660
*1800</p>
<p>UPENN IS MY DREAM, let me know if I have a chance :/</p>