<p>I am a current sophomore living in Tokyo going to the notable American School there.</p>
<p>My dream college is UPenn (Wharton) and I created this discussion to question what I can do in the next 2 years to solidify my chances of admission.</p>
<p>Here is some info about me:</p>
<p>4.12 UW GPA
215 PSAT
Taking 4 AP's in 11th Grade (Total 6 AP Exams becuase self-studying two)
American citizen (Indian origin)
Good extracurriculars (President of Entrepreneurship Club + NHS Member + UNICEF + School Ambassador)</p>
<p>11th grade schedule:</p>
<ul>
<li>AP Biology</li>
<li>AP Biology Lab</li>
<li>AP Capstone (very hard to get admitted into, I got in :)</li>
<li>AP Language and Comp.</li>
<li>AP Economics (macro+micro)</li>
<li>Honors Pre-Calculus (very tough in my school)</li>
<li>Chemistry</li>
</ul>
<p>Keep in mind: I will be taking 6 AP's in senior year (planned!)</p>
<p>I have hard that Penn looks for passion in business, do you guys think I as an applicant will show that?</p>
<p>Keep in mind I have 2-3 banking internships lined up each summer)? </p>
<p>What can I do to improve my application? My EC's? </p>
<p>I think you got a good score on the PSAT. It’s good enough to get accepted, getting a better score is always better however, kids with 2390 scores get rejected and accepted. Obsess over essays and letters of recommendation since they make a huge difference more than the SATs.</p>
<p>If want a goal to shoot for on the SAT, I say 2200 and try to do really well on the math component for Wharton. Try to improve the writing section because it’s actually fairly easy to do unless you were already near perfect on it. Don’t stress out trying to be perfect.</p>
<p>You definitely have a chance. The best two things you can do are maximize your test scores and put together a great app, including essays and recs. For maximizing tests, there’s a lot of great info on the CC forums. My personal favorite are xiggi’s threads for SATs.</p>
<p>I don’t fully understand the >4.0 UW GPA. Do A+ count as over 4.0? If so, what’s the maximum UW GPA?</p>
<p>With regard to SAT scores, 2200 is just average for Penn, and probably below average for Indian Americans. I would try to target 2300+. SAT scores are not everything, but they do help.</p>
<p>With regard to Passion, that will depend on your Essays. Titles and activities help, but you need to articulate what your passion is and what you want to achieve.</p>
<p>You definitely have a chance, but it is not a certainty.</p>
<p>For SAT improvement tips, I would look in the SAT Test forum. In general, I would allocate the most prep time into the section where you have the lowest scores. </p>
<p>Self study is good, but if you have trouble staying focussed, individual tutoring can help if you have the money. Tutoring via Skype is cheaper than in person and I think, just as effective. I would not waste time on an SAT class at your level of achievement because they will spend a lot of time on things you already know.</p>
<p>Also remember that SAT Subject tests are also important. I would recommend Math 2 and a science. </p>
<p>I would also add that I would not self study for 2 additional APs. Achieving A’s and as many 5’s as possible will impress them more than adding 2 more with self study. They are more interested in your ability to do something outstanding than in how many you can do. </p>
<p>Not self-studying for APs will also free up more time for ECs. For ECs I would also think about what you can do related to your ECs that will demonstrate significant achievement outside the class. Putting a lot of effort into one of them and achieving something significant is more important than showing many ECs.</p>
<p>Thank you! as for my EC’s, I’m already very focused in the ‘business’ aspect.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I have 2 internships this summers at a financial company</p></li>
<li><p>Am the officer of the sole Entrepreneu Club at my school</p></li>
<li><p>Participating in a country-wide Business Plan competition this summer</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Yes, I see that you have several business EC’s, but Penn will want you to tell them about what you have achieved that is significant during those activities, and how those experiences have impacted your plans for the future. What you took away from those experiences is the key.</p>
<p>Don’t self study APs. AP tests are not rigorous and you won’t get credit for many of them at Penn (Wharton is basically just filling a requirement so it doesn’t make sense to try to have more than one for each if you are achieving it by self studying). I got 5s on 8 AP tests and a 4 on Spanish (but I had already placed out of the language requirement with the subject test. Two were replaced by honors physics, calculus I could have gotten retroactively, chem was an elective (although I did pass the chem 101 placement test which they never put on my transcript for some reason) the rest were electives I did not need to graduate.</p>
<p>I think only having ECs in business makes you very narrow. I know people say you should specialize, but I think it is best to be well rounded in academics and then have two extra curricula’s to show who you are. Mine were science olympiad and music. I honestly think having all ECs in business makes it look like you are just doing things to get into college which I don’t think will reflect well on you as an applicant.</p>
<p>I saw your question earlier about who would be picked: you or the legacy. You may have the same stats, but you are completely different. You would have different EC’s, achievements, backgrounds, essays… There’s a lot more to an applicant than just the numbers, especially at top tier schools where lots of applicants have perfect scores. </p>
<p>It’s impossible to determine who would get in, even if the other person had the advantage of a legacy. </p>
<p>Follow you passions with complete commitment. Test yourself versus your peers in whatever your passion is. Excel above others in your passion. Your passion doesn’t matter too much except that it’s your passion.</p>
<p>^ @Madaboutx is right, admissions wants to see that you have passion. You were wondering in the original post if UPenn would see passion based on your extracurriculars. If business isn’t your biggest passion, make sure you aren’t brushing your real passion aside for things that look better on college apps. If it is, keep doing what your doing. Also, any essays/short answer questions are a good place to really tell them about what you love and how it’s helped you learn and grow as a person. </p>