***OFFICIAL University of Pennsylvania ED Decions Class of 2016 Thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
81

<p>Decision: Accepted SEAS!</p>

<p>Objective:
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2260 superscore, (800 M, 700 CR, 760 W)
[ *] ACT: N/A
[ *] SAT II: 780 Math II, 720 Chem
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not sure
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), Lang. & Comp (5), Calc AB (4)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: Forensics (lol easiest class ever), AP Calc BC, AP US Gov., AP Lit & Comp, AP Physics, AP French
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really, Questbridge Scholar though</p>

<p>Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
A capella group (3 yrs, co-leader)
Tennis team (4 yrs, varsity for the last 3)
Student congress (4 yrs, vice pres, treasurer, sec, student rep to board of ed.)
State science leagues (3 yrs)
Photography (4 yrs, photographer for yearbook and newspaper, took some courses at FIT)
Leo’s club (2 yrs, pres, vice pres)
Orchestra (4 yrs, second chair viola - out of 2 chairs lol)
Robotics team (2 yrs)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: None
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Spent a summer (~100 hrs) volunteering at a children’s camp, volunteering on a semi-regular basis for NHS and leo’s club
[ *] Summer Activities: Spent a summer going to China, interned at an engineering lab
[ *] Essays: Both Common & Penn supp were genuine and decently written, did not do optional
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: Got one rec from my english teacher, one from my bio teacher - both of which I feel know me pretty well and would be able to genuinely describe me in two different class settings
[ *] Counselor Rec: Counselor is really caring and gave good attention to each student, actually interviewed me before writing her rec to know more about me. Probably stellar
[ *] Additional Rec: None
[ *] Interview: Seemed to go really well - we were on the same wavelength, he really likes a capella too!</p>

<p>Other:
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[ *] Country (if international applicant): US
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: F
[ *]Income Bracket: <40K
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection:
[ *] Strengths: Probably my writing, I also submitted a photogrpahy portfolio to demonstrate my artistic ability/dedication to photography
[ *] Weaknesses: SAT scores, I felt they were below par
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably a combination of EC’s and essays
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Rutgers SEAS, SAS, and SEBS, waiting for UChic decision</p>

<p>[/list][ b]General Comments:** To everyone who is waiting to hear back, or is applying to other colleges, please do not fret too much. It’s more than anything about what you make of where you go, rather than where you go itself. If you possess the will and drive, you WILL make it in life, and you will go far. Be happy and you will end up where you belong.</p>

82

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[/list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (780 w)
[</em>] SAT II: 800 math 2, 780 US History
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.79
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 23/509
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology 5, US Gov 4, Calc AB 4
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Lit, Honors Senior Social Sciences, Honors Statistics
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[ul]**
Subjective:[list] National Merit Semifinalist
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Eagle Scout, Senior patrol leader in boy scouts, FBLA, NHS, Scholastic Scrimmage, Etc.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 2 mission trips
[<em>] Summer Activities: xbox
[</em>] Essays: sucked
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: one decent one generic
[</em>] Counselor Rec: generic
[<em>] Additional Rec: lame
[</em>] Interview: nope[/ul][ b]
Other**[list]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] School Type: crappy public
[<em>] Ethnicity: white
[</em>] Gender: male
[<em>]Income Bracket: 100k
[</em>] Strengths: scores only
[<em>] Weaknesses: essays, recs, lack of passion or personality apparently
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: too cool for penn</p>

