<p>My mom keeps insisting that I apply to UPenn, even though I know I will not get accepted.
My SAT is 2000, my GPA is 97.31/100 weighted, and I know my college application essays don't compare to the ones I've read online from last year's accepted students. It would just be a waste of money to apply, but she is persistent. I don't know what to do. I think it's easier to not apply at all than to get rejected. If I decide to attend school in Philly, I'm happy with Drexel, and I have other really good schools that I'm applying to. How can I get her to stop asking me to apply to UPenn? She is completely convinced I'm Ivy League material. I just want her to be realistic. </p>
<p>Really you are not that far off from Penn although it would be a definite reach. Either just apply to make her happy or see if you can arrange a meeting with your guidance counselor to discus it together. Also if your HS has naviance you can show her the scattergram for Penn.</p>
<p>Is your mom paying the application fee? Is it cutting into some sort of limit of applications that she set? If not, then it may be one of those cases where the battle’s not worth the fight. You could probably throw together an application in a weekend if you really buckle down (and it’s not that important to you), submit it, and forget about it. Stress to her that you don’t expect to get in, and you can do some of the things @happy1 suggested if she won’t believe you. If she starts trying to make you apply to other schools, then come back, and we will advise you from there. </p>
<p>The only caveat to the above is that if you were admitted, and didn’t want to go, would your mom make you? If Penn does admit you, would you actually want to go?</p>
<p>If you know your essays aren’t up to snuff, you have plenty of time to work on them before the deadline. That would probably serve you well for any school, not just Penn.</p>
<p>Unless you are a heavily recruited candidate for diversity (ie. from Wyoming or Native American), your assessment of your stats being insufficient for Penn is likely correct. Ask your mom why she wants you to apply to Penn. Do you live in the Philly area and she wants you to attend school locally? Without a better understanding of why the two of you see things differently, there is no way to get past this impasse. A 2000 SAT would put you below over 80% of accepted applicants and it is reasonable to assume that most successful candidates in that lower range are being recruited for non-academic reasons. Ask your mom to write down 5 things that are important to her in your picking a school and do the same for yourself. Share the lists and discuss them. The process will be smoother if you and your parents are on the same page.</p>
<p>You’re probably spending more time fighting with your mom over this then if you just did the app and submitted.</p>
<p>It is best in the long run for you to submit. You will shut up your mom. When you don’t get in, she’ll realize that it was a long shot…and you won’t have to listen to her for the next 4 years saying, “you should have applied to Penn.” </p>
<p>And, if you luckily get in, then go.</p>
<p>Just get it done…either with a good essay or not. But if you need a good essay for another school, then work on one that will work for both (with some tweaks)</p>
<p>If I were admitted I would definitely go because it would be quite the fortuitous opportunity for someone with my scores. One of my biggest problems that my mom is only giving me $200 for applications and anything beyond that I have to pay for. She would also want me to sit for the SAT again and sit for ACT for the first time. For Penn 2 subject tests are also required if I submit the SAT, and I don’t really want to deal that. My SAT score is really good coming from my school, and it’s good enough for the other schools I’m applying to. I just don’t want to waste my time trying to improve it if it won’t change anything.</p>
<p>What’s the big deal? Apply to the schools you want and then tell her you are out of money for the Penn app, unless applying for Penn is a condition of the money. Do as she asks since she is paying. I assume she is paying for some of your college too. That might get cut if you don’t start doing her dance.</p>
<p>Ask her to put her money were her mouth is and pay more money for the UPenn app and extra tests, since you’re budgeting the $200 for colleges you feel you have a chance at.</p>
<p>I was going to go along with everyone else and say to just apply to appease her. But the budget and her desire for you to do additional testing that you don’t want to do (and believe you don’t need to do for schools you have a reasonable shot at) does put a different spin on things. </p>
<p>Ultimately, if your mom is planning on helping pay for your college, you do (IMO, as a mom myself) owe it to her to give her some say in your school selection, and the fact that you’d be happy to attend if you did somehow get in makes this easy. </p>
<p>I would propose a compromise – you will apply for UPenn if she allows you to do that on top of the $200 for applications she has allotted you, and you will take the ACT once (assuming she will pay for it) to submit and cover your subject testing requirements. But remind her that this isn’t really your dream, and instead of spending a lot of time trying to improve your standardized test scores, you think it makes more sense to dedicate your time to (something she will hopefully agree is a worthwhile use of your time). </p>
<p>Keep in mind that you’re not in a position to make an ultimatum here, and your mom has the “right” to require you to take the additional tests and apply to any school she chooses with her money. But hopefully she’ll listen to you if you explain calmly why UPenn isn’t one of your top choices and thus you don’t want to invest a lot of time and money into applying.</p>
<p>From what you said here, it seems that your mom has high expectation and maybe kind of obsess with UPenn. I’d agree with others that you should just do the UPenn application & tell her to pay for it (because that’s what she demanding). </p>
<p>Btw, If you think 2 SAT subject tests are too much hassle, sorry to say you’re really not up to Ivy level, since Ivy kids normally have at least 3-4 SAT subject tests under their belt (and their average scores are 750+). </p>
<p>If she is holding you to an application fee budget, then it is reasonable for you to tell her that applications to schools of her choice should be outside the application fee budget.</p>
<p>The cost of UPenn’s application fee plus the extra SAT and/or ACT fees that she wants you to do will use up most or all of the $200 budget she gave you.</p>
<p>"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. " - Teddy.</p>
<p>Yes, mom needs to put money where her mouth is.</p>
<p>$200 will only pay for about 2 schools’ application costs (including the app fee, sending scores, sending CSS Profile). Maybe your mom doesn’t realize this? </p>
<p>Are you low enough income to qualify for any application fee waivers? Do you get free/reduced lunch?</p>
<p>Too much weight is being places on test scores right now. You could get in. The chances are slim for everyone, but you could get in still. I would not reccomend cruising through your essay and supplements. Try your very hardest and you never know what could happen. No one on here knows what Penn is looking for, so don’t just automatically exclude yourself. </p>
<p>I talked with my mom and was able to compromise with her. I’m going to apply at W&M instead as a reach school. It took a lot of reasoning with her, but I think we are finally on the same page.</p>