Do i have a chance?? I REALLY WANNA GO TO UPENN!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hey guys! can u please help me figure out if i actually have a chance for UPenn?? I'm applying EARLY to the College of Arts and Sciences as a Biological Basis of Behavior major (this major covers all the areas of neuroscience and integrates it all with behavior and psychology).
STATS
GPA:
9th grade: unweighted and weighted: 3.833 (i got a B in Java both semsters)
10th grade: unweighted: 4.0 weighted:4.4
11th grade: unweighted 4.0 weighted: 4.8
TOTAL: u/w 9-11: 3.949/4.33
u/w 10-11: 4.0/4.6</p>

<p>ACT: 32 (i didnt study AT ALL, im studying this time and hoping for a 35 or 36)
SAT IIs: US History:800, Chemistry:770
APs: AP Computer Science-5
AP Calculus AB-5
AP Chemistry-5
AP US History-5
Senior year i am taking:
AP Gov/AP Econ
Humanities
AP Spanish 5
Community Leadership
AP Biology
Calculus C and D at the local community college (DeAnza)
Philosophy at the local community college (DeAnza)</p>

<p>My school (Monta Vista) is SUPER competitive, about 2500 people, its on the list of top public schools in the nation. They dont offer too many APs and honors, and ive taken most of the AP/honors classes that they offer.</p>

<p>I'm not sure about our ranking system, I heard our school doesnt publish ranks, but i do know that i am in the top 4% of my class according to the University of California's system.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: (not too many)
DANCE:
-Bharatanatyam (South Indian classical dance)- i started when i was 5, I performed my Arangetrum (solo debut, a 3 hour performance) in 2006. I also performed in the opening show of the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) Security Conference of 2006 in San Jose (and Bill Gates was there!) and I perform in all my school dance productions and other performances.</p>

<p>-Kathak (North Indian classical dance)- i started 4 years ago, and i perform every year in our school dance productions and other performances
-Raas/Garba (Gujurati Folk Dance)- i started when i was 6, my team has performed almost every year since 1997 in the Charitable Care Foundation (CCF) Competition and we have won either 1st or 2nd in every item we have performed.
-Bollywood/Indian Film dance-also started when i was 6 and ive also performed at the CCF competitions, and every year in my schools indian club performance, "Spotlite on India",</p>

<ul>
<li>ive been an active volunteer at the Santa Clara Kaiser Permanente Hospital since 10th grade</li>
<li>CSF and Red Cross volunteering (9th and 10th grade)</li>
<li>Sunday Friends ( a program for helping low income familes) volunteering through Spanish Honors Society(11th grade)
-Palo Alto Community Child Care volunteering
-active Indian Club member
-active Spanish Honors Society member (im going to be secretary next year)
-i was selected as one of the Environmental Concerns Commissioner in our community leadership class</li>
<li>this year i am starting a Raas/Garba team at our school and a few students and I are starting an indian acapella group at our school</li>
</ul>

<p>-ive been interning full time at the Palmer Lab of Neurosurgery at Stanford University since the beginning of this summer; im super interested in neurosci and i want to become a neurosci researcher
- i'm also really interested in history and different cultures (im planning to double major in BBB and south asian studies), so i took a cultural anthropology class this summer at the local community college (DeAnza)</p>

<p>o and also, i'm an asian american (indian) female</p>

<p>Thank you so much, and if i can get some feedback ASAP that would be awesome!</p>

2

<p>You have a pretty good chance, I've seen ppl with lower stats get in!
A friend of mine, who was also a dancer like yourself, got a silly 2150 on his SAT and had done absolutley no volunteer work got in, not only into Penn, but also into princeton. When he told me he'd got in I had this surprised look on my face. like, how did HE get in? I've seen ppl with way more academic potential than him get rejected.
I'm guessing he got in because he proved to the admissions committe that he was truly passionate about dance , which means alot more to adcoms than a 4.4 GPA or perfect ACTS.
However; it seems like you have both. You have a good academic record, and your ACT is good (even better if you really did get that 35 in october) AND you are passionate about dance (EC) as well as the subject you want to study (neuroscience).
You have a much better chance than thousands of other kids who are applying!</p>

3

<p>With ED I think your chances look very good indeed. Good luck!</p>

<p>Yay India stuff</p>

4

<p>I agree, you have a really good chance! But with admissions, you never know what could happen, so don't take the application lightly. Work hard on the essays and show the board who you really are. Make the essays creative and make sure theyre not just words. They should show something about your character...And I'm a BBB major too :)</p>

5

<p>there are way too many indians at penn who do dance. indian acapella? we have a lot of that too. try to be a little original or you might just end up being another stereotypical indian at penn.</p>

6

<p>My mom does Kathak.</p>

<p>I digress...
You have a really good chance! Neuro is cool. V.S Ramachandran is the sh1t.
And so is Neuropsychology, phantom limbs, rare neuro diseases, savant research, and all this other good stuff.</p>

<p>But, you won't even be doing neuro research as a profession (when you start). You'll be going into practice...boo.</p>

7

<p>heyy guys
i got deferred....
do u think i have a chance in the RD pool???
i still really wanna go to penn =(</p>

8

<p>awwww. I think u have a great chance…</p>

9

<p>kakashi1992, thanks for chancing and reassuring a nervous applicant on New Year’s Eve. Did you consider she might not be so interested given that she applied…2 years ago?</p>

10

<p>I think you have a really great chance of getting into Penn! :slight_smile: Good luck!</p>