ED Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I'm a first generation Asian Indian from Maine. Really looking for some opinions on how to strengthen my application. Applying Penn ED. No one from my school really applies to ivy leagues, we have one or two kids go to a top tier school per year.</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 89.7/100 unweighted, 98.7/100 weighted. 75-85 = C, 85-93 = B, 93-100 = A (3.58 unweighted, 4.0/4.1ish weighted - we don't go by 4.0 scale)
SAT's: 1910 overall, will retake in October.
SAT II's: Taking in November.
ACT's: 32 composite. Taking again tomorrow.
Class Rank: top 22% (the top 10% is littered with kids who took honors all of high school and coasted on perfect grades without challenging themselves)
AP's (by the end of senior year): AB Calculus and English Literature as a Junior, Spanish Literature, English Language, Biology, and Statistics as a Senior. One of three juniors to be the first to take AB Calculus. I've taken all but two of my schools offered APs (and of course, other language APs.)</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
Yearbook Editor: Junior and Senior Year
Swimmer: Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year
Interact Club: First member as a Sophomore, ran it as a Junior and Senior
Speech and Debate: Only girl Student Congress debater, Member since Sophomore year, CoCaptain Junior and Senior Year, National Qualifier Junior and Senior Year
Took two classes at UC Berkeley (freshman + sophomore level) and passed both summer of Junior Year</p>

<p>High School Awards and Honors
RYLA, one of ten kids selected to go on full scholarship
Outstanding Spanish Freshman Year
Outstanding Elderly Home Volunteer Sophomore Year
Speech and Debate Regional 1st-6th Place Awards, National Qualifier
Honor Roll
Royal Conservatory of Music Grade 5 Graduate</p>

<p>Volunteering
Maine Medical Center: Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year (150+)
Elderly Home: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year (100+)
India Association of Maine (Volunteer Hindi Teacher, Youth Coordinator): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year (20+)
Interact Club: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year (10+)</p>

<p>Recommendations
English Teacher, Calculus Teacher
Speech and Debate Coach</p>

<p>Other
Wrote a Cognitive Science Graduate Level Proposed Study at UC Berkeley
Fluent in Hindi and Punjabi, taught it to kids
Year younger (I skipped kindergarden and will be graduating HS at age 16)
Hopefully will be starting the first volunteer tutoring program for kids in my community this year (will be noted in my ECs)
Played Piano for eight years</p>

<p>Overall, I think I had a really adventurous high school transcript as most kids at my school don't take that many APs (I'm one the only kids to take this many APs), and I contribute to diversity as I'm from Maine (and Indian). I'm writing my college essays on how my dad nearly died my sophomore year and how my relationship with him has evolved and effected me - that's also going to be an extenuating circumstance about my grades. I've had an upward trend through my transcript (at least, per semester..so bad grades first semester, much better second), and for example I dropped AP chem my Junior year and my first quarter grade from there (79) averaged with my chem honors grade (94) and my midterm, giving me an 81 for the semester- next semester i had a 92. So big jumps there, and all my first quarter grades (four APs) will be 85+. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>If you do well on your ACT (34+), you should have a good chance. Otherwise, your 32 ACT is a little low for Penn.</p>

3

<p>Anyone else?</p>

4

<p>buuuuuumpppp</p>

5

<p>You realize the Middle 50% is 30-34 right? 32 is perfectly fine.</p>

6

<p>what can i do to strengthen my application?</p>

7

<p>Your SAT is really low. Even someone with perfect grades would still have a hard time with that score.</p>

<p>I would say your only/best bet is writing incredibly impressive essays.</p>

8

<p>my ACT is higher than my SAT though? isn’t that what they look at…</p>

9

<p>No, they will look at both if you don’t have any SAT IIs.</p>

10

<p>Jpeterman92, that is completely wrong. Penn accepts either the SAT and two Subject Tests OR the ACT with writing. Also it’s ED so it’s a tad easier. Your test scores won’t keep you out. GPA is a bit low, but you have a strong course load. I don’t think top 22% will cut it, seeing as 96% of Penn students are in the top 10% of their class. What is your weighted rank? I’d imagine it would be much higher with all those APs.</p>

