I am a high school senior and will admit that I am no big time honor student with a 4.0 and AP classes that could choke a horse, but I like to think I may have a chance at going to Upenn. I have a 3.5-3.6 weighted (do not know what the unweighted is) GPA, volunteer at 3 different places, am a member of German Club and was once a member of robotics my freshman year, have taken one Dual Credit class and 4 ACP classes, though none in science or math, and, even though it might not be impressive, have worked in 3 different jobs, currently at Walmart as of now. I know I am not really Ivy material, but I feel Upenn would be easier to get accepted to than Stanford or Princeton. What do you think?
Oh, and though my ACT score is a 21, I am taking it again in september and looking to score a 25+.
@GenerationG I am sorry to say that but your scores are too low for Penn. Yes, Penn is easier to get into than Stanford or Princeton but it is still extremely competitive. Like the average GPA of the accepted class is 3.94 and the average SAT is 2200 ( median 2230) -this includes conversion of The ACT scores to equivalent SAT. Your ACT score of 21 converts to a 1500-1550 SAT and even if you managed to get 25 that is a 1740-1790. Both these ranges are too low to have any decent chance of admission. Even if you are a first generation minority it would be hard to get admitted cause almost certainly there are enough first generation URM students with better better stats to fill the class. Maybe if you have something really unique in your story you could be lucky but statistically speaking it is very unlikely.
I mean if you don’t mind spending $75 on the application go ahead and apply, you never know, holistic admissions means there is always a chance of being admitted, and maybe the fact that you have have worked 3 jobs and put yourself through high school might seem very appealing to admissions officers. However you have to be realistic about your prospects and apply mostly to schools which are a match for your profile. Good luck!
Sorry, not going to happen with those scores. Look into Temple or Drexel if you’re interested in Philly.
Objectively, your chances for Penn are negligible, and it’s not going to be worth spending money to apply. It would take something extraordinary to set you apart from your peers, so in your place I would consider colleges where you fall into the 25-75 SAT and GPA ranges.
Sorry, but I also have to second the previous posters. You’d likely be better off spending your efforts elsewhere.
Based on your other posts, I’d say IU Bloomington is your target – IF you increase your ACTs. Purdue (W Lafayette) will be a longshot unless you increase your ACTs to about 28 or so. You’re a perfectly fine HS student with a solid outlook for college success – but in the nutso-intense applicant pools of Penn, PTon and Stanford, your file wouldn’t get past the first read, I’m sorry to say. You’re not viable whatsoever for that tier of selectivity.
@Penn95 – holistic doesn’t mean asleep. Unless an applicant has an extremely desirable trait to offset low-end stats (relative to its applicant pool), then there’s not much that can be done. Working several jobs doesn’t rise to that level of attractiveness to a school like Penn.