<p>Hey guys,
I have been a lurker on cc for about a year and only just decided to make an account because with my siblings going off to college I just realised that it will be dawning upon me soon. </p>
<p>To start off I will say, that I am desperate to get into Upenn. It is my absolute dream school, I am in year 10 and I want to go there more than anything in the world. </p>
<p>I am an international student, I can pay full fees, I am first generation to go to college and I can get a 2200+ SAT. I am just here to ask you kind people, what do I need to do, beyond getting good grades to get into penn 100%.</p>
<p>Essentially what "starts a charity, build a school in Peru, play state football and be the leader of 17 clubs" do I need to do in the next 3 years to get into the greatest place on earth?</p>
<p>I'm from australia and am not an asia nor an ethnic minority.</p>
<p>I know this probably isn’t what you were looking for, but reading this should help if you haven’t seen it already:</p>
<p>[What</a> Penn Looks For - Penn Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/what-penn-looks-for]What”>What Penn Looks For | Penn Admissions)</p>
<p>^ yeah that’s good. I was more thinking along the lines of what is an ideal application to penn. sure high grades and whatever, but what intangibles are necessary?</p>
<p>In general, take advantage of the opportunities available to you and try to make a positive difference in your community.</p>
<p>Lets say 2250 sat is 100% locked in. Given my profile is it still a crapshot to go for upenn or is it a decent possibility?</p>
<p>Lol it will ALWAYS be a crapshoot, but it’s still a possibility. Just take advantage of your opportunities, find your interests, figure out a way to show them, and work hard. I don’t want to get your hopes up… But I’ll encourage you. I like your determination, though. You sound like me when I was in your position :)</p>
<p>I agree with @myraven.</p>
<p>So in a way you are implying, successful upenn applications are not this spectacular, unobtainable ideal, but rather a reflection of students who get good grades and have fun seizing opportunities to better themselves and their community. If you fulfil that, sure it’s hard to get in, but that’s merely because of the magnitude of applicants, eventually it comes down to luck?</p>
<p>That’s a good way of putting it, and pretty much the way I see it.</p>
<p>I did have a very impressive academic award, my grades were essentially perfect, and my SAT was high, so it’s difficult for me to say just how much my ECs played a role. But they did reflect my interests and showed that I was being proactive despite the limitations of the area I live in, and that I was an active member of my community.</p>
<p>The nature of Ivy Leagues in this country is such that there truly is no such thing as a perfect application. All you can really do is increase the probability of getting in by getting excellent scores (internationals tend to falter here, from my observations), good grades, involved extracurriculars with leadership positions, glowing letters of recommendation, and killer essays. Even if you have all that, though, you could still get rejected.</p>
<p>I will try to give you some advice.</p>
<p>I believe that every school has an “image” for their ideal student. For Penn, at least for me, I believe it’s a student who uses his skills/hobbies to actively learn more and improve, and contribute to the community. Read their websites and go visit campus to get what that is.</p>
<p>Find something you’re passionate about and expand on it. Make a club. Go enter competitions. Do something with it, and when you do other activities, relate them back to what you want to do.</p>
<p>For me it was photography and design, and when I went overseas for community service, I took photos and put them in my portfolio. I did a bunch of other stuff and won multiple awards, but it was effortless because I liked doing it, and I just wanted to push myself to create something better.</p>
<p>This seems to be “ideal” for many other good schools too; my friend got into Princeton by doing something like this but with engineering.</p>
<p>Don’t try to do too many things; do things that you can do well and like; keep up the grades and scores, and really be active about the stuff you like.</p>
<p>I remember being in your position, although I only found out about Penn early in my senior year. I wasn’t even looking at it, but as I found out more, it just made sense. It’s perfect for me and I love it. I actually got rejected from lower-ranking schools, hence the “ideal” point I’m trying to make. Also, apply ED!</p>
<p>I really hope you get in!</p>
<p>@whalswo The best advice… I would follow that. You said it perfectly. That’s how to craft your application.</p>