Hello to everyone reading this. If you don’t recognize my username, don’t worry I really stopped using these forums over a year ago. I used to be a staple on the AP Preparation section, and some people still might know me as that guy that took 24 AP exams and won State AP Scholar.
After finding out about this award, I wrote up a (not-so) little post about it that [can</a> be found here](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/1171626-college-confidential-reflection.html]can”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/1171626-college-confidential-reflection.html). However, I’d like to make a follow-up post in regards to what’s changed over the last year and a half.
I’m currently a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania in our Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology. It’s a dual-degree program for students who are interested in both business and engineering, and it gives us the flexibility to combine those two fields in as many ways as possible. Students are considered full-time members of both the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and we receive degrees from both.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t quite sure why I ED’d to M&T when I was a high school senior. I visited Penn in September of my senior year, and I instantly felt attached to the campus. I’d vaguely known about M&T through College Confidential, and when I stopped by the office to talk to the program administrators, I learned a great deal about the unparalleled opportunities that come from it. However, I’d done neither business nor engineering in high school. I enjoyed math and science, amongst other fields, but had never tackled these subjects in an applied manner.
Regardless, I wasted hours upon hours combing over my Common Application. “What order should I list my extracurriculars in? Should I try to shift my activities to show a more entrepreneurial edge? Is my M&T essay legitimate enough compared to people who actually have done FBLA and robotics teams?”
I obviously ended up being accepted ED. In hindsight, I can safely say that I was accepted not because of any of the crap I wrote above, but because I was able to convey to the good folks at Penn that I was a hard worker with a passion for what I did. I think that this was most fully expressed through three things:
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<li>The number of AP classes I took on my own accord through Florida Virtual School / self-studying. From what I understand, the sheer number of exams wasn’t as important as the fact that I’d really gone out of my way to learn about new subjects.</li>
<li>The fact that I coached my brother’s Little League teams for five seasons. This showed a true desire to stay with an activity I really enjoyed for as long as possible, even in unique ways. (I would have loved to continue playing baseball, but my high school offered no team.)</li>
<li>My Common App essay, which was about why I loved composing music. I think this signaled to the M&T admissions team that I had the right mind for solving the unique problems that arise when you merge business and engineering educations. It showed that I was creative and dedicated, two traits you find in top entrepreneurs.</li>
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I’ve always been a proponent of doing things because you love them, not because you’ll get into college. I wrote my valedictorian speech on this, and I wrote a column in the Daily Pennsylvanian about this. I’ve written countless posts on College Confidential about this and hopefully inspired students a few years younger than me to really focus on what makes them happy.
I came awfully close to breaking this code when it came time for college applications; I was worrying too much about the little details that didn’t matter and was lucky to catch myself and remain focused on the things that made me me. I think this mattered more than test scores or transcripts or class rank. Yes, I did have those things as did a ton of people that got rejected! When some M&T classmates and I were discussing high school accomplishments during freshman year, what united us was our true passion for what we’d done in high school. Not all of us were national champions at an academic competition, not all of us had high test scores, and not all of us were ranked well in our graduating classes. However, we all loved our activities and lives.
Now that I’ve been at Penn for three semesters, I’ve been able to key in on the things that I really do enjoy doing. While these aren’t all of the extracurriculars that I do, they’re the ones that have made my Penn experience as fulfilling as it’s been so far.
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<li>I pledged a fraternity. Pledging is, in my opinion, one of the best things you can do for yourself, assuming you choose a fraternity in which you fit in really well with. Pledging will teach you more about yourself than you ever knew. You’ll learn how to deal with and overcome adversity, how to surmount challenges you thought you were incapable of tackling. You’ll learn an amazing amount of history about the men that went through the same process before you. You’ll become a better person through it.</li>
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I feel that Greek life normally gets a bad rap on College Confidential thanks to the numerous hazing-gone-wrong stories. Never do anything you’re not comfortable doing, and don’t pick a fraternity based on popularity or “prestige.” I can honestly say that I love each and every one of my brothers, and that’s because I went with the fraternity that felt right for me.
<ol>
<li>I joined a musical group and compose about two-thirds of its music. I went to an arts high school, and yet I truly believe I’ve learned more about musicianship and arranging from this than from my four years of high school. I’m also having a ton of fun jamming with these guys, and I’ve made some incredible memories through it. We put in a lot of hard work, both in and out of the rehearsal room, and it pays off.</li>
<li>I found the subject that, above all, I love the most. I did very well in AP Computer Science A in high school and had a gut feeling that the subject was right for me. However, this didn’t really click until coming to Penn and taking CIS 120, an incredible class that changed how I felt about programming and software engineering. Two months into the class, I declared my engineering major to be computer science, and I haven’t looked back since. I recently declared my master’s degree in computer science, which I’ll be able to earn while taking no extra semesters (i.e. still graduating in May 2015).</li>
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Since then, I’ve TA’d for CIS 120 for two semesters; I’ve joined the Dining Philosophers, Penn’s computer science group; I’ve taught myself new programming languages for fun; and I’ve won top prizes at multiple hackathons, including PennApps, the largest student-run hackathon in the world. I’ve found the field I want to be in when I graduate, and I couldn’t be happier with it.
Computer science, to me, is the ultimate expression of the mind of mankind. You can start from nothing and create anything. We are the architects of tomorrow, the brick-layers of the 21st century. We are what allows society to function as it does today.
I wasn’t so lucky as to magically know which fields and activities were right for me. Trust me, I tried a ton and failed. Over the last three semesters, I’ve dabbled in groups like International Affairs Association, Wharton Trading Group, Wharton Hedge Fund Club, Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society, wind ensemble, etc. Even throughout high school, I took classes in and read book on every possible subject I could think of.
No successful person gets to where they are without failing. Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things. Don’t shy away from exploring yourself both mentally and physically. When you find your true calling, you will be a much happier and more fulfilled person, and it will be obvious to everyone.
Top universities wish to accept people that are cognizant of their self-actualization. These people may have a goal in mind, or they may simply have found what it is what makes them happy. Either way, these are the people that are accepted to top universities. These are the people that do incredible things at these universities. These are the people that keep on innovating and improving the world throughout their lives.
That’s my advice to everyone. Find your true calling. Whether you’re a freshman in high school or a graduate from college if you still aren’t sure what it is that you want to do, don’t stop exploring until you find it.