11

<p>@nateheeter, i’m pretty sure that’s my weighted rank. they weight nonhonors courses at my school similarly to honors courses. i have yet to meet someone in the top 10% who took more than two ap classes (and those two ap classes are the EASIEST ones.)</p>

12

<p>My apologies, I thought that the ACT could replace SAT IIs but not both the SAT and subject tests.</p>

<p>Either way, I honestly don’t think you have a strong chance. There are plenty of people with perfect GPAs and scores that they could fill the entire class with them. Unless you are a tremendous athlete or have some amazing extracurricular, you will have to write one of the best essays ever to have a strong chance.</p>

13

<p>@jpeterman92, my dad nearly died and i took the hardest courseload offered at my school which many kids don’t do, i started a tutoring program, etc. etc., it’s all listed above…?</p>

14

<p>@avenlea, yeah you have done some good stuff, no one is taking that away from you, but remember, that there are other kids out there who have done just as much with better grades and scores. I mean the competition is ridiculous, so while I don’t completely agree with jpeterman92’s take on your chances, I see where he is coming from. Penn isn’t HYP, its close, and ED is easier, and CAS, is a little easier than say Wharton, so with all of that, you have a shot, but I would say from what I see, its average, unless your essay reveals some great character.</p>

15

<p>@TheWikiMan: I totally understand that, which is why I posted on here; what do you think my essays need to have? I wrote a very emotional CommonApp essay on when my dad almost died and I thought I would go my whole life without ever having known him, and I was thinking about doing my “What would you pursue at Penn” essay from the perspective as if I was already going there. What do you mean by “great character,” any suggestions?</p>

16

<p>Talking about your experience is beneficial as long as you aren’t using it as an excuse for weak grades or anything. I guess that is a decent perspective, I don’t know, I stayed away from that idea because I feared that the adcoms would somehow think that would be a very presumptuous thing to do. But if it works for you go for it. As for character, I simply meant that your essay should show you as a person and make the admissions people like you over your grades, scores, and stuff.</p>

17

<p>@TheWikiMan: yeah, i don’t know if I’m going to go through with it. if i messaged you my essay, would you be open to reading it and giving me some feedback on if it’s like whiney? I mean, i didn’t even mention grades in there once. i didn’t even allude to it, haha. the only time in my entire application i alluded to grades was in additional info, where i was like “i’m proud of the fact that despite everything that happened with my family during my sophomore and junior years, i was able to challenge myself and survive the tasks i had given myself.” i never specifically said “i had bad grades because my dad was very sick.”</p>

18

<p>I would submit an essay about your dad in Additional Information. Don’t mention any grades in there or how it affected your academic performance. Let them make that connection, it will help you not come cross as whiny or making an excuse. Just talk about how it affected you personally, emotionally, etc.</p>

<p>Then you need a strong essay for your main common app essay. Your dad dying isn’t fair, and neither is you getting a low class rank because you took the hardest courses. Despite all of that unfairness, you still need to show</p>

19

<p>I would submit an essay about your dad in Additional Information. Don’t mention any grades in there or how it affected your academic performance. Let them make that connection, it will help you not come cross as whiny or making an excuse. Just talk about how it affected you personally, emotionally, etc.</p>

<p>Then you need a strong essay for your main common app essay. Your dad dying isn’t fair, and neither is you getting a low class rank because you took the hardest courses. Despite all of that unfairness, you still need to show the school why they should accept you. I would suggest that your main essay be completely unrelated to your dad’s death or any</p>

20

<p>I would submit an essay about your dad in Additional Information. Don’t mention any grades in there or how it affected your academic performance. Let them make that connection, it will help you not come cross as whiny or making an excuse. Just talk about how it affected you personally, emotionally, etc.</p>

<p>Then you need a strong essay for your main common app essay. Your dad dying isn’t fair, and neither is you getting a low class rank because you took the hardest courses. Despite all of that unfairness, you still need to show the school why they should accept you. I would suggest that your main essay be completely unrelated to your dad’s death or anything else like that. Show them why you would be a good addition to their campus.</p>