<p>So I have a bit of a dilemma here. I'm having a really tough time deciding whether I should apply early decision to UPenn or wait it out and apply to all my other schools.</p>
<p>So let me just throw you a quick q based on what I want from my college education:</p>
<p>-get a quality education
-meet new people
-make valuable connections
-have a good chance of getting a job soon (yes, I know this is a toughie)
-enjoy my time- i.e. I want to enjoy parties + meet girls here and there, I don't want to just be a bookwarm all the time</p>
<p>anyhow based on this loose criteria, do you think that I should apply ED to UPenn, an Ivy, or wait it out and apply to other nationally prominent schools like USC, Emory, Chicago, UCLA, Stanford</p>
<p>GPA: 4.2, ACT: 29, but my essay + extra-curriculars will make up for them substantially.</p>
<p>Essays and ECS are a boost, they can’t make up for a low test score. At the Ivy level top stats are a given, the ECs and Essays push you over the edge. I recommend taking the SAT or re-taking the ACT. To have a shot at UPenn you are probably going to need a 32, and probably closer to a 34.</p>
<p>I agree that the ACT could potentially be a problem regardless, but you haven’t given any context for your GPA. What’s your class rank? Are you taking the hardest curriculum available? What kind of high school, and where in the country?</p>
<p>Sorry, OP. Looking at your stats thread, I concur with other posters that these schools are going to be highly unlikely admits. </p>
<p>The most important piece of information is missing from your profile: what is your budget? What can your parents afford to pay per year? What is their EFC?</p>
<p>Essays & letters of rec. will not make up for test scores that are below a particular college’s 25th percentile. Of the schools you listed this is the case with the exception of UCLA.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input guys: I’m taking the hardest possible classes this year (5 AP classes) and I had taken 2 APs and an advanced last year and got a 5 and 4 (US + Language) class rank 17% for W, 15% for UW (3.77 GPA) from Illinois, a nationally recognized public school (by US News I think) and my parents can afford 40-50k a year max but I probably will apply for FAFSA because my Dad is unemployed.</p>