83

<p>Decision: Accepted (Nursing) !!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 740 math, 740 reading, 780 writing (2260 overall, one sitting)
[</em>] ACT: didn’t take it
[<em>] SAT II: 760 US History, 750 Biology-E, 710 Math II, 670 Math I
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/527
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 (US History, Biology, Calculus AB)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Human Geo, AP Stats, AP English, AP Physics B, Orchestra
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, State Math Finalist, AP Scholar, some state math awards…nothing big.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Red Cross Club (Founder, President), Math Club Team (Secretary, Treasurer, State Rep), Orchestra (first violin, played for 12 years), Nurse Camp, Academic Coaches, National Honor Society (whatever this is), etc.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Private tutor!
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at local blood centers for 3 years and through my club.
[<em>] Summer Activities: Went to Peru to volunteer in a clinic for mentally and physically disabled children as a Nurse’s Assistant. Also participated in a nursing camp at one of the best nursing schools in the states.
[</em>] Essays: Main common app was about my first day shadowing nurses…and how the lady i saw was covered from head to foot in a red, unknown rash. Optional was about how I love fishing. EC was about volunteering in Peru, and why penn? was about my 4 day visitation to Penn, my leadership, what i felt about the professors, and potential clubs/research I wanted to do. i tried to make penn sound not only perfect for me, but show that i was perfect for it (:
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: one was from my club advisor (she said she had nothing bad to write about me so im guessing it was good), and the other was from my english teacher who knew about my desire to become a nurse.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: great! i think.
[<em>] Additional Rec: nooope
[</em>] Interview: had an interview with the nursing director when i visited a few weeks ago, but i didnt get a “normal” interview.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): PNW
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: large public
[</em>] Ethnicity: asian
[<em>] Gender: female
[</em>]Income Bracket: <$100,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: my ECs, GPA?, recs, obvious interest in nursing
[<em>] Weaknesses: sat II, essays (i procrastinated until the week before…), rank,
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m truly interested in nursing and really showed my passion. I also think my personality really showed through my essays. The one reccomendation I read was glowing, which probably definitely helped.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Penn was the first and last school! WHOOT![/li][/ul]**General Comments: I think passion is undeniable. stats matter, but penn is accepting students, not brains. so love what you do, show who you are, and remember, college isnt everything! good luck <3</p>

<p>oh, and if you’re a prospective student, feel free to contact me! i would love to help (: **</p>

84

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (740 CR 710 M 730 W)
[</em>] ACT: 32 (but didn’t send)
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 700 Lit, 740 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.68 UW
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Psych, AP Comp Gov, AP Compsci, AP Stats, AP US History, AP Chinese
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): IB French Ab Initio (6/7)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Calc AB, AP Econ (macro/micro), AP Bio, IB French Ab Initio Yr. 2
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, AP Scholar with Distinction, FIRST Robotics Winner, Merit Scholarship Commended Student[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (3 years, treasurer), Student magazine (founded, editor-in-chief), Literary magazine (published content, on editing staff), Engineering Club, MUN, Debate club, Writing Center (finalist in two school-wide competitions and ESOL tutor), published writer (submitted and published in magazines like TeenInk, school magazine), took journalism for two years
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: two summer internships at two local magazines (published many pieces in their respective magazines, online and in print)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Roots and Shoots (4 years, committee leader), Hope Well (3 years, vice president), Relay for Life (4 years), Habitat for Humanity, Elementary tutoring
[</em>] Summer Activities: internships
[<em>] Essays: I thought they were pretty good, but I had to take some risks with them to make up for my grades, so maybe those risks backfired.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Guessing that one is decent, one just good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Really great, she really likes me
[</em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview: Pretty good, although I spoke too fast</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): China
[<em>] School Type: private school, around 160 class size
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: I think my personality really came through in my essays and my counselor love them. I really tried to convey my passion for Penn, but. :confused:
[</em>] Weaknesses: Grades and SAT scores, definitely. And maybe the fact that I want to go into journalism and Penn doesn’t have journalism as a major (BUT in my essays, I explained that it would be a perfect way to jumpstart my career as a journalist through the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Kelly Writer’s House and internships and other stuff. I also used lots of examples of Penn alumni going into journalism and talking about how much Penn actually helped, incl. stuff about Annenberg grad school as a resource)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Grades. SATs. Possibly teacher recs?
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nothing else yet.
[/ul]</p>

<p>**General Comments: ** Disappointed that I wasn’t at least deferred (I GUESS THEY DIDNT SEE ANY POTENTIAL IN ME), but congrats to those who did! One day I will print that rejection letter in my very own magazine and send a couple dozen copies to Penn.</p>

