<p>I was wondering what my chances were at getting in to Penn. My class rank is not the best. My SAT score is about 1400. My credentials include working two jobs 6 days a week throughout my junior and senior year, working with a professor who conducts cancer research for three summers, and creating a food drive at my school and running it for three year. I feel like I have a strong essay for the application and was wondering if my being from the south at all any advantage? any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated</p>
<p>1400/1600 or 1400/2400?</p>
<p>if it’s 1400/2400 then you have 0 chance</p>
<p>being from the south gives no advantage</p>
<p>1400/1600 range</p>
<p>What is your SAT score, all three sections combined?</p>
<p>2000 or so</p>
<p>I would say that your chances at Penn are probably in the “reach” category. You should work on getting your SAT score up by at least a hundred points for a better shot. </p>
<p>Some other advice…
If you know the university professor really well (considering you did research with him/her for three years), then asking him/her for a recommendation would help as well.</p>
<p>Being from the South not a disadvantage or an advantage.</p>
<p>What is your GPA and class rank? Have you taken SAT Subject tests? And what is your likely major (are you a business person, a science/engineering person, an english person, etc.)?</p>
<p>I would definitely discuss working two jobs 6x week. A lot of kids who apply to top schools don’t work for money during the school year – it’s definitely something different from most Penn applicants. I would make that work history of yours more apparent in your application (perhaps an extra essay about it). Many schools realize that students have to work to support themselves or their families, and some adcoms believe that your GPA maybe lower because you have to work.</p>
<p>It’s gonna be really quite hard if you aren’t in the top 10%.</p>