<p>there was a guy who wrote 6 pages on 'Why Penn?' for ED and he got in because he was so passionate about Penn.</p>
<p>Mine, too, was longer than a page, but I reduced the font to 11pts and I had to go great lengths to reduce the number of words.</p>
<p>hey, there's no problem. It's humans beings that'll read your application not animals. they'll understand.</p>
<p>As I always say, what's on paper doesn't always happen in real life situations. Express your desire for Penn anyhow. What's on paper are just guidelines. If there were no limits, almost every essay would be over 3 pages long and there's no time to read all those! So a few exceptions are welcome!</p>
<p>yes, it was long
but i dunno. it gave me the feeling that you could really be applying to any other school.. like u said yourself.. why penn?
i personally don't think you should be asking the admissions officers.. well, telling them that's what you want to find out. you were supposed to find out awhile ago. you were supposed to do more research than ... taking the virtual tour, looking through their brochure... oh well, maybe it'll work. good luck</p>
<p>But I did try to explain my knowledge of Penn. I did take the Virtual tour and research a lot about the school. I believe I displayed that through my essay.</p>
<p>i did the same thing. read thru every available material i could about Penn.
But you can't possibly portray everything in ONE essay, else your essay will just sound dull and boring, riddled with cliches, and having no new twist to it.</p>
<p>YOu only need to highlight a very small aspect. Those Penn students gave just one small part of their observation. If you now attempt to record every student's impression, you'll end up having a very impersonal essay.</p>
<p>After reading all the pertinent material, i guess the next best thing to do (or have done) is (was) to create your own unique impression or voice about WHY YOU WANT TO GO TO PENN not necessarily because of what others say (opinions) or the facilities Penn has (brochures and other publications) or because it's in the Ivy league or it was founded by Ben Franklin; but SIMPLY because you love it and you would want to spend the next four or five years of your life there, and you have to support your Penn desire by a correct balance of all the sources that provide you with information.</p>
<p>And finally, you have to make it clear that PENN HAS TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU ARE PENN-WORTHY, NOT YOU. You really cannot claim to know everything or anything at all about a school until you attend. When you get in, there may be some small details which may really be of concern to you that won't be stated on paper. And PENN may end up not being the paradise you thougt it would be.</p>
<p>Since most applicants apply to several schools and they have to write one or more essays for both, the Adcoms know students may not always be really sincere. You have to prove to your prospective colleges that you'd really LOVE to be admitted. But they always know we are lying. So it's up to you to conjure up an 'UNREAL' picture of an abstract desire for a place you've never really experienced.</p>
<p>It's just like getting married. You don't really know the person until you start LIVING TOGETHER. So if you try to overdo the fact that PENN is this, PENN has that, etc, they'll just take you as another applicant who has nothing else but to list and list and list. </p>
<p>GUYS, all they wanna know is "How creative can this dude get?" They want to see how good you are at LYING on paper. Making them feel that if you don't get into Penn, you're dead, and that's not truly the case.</p>
<p>hey afaforce, i don't mean "LYING" as in making a false experience seem true.</p>
<p>what i'm saying is 'Why Penn'? wants to know why and how much you'd love to go to Penn. THe crux, if Penn didn't take you, that won't be the end of the world. </p>
<p>'Since most applicants apply to several schools and they have to write one or more essays for both, the Adcoms know students may not always be really sincere.'</p>
<p>I said "MOST", so in your case, you may really be dying for Penn.
Please don't get me wrong. i didn't mean to prick any nerve. Sorry.</p>