85

<p>Decision:Accepted
School applied to:M&T</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):Didn’t Take
[</em>] ACT:35 (35 English, 35 Math, 34 Reading, 35 Science)
[<em>] SAT II:760 Math II, 760 Chemistry, 740 Physics
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):7/350ish
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):One 5 (Chemistry) and two 4’s (English Language and Physics B)(Five tests pending)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:5 AP Classes (Statistics, Calc BC, Biology, Literature, Environmental Science), Piano
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):AP Scholar</p>[/li]
<p>[ /list]Subjective:[list]
[<em>] Extracurriculars: (place leadership in parenthesis):Basketball Team(Freshman and JV), Varsity Track and Field (Sophomore), 5th Place in Optics at Regional Science Olympiad, Key Club, Link Crew
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Crew Member at McDonald’s, promoted to Crew Trainer, 1500+ hours
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: About 90 Hours through Key Club
[</em>] Summer Activities: None
[<em>] Essays: Nothing special, my common app one was alright(very personal) but the why penn one focused on me too much, rather than the actual university. The M&T one was very specific about my future career goals.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Well, I didn’t see them, but I imagine they were pretty good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: My counselor is very reluctant to work outside of her contractual hours, so probably generic and poorly written.
[</em>] Additional Rec: One of my managers at Mickey D’s sent a letter in, and I think that might have been the deciding factor.
[li] Interview:None</p>[/li]
<p>[ /list]Other[list]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):Michigan
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Good ol’ US of A
[<em>] School Type: Large Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: I don’t even know
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):First Gen, didn’t apply for financial aid?</p>[/li]
<p>[ /list]Reflection[list]
[<em>] Strengths: ACT rec’s, and GPA, that’s about it
[</em>] Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, essays,
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The essays and recs probably played the biggest role.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ED Applicant</p>

<p>[ /list]**General Comments:**I hope I’m not dreaming…</p>

86

<p>As the tally goes…
28/52 Accepted - 11 Deferred - 54% Acceptance Rate</p>

87

<p>Decision: Accepted (Wharton)!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 - 800 math, 740 reading, 760 writing (superscore)
ACT: didn’t take it
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 US History, 720 Spanish, 690 Chinese
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): we only have weighted (4.67)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 (Music Theory, US History, Calc BC, Microeconomics, Psychology, Lang/Comp)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Lit/Comp, AP Spanish Language, Honors Calc 3/Diff Eq, AP Physics C, AP Prob/Stat
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): LRSM for piano, AP Scholar with Distinction, 2011 NJ Outstanding 4-H’er, piano awards</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society (treasurer), Spanish Honor Society (VP), Mu Alpha Theta (secretary), Kids Helping Kids Club (president), piano, swimming, Student Council for 4-H (VP)
Job/Work Experience: Tutor, Chinese School teacher
Volunteer/Community service: 300 hours for 4-H, teaching disabled children how to swim, tutoring
Summer Activities: Went to Taiwan and helped National Paralympics team, summer online courses, camp counselor
Essays: common app about Taiwan experience last summer, extracurricular essay about piano, tried to make a convincing Penn argument…guess it worked!
Teacher Recommendation: one from math teacher and one from physics teacher - nothing that special
Counselor Rec: probably better than average, but not sure
Additional Rec: piano teacher
Interview: interviewed with woman who dealt with health care policy, more conversational than an interview</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: GPA, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: SAT, average recommendation letters
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: good why penn essay, being well-rounded
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rutgers
General Comments: super super exciting! :smiley: it was so surreal. i guess you never really know whether you’ll be accepted or rejected. keep hoping and everyone here will go where they’re meant to be :)</p>

88

<p>Decision: Accepted (Wharton)</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (790 M 800 W 710 CR)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II 780 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), Biology (5), World History (5), US History (5), Statistics (4), Literature (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Chem, AP Gov, AP Lang, AP Calc, AP Spanish, honors wind ensemble
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): University of Rochester Young Leaders Award[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Interact club (president), Spanish Club, Math Team, History Club (president), NHS (president), Mock Trial (president), DECA, Marching Band (Section Leader), Wind Ensemble (First Chair)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Internship with Congressman, Internship with political committee, Job at mortgage banker, tutor
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: volunteer at hospital, volunteer at nursing home, volunteer at library
[<em>] Summer Activities: harvard summer school
[</em>] Essays: common app essay was very strong supplement was strong but way too long (900 words), showed passion
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: strong
[</em>] Counselor Rec: didn’t see
[<em>] Additional Rec: work rec
[</em>] Interview:[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[li] School Type: Public</p>[/li]
<p>[<em>] Ethnicity: South Asian
[</em>] Gender: F
[<em>]Income Bracket: >200,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: leadership, recs, passion
[</em>] Weaknesses: length of essay, sent in past low sat’s
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I HAVE NO IDEAAA BUT IM HAPPY
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] i only heard back from fordham so far!
General Comments: SO INSANELY EXCITED I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!! CONGRATS TO EVERYONEEE WOOO</p>

