<p>Alright so to start off, i'll tell you my situation. I'm currently a junior who goes to a top-ranked public school in the Philly suburbs. During my freshman year, I messed up, pretty bad. I got like a 3.35 in all honors courses. During my sophomore and the way my junior year is looking so far, i should be able to earn about a 3.94 GPA taking all honors and AP (no AP sophomore year, I took multiple math and science courses to set myself up for my junior year, and this year i'm taking AP chem, ap stat, and ap spanish) Next year i'll probably take AP calc AB/BC and AP bio and then just honors classes to fill out my schedule. My total GPA-- freshman-junior-- will probably be about 3.75 on the dot or maybe even 3.74. </p>
<p>I desperately want to attend UPENN and my high school sends about 10 kids there per year. This year alone 8 people have gotten in ED. I took the act in december and got a 32, but I performed below my average in science so I think that after a few more tutoring sessions I could end up with a 34/35 composite. Im going to take SAT 2 tests in math 2 and chem and I would expect 760 or above (hopefully). My extracurriculars are solid all around as I am involved in about 7 clubs/activities and i'll probably be president/leader of 2-3 different activities as well as a three season varsity sport captain in soccer, indoor track, and outdoor track. I plan on starting my own charity to help give clean water to africa and doing lots of volunteer hours over the summer. I work at my own landscaping business. Im considering taking some classes at UPENN over the summer just to show that I can handle college level classes at Penn and just because it's another thing to write on my app. I will ensure that my recommendations and application materials (i.e. essays and interview) are stellar. </p>
<p>Essentially my app will be a 3.75 GPA UW- 4.3 W with all honors and AP classes, and an extremely rigorous junior year. I hope to get a 35 on my ACT and 760+ on my 2 SAT 2s. and then I have all the other extracurriculars listed above. I'll definitely apply ED to the CAS. Do you think my freshman year could hurt my app enough that my chances are limited? </p>
<p>Thanks for reading and commenting; try to be as honest as possible.</p>
<p>They will look at the upward trend. You probably have a decent shot. For what it’s worth, my high school (Shipley, a private suburban school ) went 4-for-4 in ED, which makes me a little nervous about RD.</p>
<p>@SurvivorFan, yeah I know of Shipley we played you guys in soccer this year. Even though there is not much to do about it now, I just want to finish out junior year my best and get involved over the summer and then just get in ED… it would take off so much stress and best of luck for RD</p>
<p>Please DON’T start another organization that duplicates existing organizations. You won’t have the time and skill to do it well (especially all the administrative and legal parts), and you’ll just make the admissions committee wonder why you aren’t working in Mantua or Chester. Stay close to home, and do a project for an existing organization, and you’ll do better.</p>
<p>Why do you so desperately want Penn? For what you seem to want (STEM), there may be better places for you and, frankly, better applicants for those slots. Some of your competitors will have done research, won competitions, and participated in programs to enhance their knowledge and skills. You’ll have done things, but I don’t see any impact from your activities.</p>
<p>Why shouldn’t I start the organization? Ideally it would just raise money and then the money would be donated to a charitable group that would take care of the whole process. The only issue is raising the money. I probably want to do economics in undergrad and finance in grad, but I probably wouldn’t specify economics as my intended major on my app because then you just get mixed in with a sea of econ majors. I really want to go to Penn because it’s just the ideal school for me. It meets all the criteria I want from a school, literally every criteria. It’s depressing to me that a school where my chances are semi-low is my dream school. It’s so annoying to me that i have invested all this time during sophomore and so far during junior year trying to get in, while my idiot 14 year old freshman self could be the reason I don’t get in.</p>
<p>In the three posts to this thread, it seems the sole reason (beside the benefit of some $ being raised and donated) is that you feel the need to be a “founder”: that’s why. You don’t seem to be out in the sticks so you can’t tell us existing ad hoc charities don’t already exist. Thus, you and tens of thousands of other selective school aspirants will “start” another one-time ad hoc charity to donate $300 to some “insert needy cause here” event.</p>
<p>If you’d told us that you want to clear your schedule so you can work your local soup kitchen more or gather clothes for the women’t shelter, then we might actually believe you are doing more than trying to generate resume padding.</p>
<p>I know this seems unduly harsh. But this is how mercenary or contrived these pursuits look to us as adults and they aren’t lost on admissions officers.</p>
<p>By the way, if you do start an organization, don’t forget that getting your tax exemption for donations will take awhile, because IRS moves slowly. Some people I know have waited for more than a year. Until you have that 501(c)(3) status, NOBODY WHO GIVES YOU MONEY CAN TAKE A TAX DEDUCTION FOR IT.</p>
<p>Also, the last time I checked, you’ll need to post a bond in order to be legal. A few years ago, the bond was $25,000. </p>