ED'd - What are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>How are my chances looking? Already submitted and got my portal. I'm just anxiously waiting now! :X</p>

<hr>

<p>ED to M&T, Wharton as backup.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.62 UW/4.33 W (mainly due to difficulty of classes)</p>

<p>Rank: Unranked, but approximately 10-15% (Class of 410)</p>

<p>SAT I: 1550/2340</p>

<p>SAT II:
800 Math 2C
790 Physics
760 Chemistry
690 Biology E (sucks)
670 US History (sucks)</p>

<p>AP Tests:
5 Calculus BC
5 Calculus AB Subscore
5 Chemistry
5 English Language
5 Computer Science A
4 US History
(senior) English Literature
(senior) Biology
(senior) Physics C - both
(senior) Statistics</p>

<p>Senior Classes:
AP English Literature
AP Statistics (Maxed out Mathematics as a Junior, with Multivariable Calculus)
Advanced Topics Physics Honors (equivalent to AP Physics C)
AP Biology
Chinese 5 Honors
Independent Study in Mathematics (Number Theory)</p>

<p>In-School EC's:
- FBLA (1 year)
I was a participant and school winner for a business plan competition. My partner and I designed a business where chickens are genetically modified to produce pharmaceutical proteins. The process is beneficial to chickens (longer life span) as well as a cheap way to produce such proteins. (applied knowledge from biology). We won as the best business plan in the school, but our school did not participate in state/nationals. Due to budget cuts, FBLA is gone senior year.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Chinese Club (3 years)
Chinese Club hosts "China Night" every year, usually a 2-hour performance that brings over 1,000 audience members to the school. It has been a 19 year tradition and on-going.
I was a Director of the Opening Ceremony performance during 11th Grade, and was also an Officer of the Club, as well as performing in the event myself. Unfortunately, this is being cut during my senior year due to budget cuts.</p></li>
<li><p>Red Cross Club (4 years)
Participant in various community service activities. Helped out at all blood drives in our community, and gave blood myself once.</p></li>
<li><p>JSA (Junior Statesmen of America) School Chapter (1 year)
JSA is a program where students debate with each other about controversial topics (ie. gun ownership, legalizing marijuana, etc..). I was a major debater, and won 2/2 main debates, as well as contributed to 5 debates as a subsequent speaker, all 5 of which were won.</p></li>
<li><p>Math Honor Society (1 year)
Inducted into the Math Honor Society.</p></li>
<li><p>Relay for Life / American Cancer Society (3 years)
Fundraised and participated in "Relay for Life" events (overnight at the school) to support research for cancer.</p></li>
<li><p>Science Club (3 years)
Participated in the State "Science League" competitions as an Alternative Tester for our school team, all 3 years. (2 people are Primary Testers, 2 people are Alternative Testers).</p></li>
<li><p>Math Club (3 years)
Participated in the AMC 10/12 and other Math Competitions.</p></li>
<li><p>Winter Indoor Track (2 years)
Junior Varsity Winter Track member.</p></li>
<li><p>Spring Outdoor Track (2 years)
Junior Varsity Spring Track member. Scored Varsity points for Pole Vaulting and the 100m.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Out of School EC's:
- Volunteering at HuaXia Chinese School (1 year)
I volunteered there as a Math Counts 2 teacher. I taught a class full of middle school students who excelled at mathematics for an hour every Sunday.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Statewide Piano Auditions
Won "Honors" awards 7 years in a row.</p></li>
<li><p>ABRSM (Assoc. Board of the Royal School of Music) Grade 8 Piano Practical Exam
Certificate from passing Grade 8.</p></li>
<li><p>Performed at Carnegie Hall
Won "Gold" at the Golden Key Festival, and performed my piece at Carnegie Hall.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Academics Out of School:
- John Hopkins University - Center for Talented Youth (2 summer, 5 summers if counting before HS)
Center for Talented Youth is a 3-week intensive summer program where students learn an advanced course that would normally take a year.
I took courses including Creative Writing, Mathematics Logic and Reasoning, and Fast Paced Chemistry.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) at Princeton University (1 summer)
5 week program at Princeton University. I took a Speech Communications course, and debated against fellow students about controversial topics, similar to the JSA School Club mentioned above.</p></li>
<li><p>Columbia University's Science Honors Program (1 year)
Will take CU's SHP during my Senior Year. I will take advanced courses in Math and Physics, such as Measurements of Black Holes, and Linear Algebra.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Work Experience:
- Swimming Instructor (2 years)
Worked as a Lead Instructor for swimming classes at the local YWCA pool.</p>

<ul>
<li>Internship at a trading company in Beijing, China (1 summer)
The company was traded parts for "refining machines," which were used to refine automobile parts. I worked as an intern for a month, and learned about the trading, bidding, closing, and meeting processes. I met with German and US representatives on behalf of the company to make sales. I was paid at a PhD level salary for my high performance.</li>
</ul>

<p>Volunteer:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Mission Trip to Ensenada, Mexico (1 summer)
Lead a fundraising team to support our trip. Went with our church youth group to Ensenada, Mexico. While there, we built 4 garage-sized houses from raw materials, and added a second floor to a local church, to help out the local people who were in need.</p></li>
<li><p>Organized Piano Recitals at Senior Homes (Various Holidays)
Performed beautiful piano music for senior citizens at their retirement homes during the holidays. They loved it, so we came back several times.</p></li>
<li><p>Organized Clothes Drive for Trenton (1 summer)
Lead and organized a clothes drive for a charity in Trenton. Donated a total of 7 large garbage bags full of clothes to the charity.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Misc:
- Personal Online Marketing Venture
Connecting the Computer Science I learned in school with entreprenurial ideas of my own, I decided to code a "viral script" rewards site on my own. The site involved rewarding members with MMORPG subscriptions, in return for their referring their friends to the site. After putting the site up, I generated $1,500 in profit over the course of just 2 months. This project involved planning, both technical (coding, site maintainence) and business-related (traffic, profit predictions).</p>