89

<p>Decision: Accepted–CAS</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2220 (780CR/690M/740W)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 760 Bio M, 740 Spanish, 730 US History, 670 Chem
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.38W (school doesn’t do UW, but approximately 3.78)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/220
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish (5), Chem (4), Enviro (4), English Lang (4), US History (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous. Ap calc bc, ap bio, ap mandarin, ap psych, ap English lit, honors anat & phys 2
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):AP Scholar w. distinction, 3x gold medalist national Spanish exam, writing contest award winner[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chinese club (pres), JSA/Debate (vice pres), NHS, Science Olympiad, soccer, tennis, indoor track, Spanish club
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked two jobs at once, three jobs total over HS career
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 150+ hours including hospital internship
[</em>] Summer Activities: hospital internship, working
[<em>] Essays: Common app: very good and funny, “Why penn?”: straightforward but good, Optional: terrible. Boring and terrible.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: 1 average, 1 amazing
[<em>] Counselor Rec: pretty good
[</em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview:[/ul] It was alright. There were great parts and not-so-great parts…</p>[/li]
<p>Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: 60-75K
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] First gen
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: SAT, required essays, hardship, first gen
[<em>] Weaknesses: Rank, GPA, optional essay
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably my low GPA and bad class rank. I explained it in the additional information section that it was due to financial, family, and health circumstances that caused me to miss a lot of school. Probably a lack of pizazz in my EC’s, too. There were just better qualified people than me.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted to Rutgers, waiting on UChicago and Northeastern EA…[/li]General Comments:
OH MY GOD. I wrote this last night, almost knowing I was going to get rejected.
I AM SO HAPPY. Class of 2016, I’ll see you there. To those rejected/deferred… hope for the best. Everything will work out.
And seriously, to any of you future applicants looking at this right now, DO NOT GIVE UP. I’m the third Ivy acceptance from my school in the last decade and I was 21/220 at a MEDIOCRE PUBLIC SCHOOL. Do. Not. Give. Up.</p>

90

<p>Accepted cas!!!</p>

91

<p>Decision: Accepted SEAS</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800 M, 770 R, 730 W, 10 essay)
[</em>] ACT: 35
[<em>] SAT II: 780 Chemistry, 790 Biology, 780 Math II, 750 US/World History, 800 Chinese
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/1323
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, Environmental Science, BC Calculus, English Language, French Language, US History, World History, European History. All 5s except French (3)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: all AP, Physics C, Statistics, Chemistry, English Literature, Government, Microeconomics
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Competition Semifinalist, AP National Scholar, FBLA awards[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Siemens Competition, Intel STS, TJSHS, ISEF
LASER Club
Key Club (Treasurer)
Materials Science Research at university
Publication in Nanomaterials journal
FBLA
Engineering Club
National Honor Society
French National Honor Society (VP)
French Club (Treasurer)
UIL Science Team
Organization of Young Environmental Activists (Treasurer)
Band (squad leader, quit after 10th)
Habitat for Humanity
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: n/a
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 200+ volunteer hours at local teen court as attorney
300+ hours community service total
[</em>] Summer Activities: summer research at university lab
[<em>] Essays: pretty good, I had a grammar error in my first one though
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Both were really good, I can say for sure
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Really good also
[</em>] Additional Rec: n/a
[<em>] Interview: went well! he liked me
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[<em>] School Type: bigass public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: $150,000+
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none [/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: good writing, demonstrated interest in the major i picked, grades
[<em>] Weaknesses: no leadership, not enough devotion to ECs
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No freaking clue, probably teacher recs + siemens semifinalist award? [/ul]</p>

92

<p>Does anyone know the acceptance rate for the people in this thread only? I’m too lazy to go through each :(</p>

