Hey CC, I’m going to try to keep this clean and compact since I find myself groaning at overly detailed chance posts. Keep in mind there are details being left out.
Rising Senior:
SAT I - 2330 One sitting: 800M 800W 730CR
SAT II - Math 2: 800
Biology: 800
GPA UW - 3.89 No class rank
APs - World History: 5
Environmental (Self-Studied): 4
Biology: 5
Computer Science: 5
Calc BC (Skipped a year of math): 5
USH: 4
English Language: 5
Human Geography (Self-Studied): 5
Awards: National AP Scholar
National Merit Scholarship Finalist
EC: Editor-in-Chief of Yearbook, 11th and 12th
President of Mock Trial, 12th
President of my Grade’s Student Gov, 10th 11th 12th
President of entire school, 12th
Founder / President of a club dedicated to a disorder that my family is affected by
Speaker at various schools, universities about said disorder
Founder of a charity in support of said disorder, worked closely with some celebrities for the cause
Summer 2014 took Precalc & Calc AB over the summer
Summer 2015 went to UPenn summer program
Recs: Teacher rec from Calc BC teacher (I was only junior in his class, we have a good relationship)
Supp rec from Mock trial coach, great friend of mine
Good relationship with guidance counselor. All good, blah blah.
Notes: Note that my GPA is weighed down only by 8th and 9th grade (I took 3 classes in 8th grade that counted), and in 10th and 11th I’ve only one A minus and the rest As (no A+ in my school).
White, male, come from somewhere between a mildly and very privileged area, high income
No legacy at any schools I’m looking at.
Looking for your recommendation on my ED application and any other schools you think I should apply to, thanks!
Since ED is binding, if you decide to apply early to Penn make sure that it is hands-down your first choice. If you do all your research and are still iffy, go with another option (like Yale SCEA) early and you can always apply to Penn later.
It’s hard to tell where your interests lie or what kind of environment would fit you, so it’s difficult to recommend one school over another, or suggest other options. You are very qualified.
You are a strong candidate with no obvious hook. Your odds are better for Penn, but it depends on your interests and fit.
If you are interested in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or Nursing, definitely apply to Penn. In Liberal Arts, or Humanities, it depends on the specific major.
@Much2learn@renaissancedad@Penn26@codemachine I’m torn between finance, politics, and computer science. I have connections in finance / hedge funds, but politics feels like a true calling to me. Also computer science because I love math and I do very well in it. It’s a real dilemma for me…
Penn allows students to take classes in all schools, so you can explore.
If you are truly torn, I would consider applying for either engineering or business. You could still minor in political science. Plus, if you change your mind, it will be easier to transfer out of Wharton or SEAS into CAS than to move the other way.
Computer science is the most popular major at Penn SEAS. Also, many CS/engineering students compete for jobs at hedge funds with the Wharton students.
For finance it’s Wharton without a doubt, and for CS Penn’s SEAS would be the better choice, since Yale is only now making serious efforts to expand its CS program, while Penn’s is already well-established. If you have your heart set on politics (which it seems you don’t), Yale may be the better choice, but if you’re uncertain, I’d follow @Much2learn’s advice and apply to Wharton or SEAS. I was in your shoes last year and wanted to study business and the liberal arts, so I chose Wharton.
I don’t know about Yale, but at Penn you would probably be able to explore all of your interests with a few different options, depending on what you end up wanting to concentrate in.
One option would be majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics which would let you study both political science and econ (which is not quite business but would still let you go into business), and then you could do a second major (which is only 12 credits) or a minor in computer science.
If you decided that you wanted to do more with computer science, you could look into a BAS (instead of a BSE) in computer science, and you could do a second major or a minor in political science, and maybe a minor in engineering entrepreneurship if you have room to get some business in there.
If you want to give up political science, you could look at the Management and Technology program which would let you get a degree in finance and computer science, though this program is extremely selective, regardless of your qualifications.
I’m sure that there are more options that you could pursue, but I would say research both Penn and Yale and see which one has more flexibility and options with what you’re interested in, since you never know where your interests will go after your first year.
@Plz2Halp obviously Penn is stronger for finance, CS and Yale is stronger for politics. For economics Penn is a better deal especially if you wanna go into business because of the better recruiting and the fact that you can supplement your econ degree with as many business classes from wharton as you can take, and also the fact that Penn Econ and Yale econ departments are pretty much on par from a rankings standpoint. Also you should consider what you want to do with your degrees. if you are planning to enter the business world then Penn is prob the best option since the recruiting there is second to none (along with Harvard). If you wanna enter politics straight away, then Yale might be a better option. Many politicians go into business first tho to get a solid background and then transition into politics. Lastly, you should also consider what kind of college experience you want. Penn has a very vibrant, busy campus, with a great social life and huge variety of extracurricular involvement. Yale tends to be more quiet and I am sure there are many things to get involved with there too.
Both are obviously great schools. I was also interested in politics (though primarily I was interested in history) and I chose Penn over Yale for a couple reasons
One University Policy- Being able to take classes in almost all of Penn's undergrad and graduate schools meant I had access to the most flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum in the world. I was able to supplement my history and poli sci courses with Business and Public Policy courses from Wharton, Legal history courses from Penn Law, graduate courses in Government at Penn's Fels Institute of Government, and do research with some of the brightest minds in the world on issues about which they were extremely passionate. Those opportunities are not available at any university with fewer course offerings in such a diversity of subjects or at a university with more onerous obstacles dividing disciplines and schools.
The Social Atmosphere- Penn being the Social Ivy provides an incomparable social experience. Students take their downtime as seriously as they take class and that was extremely important for me. I wanted to be surrounded by people who were able to put away the books at some point and talk about sports, movies, television, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Yet, when it was time for class, I wanted to be surrounded by the best and brightest minds while discussing everything from Socrates to geological formation at mid-ocean ridges (geology was a great course). Penn students combine extreme intelligence with the laid back attitude and unpretentiousness that I so desired in a college experience. That is truly hard to come by in elite higher education.
Campus-City Balance- Penn's beautiful campus can make you feel as though your in a quiet suburb and yet you are literally on the doorstep of America's 5th largest city. The perfect balance between Penn's campus life and the opportunities in the city of Philadelphia make for an awesome undergrad life. The ability to do research, volunteer, or take on an internship in Philadelphia all while being involved in campus life and class is something that is unique to Penn. Other city campuses are too far from the center or downtown regions of their city to create this same balance. While other city campuses are in towns you could barely characterize as a real city. Philadelphia is the perfect size for a college student who wants the traditional college experience without having to sacrifice the art, culture, food, nightlife, concerts, and experiences of living in a world class city.
Also, on a side note, while Yale is obviously famous for their political science department, Penn’s poli sci is nothing to scoff at. And the opportunities from Penn are endless. I worked for the federal government (along with many of my peers) and I always felt as if Penn was able to provide me with the resources necessary to find the opportunities in Washington DC or city government for which I was looking. The Penn in Washington program has a healthy presence in DC and keeps students engaged with one another and the alums who have gone on to great jobs in government and beyond after graduating.
It’s also true that Penn’s computer science department is better resourced than most other programs in the nation. And it’s true that no other Ivy League school could provide you with a comparable undergraduate education in Finance. But the possibility of blending an education in politics, finance, and computer science is probably a realistic possibility only at Penn.