I have been looking at going into business since I was a child, and I have been looking at Stern(NYU) and Wharton(UPenn) for my undergrad. I was wondering how likely I am to get into either of these schools given my credentials. If it’s of any importance, I’m a white male from a middle class family attending a very competitive private college prep school.
Unweighted GPA: 3.95
Weighted GPA: 4.35
ACT: 32 (34 English, 35 Math, 30 reading, 30 science)
AP classes: AP human geography(4), AP BC Calc(3), AP Chemistry (3), APUSH(3), AP Lit(5). I’m thinking I probably won’t submit any of my AP scores.
Extra Curricular Activities:
Intern at investment firm(summer 2015, summer 2016)
4th place at state speech and debate meet(2015: public forum)
4th place at state speech and debate meet(2016: value debate)
Varsity lacrosse(2015, 2016) We lost in the state championship in 2016 season
All-conference lacrosse player(2016)
All-state lacrosse player(2016)
Server at Thai restaurant(2014-2016)
Worked for a youth corps group fixing trails that had been damaged by flooding(summer 2013, summer 2014)
Conduct Committee member(2015)
Took microeconomics course at Brown University(summer 2016)
Leader of the chess club at school(2015-2016)
Your 3 in AP Calc BC as well as a lack of SAT II Subject test are going to hurt your chances, augmented by the fact that I see no real passion for business in your extracurriculars. Your chances would be bolstered by a winning essay, however I would start looking into more target and safety schools.
Wharton is a long reach while Stern is a decent reach.
I understand the Calc score, but what more could I possibly have done for business? I thought that taking a summer class in econ and working for an investment firm would make my passion pretty evident. I see that these are some of your top choices too. Given that, what are you doing for ECs to get into a school like this?
Don’t worry, AP scores don’t matter much when you apply to colleges. They’re mainly used for college credit and used to determine how good your school is. One recommendation is to apply to Upenn for one of the easier majors and have business as a minor since Wharton is extremely hard to get into. It might be hard to get into both schools because everyone who applies has good gpa/sats and your extracurriculars are only decent. The things that stand out are extracurriculars and your ps.
For your extracurriculars, there are a bunch of business competitions, which you can search u yourself. You could create your own club to compete or just join one. You can also start a business right now, which isn’t too hard. My sibling who goes to Wharton got 1st place at world championships for sports and another friend of mine started a social enterprise and got into Stern.
Only a few issues that come to mind with your application. Unless you are a URM, a 32 ACT score is really not competitive for Wharton. For Stern, a 32 is the bare minimum. Sure, there are kids who get in, but the majority do have scores above that range. Its a shame that you don’t have any subject tests, as they can definitely highlight your strengths and improve your chances.
Your GPA is great. Nothing else to be said there. As for your EC’s, play up on your internship at an investment firm. Make sure that you write about that in your “Why Stern?” essay, and frankly in any other college essays that are applicable.
I had a very similar profile to you and was accepted to Stern this past year. Instead of aiming for Wharton, I would be looking at other top business schools like Mcdonough, Ross, Tepper, Mendoza, Marshall, Mccombs,Goizuetta, Mcintire(apply second year). Those are much more realistic for you.
@SternBusiness With a similar profile, did you get into those schools or did you not apply after getting in ED to Stern? I’m wondering whether I should ED somewhere to get the benefit of a higher acceptance rate.
@Brinestx I got in ED to Stern and EA to Villanova School of Business. I also applied early action, but did not hear back in time from UVA, Umich and a few other schools. I personally think using ED is a big advantage. Not only are your chances improved with the school (in most cases) but you can also avoid some of the competition from other kids applying from your high school in the RD round.
Honestly, as an incoming Ross BBA Student, it’s safe to say we are no doubt a top 5 undergrad business school. Top notch facilities and faculty. No other business school can compete with its resources (Mr. Ross has donated over 500,000,000) with biggest alumni in world. Nothing against NYU or Penn, it’s just I feel there should be more love for Ross. I recommend you apply there as Ross will now be accepting most of their incoming freshman through direct admit now as opposed to Regular Admission for me this year. Best of Luck!
@carlsandburgsr There is a lot of love for Ross. Stern, Wharton and Ross are in my opinion very close to being interchangeable in terms of resources and opportunities.