93

<p>Decision: Accepted Wharton</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): CR:750 M:800 W:680 Total:2230
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: Math II: 800, Physics: 760
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): (school only does weighted, around a 3.8 i think?)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro: 5
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): Haven’t taken exams yet
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Very rigorous, full IB, 4 highers
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Will do this later
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: One week work experience with international company
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered in Namibia for a month, spent a year fundraising
[<em>] Summer Activities: Namibia
[</em>] Essays: Very strong
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Probably very good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: good
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview:[/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Swedish, but live in UK
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket:
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths:SAT, essays
[<em>] Weaknesses: Extra-curriculars, GPA
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul][/li]General Comments: :smiley: :smiley: :D</p>

94

<p>[size=+2]Decision: Accepted Wharton<a href="(Rejected%20M&T)">/size</a></p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (800CR, 740M, 680W)
[</em>] ACT: nope
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math-II, 770 Math-I, 800 Modern Hebrew
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): dunno. Weighted is 108.7 out of 100.
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): None
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): None (I’m from Israel)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): -
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: I’m 21 :slight_smile:
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):[/li]- 4 year military service (3 mandatory; 1 for the extremely prestigious program I was in) in intelligence corps. Served in the Israeli military’s elite technological unit as an NCO and commander.

  • 3 years (10th-12th) of prominent leadership positions in the Israeli Scouts. In senior year, I was co-director a 900-member scout tribe (this was way more than a full time job, and I still managed to do well in school)
  • In addition to leadership positions in the scouts, I headed many construction projects (they are impressive – I emailed an admissions rep some pics and got a very positive reaction; submitted my designs as an addendum, as I was instructed)
  • During my military service, I founded (w/ friends and two software engineers we hired) a tech startup for mobile payments. Eventually, it ended up failing (but I learned a lot from the experience, and wrote an essay about it).
  • School Robotics Team</p>

<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience: between graduation and enlistment, worked for three months full time as a shift manager at a pizza place.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Head of volunteer work at the scouts (couldn’t even count the hrs; probably thousands)
[<em>] Summer Activities: scouts
[</em>] Essays:

  • CommonApp essay tells the story of how I founded my company.
  • M&T one talks about my service and dreams of getting into the field of VC.
  • Penn essay about my passion for building and engineering.
    [<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Fantastic
    [</em>] Counselor Rec: Superb
    [<em>] Additional Rec: Commanding officer and scout boss were both amazing.
    [</em>] Interview:[/ul] Did not interview …</p>

<p>Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Israel
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White-Jewish
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths:

  • Military service and ECs in general.
  • Essays should’ve been great
  • Legacy
    [</em>] Weaknesses: SAT wasn’t great, no science subject test
    [<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Don’t know why I got rejected by M&T. Pretty bummed out about it, though.
    [</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]</p>

<p>General Comments: Be yourself and all that other fake crap people spew out after this process …</p>

95

<p>Last tally for awhile
34/58 Accepted - 11 Deferred - 59% Acceptance Rate</p>

96

<p>Decision: Rejected SEAS BioEngineering</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 590 Reading, 720 Math, 740 Writing, 9 Essay (2050 SuperScore)
[</em>] ACT: 27 Reading, 27 Science, 32 English, 34 Math (30 Composite)
[<em>] SAT II: Biology M: 650, Math 2: 710, Math 1: 760
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/211
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (1), Calculus AB (3), English Language (3)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature and Composition, AP United States History, Honors Physics, Honors Theology 4, MAT 128 Applied Statistics (Saint Joseph’s University First Semester), PSY 201 Biological Bases of Behavior (Saint Joseph’s University First Semester), MAT 137 Ethnomathematics (Saint Joseph’s University Second Semester), PSY 212 Multicultural Psychology (Saint Joseph’s University Second Semester)</p>