<ul>
<li><p>AP Scholar with Distinction</p></li>
<li><p>National Merit Semifinalist</p></li>
<li><p>AMC 10 - 94.5; AMC 12 - 93 (yes, so close, but I sucked)</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Essays:
Common App: About entrepreneurship. "Amazing"; "Reminds me of the Social Network" - AP Lit and AP Lang teachers</p>

<p>Penn Supplement: Similar comments to above, yet has a more serious tone than the Common App</p>

<p>M&T Supplement: Very unique idea that I don't want to give away. It hasn't been looked over by a teacher, but I have a very good feeling about it.</p>

<p>Recommendations:
AP Chemistry teacher - Great relationship; helped out as a Lab Assistant for a year, probably very strong recommendation</p>

<p>Multivariable Calculus teacher - Definitely an amazing recommendation, he has been my teacher for two years (research this year), and will write strong specifics</p>

<p>AP US History teacher - Strong recommendation, don't know about specifics</p>

<p>Counselor - Emphasizes my strong entrepreneurial skills, and the fact that I have THE MOST rigorous curriculum available in our school (Completion of Math, Science, and English).</p>

<p>Other:
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
State: NJ
Hook: First Generation US (is that a hook?), otherwise none.</p>

<hr>

2

<p>bump - anyone?</p>

3

<p>Despite your GPA, I think you look good for Wharton. M&T is up in the air, as it is for everyone. I’m applying ED to M&T w/ Wharton as a back-up too! lol</p>

4

<p>GPA is extremely low for wharton, so its a reach. M&T is reallly unlikely, but then again its impossible for almost everyone</p>

5

<p>i’m pretty much in the same boat as you only my scores are slightly lower and i’m not a national merit semifinalist :stuck_out_tongue: i’d say reach just because of GPA and class rank…we’ll see how much rigorous curriculum matters when decisions roll around. it’s really a crapshoot, you have a good chance though</p>

6

<p>Wow, youre like the same person as me! o_o
I’d say you have an okay chance. Low GPA, so I hope those essays are stellar!</p>

7

<p>Yeah, your rank and GPA situation is not helping. If you had close to a 4.0 then I would say you have an excellent chance, but sadly everyone has their demons in this world, yours is a GPA.</p>

8

<p>GPA is really going to kill me yeah… :confused:
But our school accepts between 8-15 to Penn each year (tons to other Ivies too).
And our class is considered one of the most academically strong classes within the last 5 years or so. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but it sure as hell is competitive.</p>

9

<p>What is the highest GPA in your class, is the 3.6 you have a top GPA or are there those who far outshine you, again rank really helps in these situations, but some schools don’t like doing it.</p>

10

<p>…Aside from your GPA… u have so many activities and it shows you are dedicated students, I wish I had such good scores :cry: XD</p>

11

<p>Some people do have 4.0 GPAs (as well as high Weighted GPAs of up to 4.7).
However, apart from the Valedictorian (who is insane), most of these high-GPA-ers have barely any AP courses in their curriculum. Honors classes and AP classes are weighted the same, which kinda sucks. :(</p>

<p>I would estimate that my rank is around 40-50, out of 410, although I might be slightly underestimating myself. That would put me at slightly lower than 10%… ugh.</p>

12

<p>if you’re top 10%, I think you have a great chance. problem is your school doesn’t rank :S so the 3.6 really looks bad.</p>

13

<p>thats like my life, theSarcasm. i’m top 22%, and all the kids in the top 10% have like never taken AP classes. i think what brings you down is the fact that it sends many kids to top schools…theres like one kid a year from my school who goes to an ivy. no one on CC will be able to tell you what adcoms are going to think…you have just as good of a shot as everyone else does. some people have grades going for them, some have activities, some have both, and people from all of those categories are rejected. top schools are again, a crapshoot. no one can predict, so just write stellar essays and roll the dice :)</p>

14

<p>Your GPA is really weak. But extra-curricular look pretty strong, except for the fact that your most significant ones were only for a year (FBLA and JSA). You don’t have any national awards or hooks. But that internship and business venture shows you take initiative. Sounds like you’re a good fit for Wharton.</p>

<p>And the GPA may be excusable if you go to an elite private school, or have a really tough grading scale.</p>

15

<p>@theSarcasm. Hello me. Except I made AIME :P</p>

<p>And hello waterbottlez again xD</p>

<p>Everyone sub 10% rank (official and unofficial) should make a group or something to see if any of us can make it ahahahahaha.</p>

16

<p>@Euroazn: I AGREE. i’m sure someone has to get in</p>

17

<p>Since being here I have heard many different people say something along the lines of “I didn’t think I had a shot at Penn because my grades were not close toperfect, I didn’t have perfect test scores, I wasn’t the president of five clubs, etc. I just worked hard, did well enough, and was passionate about my interests. But I guess they saw something in me.” One of the kids who told me this is in a Wharton dual degree. Honestly, once you get to college you will see that although grades and test scores are important, they are not perfect standards. Much of the work here requires a lot more critical thinking and creativity, and those things cannot necessarily be measured by the SAT.</p>

18

<p>@Euroazn: I hope so! Man, Wharton is my #1 by a longshot…</p>

19

<p>Do you have an upward trend in GPA? ie, junior GPA > soph GPA > freshman GPA?
They may take that into consideration.</p>

<p>I’m not too sure about this, can someone clarify?</p>

20

<p>^ yeah I was curious about this too…</p>