Hi i was just wondering if anyone was admitted into penn while having fencing as one of their extracurriculars. I’ve been fencing for about a month now and my coach says I have the potential to go to nationals. I just wanted to know if there was anyone else who was admitted into one because of their accomplishments in fencing?
I’m pretty sure fencing was at least part of why these guys got into Penn: https://pennathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=mfence
In all seriousness, it’s an extracurricular like how playing any high school sport is an extracurricular. If you are capable of playing at Penn, then it becomes much more important to the admissions committee, but you should be in contact with the coach if that’s the case.
We’ve had two kids from our local fencing club recently recruited and admitted to Penn for fencing; but both were members of multiple USA Cadet teams. One was a two-time Junior Olympic Champion and he had a perfect SAT score!
Both these kids started at very young ages (around 10 or so) and practiced under a former Olympic coach 3-4 hours a night, 5 to 6 days a week. Both competed nationally and internationally as high school students.
If you are going into your senior year and have been fencing for just one month it is highly unlikely that you will be a recruited athlete. If you are not a recruited athlete your sport will be regarded as a nice EC – nothing more and nothing less.
UPenn fencing is a Div 1 team. The kids who were recruited have all proven themselves one way or another at the national and most often international levels. One month of fencing and expecting to get recruited into Penn is like a baby who took his first step and expecting to start ballet next week. Fencing is a great sport. Continue doing it if you love it, but don’t do it to get into college. It’s way too late to think of that, and way to early for you to be good enough. Good luck.