<p>[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul][ b]Subjective:**[ul] Archdiocese of Philadelphia Diocesan Scholars Program (St. Joseph’s University), Accepted to the University of Pennsylvania Young Scholars Program (Introduction to Experimental Psychology (PSY 001) A-), Philadelphia Catholic Mathematics League Certificate of Merit for Top Score in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Varsity Mathletes, 2011 Leadership Award for Assistance in the International Eye Cataract Surgery Project, Montgomery County Community College Certificate of Appreciation for Volunteerism in Montgomery Education Equity Summit
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Band (Trumpet, Glockenspiel, Celesta, Xylophone), Junior Varsity Mathletes (Top Scorer), Drama Club Technology Crew, Varsity Mathletes (Top Scorer), National Honor Society (President), Student Ambassador Program (Member of Executive Board)</p>

<p>[li] Job/Work Experience: -</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Volunteer/Community service: Montgomery Hospital Volunteering in Escort Services and Emergency Room Services, International Cataract Surgery Project Khambhat, Gujarat State, India, Volunteering to Assist the Philadelphia University OTA Program Online Biology Course, Qwick Stop Esso Gas Station, Stocking Inventory and Changing Soap in Car Wash (Lindsay, ON, Canada), Vadtal Dham Temple New Jersey Volunteer Work, Purchasing and Delivering a Monthly Supply of Fruits and Vegetables, Helping Assist Others to Fix Their Computers (Hardware or Software)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Summer Activities: COD, drums, UPenn Young Scholars Program, test prep (that didn’t work too well), vacationing, lots of prayer</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Essays: Not too bad</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Teacher Recommendation: One was from UPenn doctoral candidate for Psychology, and other was from Honors Chemistry teacher. Chem one got me into the Young Scholars Program, so that one was most likely amazing. Not sure on the other one.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Counselor Rec: Amazing. All of the counselors know me.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Additional Rec: How do I even put another recommendation on there? I just submitted my Calculus teacher (also Mathletes moderator) and my Latin teacher (loves me).</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Interview:[/ul]Other[ul] Interview was freakin awesome.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania ¶</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Country (if international applicant): -</p>[/li]
<p>[li] School Type: Small, Catholic School. Believe it or not, my 2050 was in the top ten SAT scores this year and my 30 was trumped by a 31. Fascinating, right? I’m one of two students who applied to an Ivy League College. Last year, a girl got into UPenn Nursing (but they have a crazy high acceptance rate), but she turned it down for Villanova because she had the Presidential Scholarship. A kid got into Duke for Javelin, and someone else might have gotten into Notre Dame. The school only offers seven or so AP classes, and the requirements to take the AP classes are so ridiculous that a person can’t even take all of them. You know how some students take 5 AP’s in one year? That’s the most we can do across all four years. And the AP teachers are not qualified to teach AP if hardly any of their students do well. My parents wanted me to get the best education by putting me in a private school. They put me in a Catholic School instead of a college prep school. And look what happened. I let everyone down. [Pope</a> John Paul High School](<a href=“http://www.pjphs.org%5DPope”>http://www.pjphs.org)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Ethnicity: East Indian (Born in America, both parents are from India.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Gender: Male</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Income Bracket: I’m not even sure anymore, but we didn’t apply for financial aid because “We wouldn’t qualify for it”</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]Reflection[ul] Indian Male applying to an Ivy League College with borderline Ivy League SAT and ACT scores. So, nothing. Most likely why I didn’t get in.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Strengths: Indian, UPenn Young Scholars Program, Diocesan Scholars Program, GPA, Rank, Interview</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Weaknesses: Essays, Test Scores, Awards</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I didn’t know about UPenn until I was a sophomore. Maybe if I had heard of them earlier, I would have done more to ensure a spot in their class of 2016.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul][ b]General Comments:** Accepted Drexel with AJ Drexel Scholarship and Honors Program. (I really don’t want to go there anymore.) </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Comments: I just wish my school had emphasized the requirements of an Ivy League college. We shouldn’t have to find out this stuff the hard way. I just found out about Olympiads on Thursday. Like thanks for telling us that pretty much every Ivy League student does things that their school offers. Then the school yells at us because we don’t stand out. Thanks for the support, guys! smh I’ll be back when I apply as a transfer. I’ll definitely apply here for med school. </p>[/li]
<p>Thanks to CollegeConfidential for helping me make the most of my application!</p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! Keep up the great work, everyone!</p>

