Hi. I am seeking all your help. I am a junior girl now from Long Island. I take all IB classes (If you don’t know… IB is like AP yet a more intense program) and also take the most rigorous classes possible. I am really trying my best this year to push myself to get into the best school possible, as my dream school is UPenn. Please help me in reaching my goal by telling me my chances now, and what I need to change.
GPA: School does not do 4.0 scale, UW I have around a 96 and I am sure that I will be at 100 weighted.
ACT: In the realm of studying and being tutored, have been getting 30-31 on my first few practice, shooting for a 32-33.
EC:
-Online Summer courses at brown (engineering class)
-Volunteer at hospital
-Founder of a club at my school (club that helps students in my school “destress”, anti-anxiety activates and awareness)
-VP of another club at my school (club based to help support a town in Uganda)
-Math Honor Society
-In an exclusive club which visits elementary school to mentor and guide 5th grade students
-Certified life guard
Please let me know what I can do to up my chances, and if I even have a chance. I will take all constructive criticism
What program are you looking at within Penn? Some are more competitive than others, so it would be good to know. Also depends on what your IB HL and SL classes are and how well they mesh with your chosen degree.
Your GPA is excellent, what about your ACT and subject test scores? Your extracurriculars are not anything extraordinary, if you don’t mind me saying. Many people have gotten into ivies with less, but most qualified applicants are rejected with more ECs than yours.
It is a reach, but it never hurts to apply. Please clarify on what program you are thinking of applying to - if it is Wharton @ UPenn, that changes things, as it is more competitive.
One year till real application, not much you can do, except:
keep the grade; continue to do what you are doing in your ECs; don’t need to add ECs just for filling out the sheet.
practice more on ACT, time yourself, learn the pace; try to aim 33-34 your first try before summer; practice more during summer; try to 2nd ACT aiming 34-35 in early fall. You may need to add SAT subject tests.
have two years or more of foreign language in HS?
start to think what you want to write in your CA essay and supplemental essays; trying to finish them in summer and have them reviewed by trusted/credentialed adults/teachers read them in early fall; ask recommendations from core subject teachers early fall to be send to your list of schools; these are actually the likely made or break points for applicants with similar academic states.
search Youtube on college application; lots info/experience shared from successful past applicants and universities themselves on what type of applicants/students they are looking for, and red flags.
universities’ website on NPC (net price calculator), and if you/your family can afford, apply ED/EA to increase your chances.
Either engineering or college of Arts and Sciences. I know that my ECs aren’t outof this world, but I can say myself I feel I am so extremely driven, and I want to show penn that. I take IB Physics IB English IB history IB Math SL (harder math) IB Spanish IB Business Management. Next year as a senior I am taking all HL classes of what I am currently taking, and I am deciding between AB and BC calc. I have taken foreign languages all 4 years. For my CA essay, I have ideas and am drafting it now, I’m considering writing about a more personal story about feng-shui of my room in correlation to my relationship with my sister, it’s really a personal essay but I don’t want to write my essay to brag about myself, I want to show admissions who I am. I will take all advice for further essay topics. For my ACT I currently am scoring 30-31 on my practice scores, but I’m am aiming for a 33-34. Thanks so much. Please write back and tell me more!
@alliegallego a 30-33 is below average for Penn, whether it is CAS, SEAS or Wharton. As @7eeer33 says, Wharton is a bit more difficult but the difference is not actually big enough to meaningfully change your chances. Think of it of the difference between Harvard vs Yale, it is there, but it is not big.
I think your ECs are ok but nothing very strong so you need top SAT/act scores to have a decent chance at Penn. Since you already have an excellent GPA, getting 34+ ACT will make a meaningful difference in terms of your chances.
You could have a hook as a girl applying to STEM, especially engineering, to the ivies. It’s hard to chance though with out ACT and subject tests, as penn95 said. A 34 vs a 31 will make a huge difference as will applying early. Your ECs are average by ivy standards so your essay and recs will have to be excellent. What other non-ivy colleges are you considering? You’re a solid applicant and should have good matches if you prefer the northeast.
For an unhooked applicant like yourself, you want a 33+ on the ACT, preferably 2 700s+ on SAT subject tests, be in the top 10% of your class, and have amazing ECs and awards. Your ECs and awards should demonstrate leadership, passion, and skill. If you want to major in STEM, you want to win some STEM awards either from your high school, local competitions, state competitions, or national competitions. You want to be the head of the Bio Club, FIRST Robotics club, etc.
Penn really wants students who are a good fit for Penn. Research their website and find at least 3 good reasons that make it a good fit for you. Come essay time, include this detail and polish your essay. Make a compelling argument and apply ED. Good Luck!
Agree with everything everybody has said above. Thank you for clarifying your ECs and IB courses – it seems that you have a pretty rigorous course load and good grades. I would suggest taking Calc BC as it is harder and would prepare you better.
I would suggest, like others have said, to focus on getting as high as possible scores on ACT/SAT and SAT subject tests. Really try to link your essays to your ECs and passions, and research as much as possible about the CAS @ UPenn so your “Why UPenn” and additional essays have as much impact as possible.
Yes of course I am really really working hard on my ACT and subject tests to get them up, I’m expecting to get well into the 30s. Not ivies, I’m looking at Lehigh engineering, UVA, Bucknell, Boston college. Cornell also interests me a lot. Thanks everyone for all the advice— I appreciate it a lot!
suggest avoiding the use of the phrase ‘exclusive club’, esp in a community service context…
Your biggest challenge is that there are literally thousands of girls just like you applying for the same few spots at the same few schools, and you have to find a way for the AO to stop, just a fraction of a minute longer, on your application as they plow through the pile.
I disagree that STEM will help more than a whisker, if at all, at any Ivy League school: at that level there is an abundance of qualified female applicants.
There is nothing in your ECs that says anything really about you, except that you do some (comparatively) light school clubs, might have a summer job lifeguarding, have done some online classes over at least 1 summer. In what you have listed, it isn’t clear that you have been seriously involved, in a deep and continuing way, with pretty much anything. This is coming out sounding harsher than intended- but when I think of the students that I know at the schools you want to go to, they are/were knee-deep in activities that required a serious commitment of time and effort to achieve distinction, in addition to stellar academics. The most recent girl from the mid-Atlantic that I know who got into UPenn had similar marks and academics as yours, was also STEM, had massive school leadership positions and was in the school’s nationally award-winning choral group- and she was deferred ED, waitlisted RD and finally cleared the waitlist in May. That’s anecdotal, but I’m trying to make the point that 1) it’s really, really hard for girls from the mid-Atlantic region, b/c there are so many really qualified applicants and 2) you have to figure out how to tell your story to show (not tell) about your drive, b/c so far it’s not coming through
Your ACT is too low and your ECs are not unique or spectacular. You need to explore your interests and prove to colleges that:
You are super duper smart (which your GPA does but your ACT could do better at)
You are super duper talented and actually want to major in whatever you want to major in.
You’re a smart girl, but you’re not an impressive applicant at then moment, unfortunately. You’re qualified, but you’re not standout, and the Ivies are looking for standout candidates.
People are being honest with you. If you didn’t want opinions, why bother to post?
I think you have a better chance, based on current scores, at Lehigh and Bucknell.
Look at the common data sets for the schools you are applying to see where being a female in STEM would be a big bonus. Schools like RPI are still trying to catch up and it can be a huge hook, and translate to merit dollars. Cornell’s male:female engineering ratios are nearly even so it wont mean anything there.