97

<p>**Decision: Accepted CAS **</p>

<pre><code> Objective:
[li] SAT I (breakdown):2330 superscore[/li][li] ACT:[/li][li] SAT II:760 Bio, 700 Math II, 730 Chem[/li][li] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0[/li][li] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):n/a[/li][li] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5) Physics C (4) European History (5) Bio (5) Lang and Comp (5) AP Chemistry (4)[/li]
[li] Senior Year Course Load: AP gov, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science[/li][li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction[/li][li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Soceity (board member), Community Service Club , Habitat for Humanity (treasurer)[/li][li] Job/Work Experience: Clothing store[/li][li] Volunteer/Community service: Hospital volunteer[/li][li] Summer Activities: volunteer work abroad, internship at Penn[/li][li] Essays: excellent![/li][li] Teacher Recommendation: one good, one generic[/li][li] Counselor Rec: generic[/li][li] Additional Rec: n/a[/li][li] Interview: pretty good[/li][li] State (if domestic applicant): NY[/li][li] Country (if international applicant):[/li][li] School Type: large public[/li][li] Ethnicity: White/Asian [/li][li] Gender: F[/li][li]Income Bracket: $200,000[/li][li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none[/li][li] Strengths: Essays, GPA, SAT[/li][li] Weaknesses: extracurricular leadership[/li][li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: essays :)[/li]
General Comments: SOoooooo excited!!
</code></pre>

98

<p>Decision: Accepted CAS</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2280- 780 CR 740 M 760 W
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 790 US History, 760 Math II
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no class rank, top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Lang & Comp (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: French 4 Honors, American Foreign Policy Honors, AP Chem, Peers, AP Calc AB, Spanish 5 Honors, AP Lit & Comp, AP Gov
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ROGATE bronze award for research on siblings of autistic children (9), ROGATE gold award (11), numerous policy debate and model un awards including best speaker 2010-2011 season, National Merit Commended Student, a couple of minor french and community service awards</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Varsity Debate Team (Co-Captain)
-Key Club (Co-President 11 and 12)
-Model UN (President 12, Vice President 11)
-One Acts (Treasurer)
-Student Organization (Representative)
-Biannual Coffeehouse (Co-chairman)
-Varsity Swim Team (Manager)
-Chemistry Olympics Team
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Academic tutor, Red Cross certified babysitter, Camp counselor (summer 2010)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: There’s a lot. I’ve organized a lot of fundraisers for Key Club, but my family and I are also heavily involved in autism advocacy work.
[</em>] Summer Activities: New Jersey Scholars Program (2011)- selected after a highly competitive application process to be one of 39 high school juniors to participate in a program on human rights; Sorbonne University in Paris (2010)- took Art History and Intermediate French classes for college credit in Paris for 5 weeks
[<em>] Essays: My Common App essay was probably the best essay I’ve ever written. My activities paragraph was also really good. I thought that my Why Penn essay showed why I love the school and why it would be a great fit for me. The only problem was that it was way over the word limit :(. My optional essay was also really good, I just talked about my personality in non-academic settings.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: I didn’t see either of them, but I know that one of them was fantastic and that the other one was also probably very good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Great! She loves me haha. She also told me that she made a special letter for Penn that mentioned that it’s been my top choice since she first met me freshman year (which is 100% true).
[</em>] Additional Rec: No additional rec, but I sent in newspaper article that was written about me and my work with autism advocacy.
[li] Interview: It went really well!</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public; one of the top 3 public schools in the state
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: ECs, debate team awards, New Jersey Scholars Program, rigorous course load, essays, legacy.
[</em>] Weaknesses: My school typically doesn’t do well with Penn acceptances, and my grades are good but not as good as students who been accepted from my school in the past.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m so excited! I put a lot of effort into my essays and work really hard in school and for all of my EC’s and I think that it showed.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: Seeing “Hurrah, hurrah Pennsylvania” on my screen yesterday was one of the greatest feelings ever. I love Penn and I’M SO HAPPY! Congrats to everyone who got in!</p>

99

<p>PLEASE JOIN THE GROUP IF YOU WERE ACCEPTED !</p>

<p>[Log</a> In | Facebook](<a href=“http://www.facebook.com/groups/142784095831131/]Log”>University of Pennsylvania Class of 2016 | Facebook)</p>

100

<p>**Decision: Rejected CAS **</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 680 CR 800 M 740 W (2220)
[</em>] ACT: n/a
[<em>] SAT II: 730 Chemistry 760 Math II
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Deciles (Top 10%)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History(3), Chemistry(3), English Language (3), US History (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs (Biology, BC Calc, English, French 5), 1 Accelerated History, 2 choir classes
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing national, but some from high school…2 choir awards (9th and 11th grade), Outstanding Asian American Award (Pennsylvania), Talent Show first place. NFHCA Academic Squad (Field Hockey), AP Scholar with Honor
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Field Hockey (3 Letters, Senior Captain), Newspaper(News Editor, Managing Editor), Choir (Select women’s choir since freshman year, select co-ed choir Junior and Senior year), Desi Club (South asian dance club, President two years, choreographer one year), Spring Musical(Principal Role Junior Year, waiting on this year), Muslim Youth Group of Pittsburgh (VP and P), University of Pittsburgh Health Careers Scholars Academy (Gov School), Marine Biology Apprenticeship…
okay, don’t feel like listing anymore…
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: +120 hospital hours, annual soup kitchen visits with youth group
[<em>] Summer Activities: Pitt Gov School, NSLC (National Student Leadership Conference for Medicine and Health Care)
[</em>] Essays: Common App - about balancing Pakistani and American culture
didn’t know it would be such a redundant topic until weeks after I submitted my app
newspaper sponsor said it was well written…AP English teacher was the one that recommended I use it for colleges</p>

<p>I thought my Why Penn was pretty decent too but I guess not
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: 1 AP English(great), 1 AP Calc AB(great)
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Decent I guess
[<em>] Additional Rec: Choir director, pretty good
[</em>] Interview: Thought it went well…
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[</em>] School Type: Large Public (450 per class)
[<em>] Ethnicity: Pakistani, South Asian, ORM
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>]Income Bracket: not considered for financial aid
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Musical aspect? none really I guess
[<em>] Strengths: ECs, recommendations
[</em>] Weaknesses: Scores not amazing, GPA
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: It’s really about getting the best from each high school. The kid that got in from my school has a 2390 SAT and 4.6 GPA…enough said.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] University of Pittsburgh Honors, Duquesne University Medical Scholars Program (got called for first interview)
General Comments:
I guess I probably should have expected this…my scores and GPA are nothing special and I don’t have any crazy national awards to push me over the line. 5 kids including me applied from my school and one got in…they seriously take the best from each school because they have to have the diversity of students coming in from all over the world. Be careful where you apply ED, especially in relation to who else from you’re school is applying…</p>

<p>I thought my unique application would give me some edge. I thought I would be a different applicant with all of my musical/performing arts related extracurriculars. I don’t have that many APs because choir classes take up so much space. I’ll have 9 by graduation, I’m sure that played a role. I thought my interest in Penn definitely showed, but I guess it doesn’t matter.</p>

<p>Advice??? ------ Obsess over a school all you want up to the day that the application must be submitted. There is no use falling in love with a school even more after you’re app is already in…from that point on, you’re future is in the admissions committees hands. Don’t fall too hard for a school! Trust me, it hurts when you’re favorite school doesn’t catch you. </p>

<p>Also, its all about the context of your high school! It’s like I said, schools like Penn (consider basically any top 30 school in the US) need diversity in terms of geography so it is unlikely that they will take many kids from the same school. Keep that in mind…you’re biggest competition are the kids sitting right next to you in class.</p>

<p>Penn is evidently all about scores too, look at this thread. </p>

<p>As hard as it for me to say, Congrats 2016 Quakers! You obviously deserve it. </p>

<p>To Deferred ---- I know many of you think a rejection is preferred, but it would be nice to know that they didn’t look at my app for 15 minutes and throw it out. At least you still have a shot in the RD round! Keep those senior grades up and 10% of you will get a spot. </p>

<p>To Rejected ---- Okay guys, I know this REALLLLLLY sucks. Please remember that you are not alone! Use this opportunity to take another look at your application…work on RD apps to get your mind off Penn. And honestly? Just forget about Penn. It’s their loss, no yours!</p>