Paranoid prospective who would love your opinion

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hi there! I’ve been wandering CC lately, and curiosity got the best of me. I don’t know if I should be paying my dues to posting but I thought, hey, I’ll be a little ambitious and post some stats, just to see if anyone responds. :-)</p>

<p>I will be applying to Penn for the class of '12 (currently a Junior), Wharton as an International Business/Finance major. I would love to be in the Huntsman program as well.</p>

<p>Chances? Here are my numbers:</p>

<p>I’m a girl. I’m Chinese. I live in Arizona. I attend a strong public school but it’s nothing ridiculous. We typically send a good 20some people out of state and to ivy leagues, but each graduating class has about 700 people.</p>

<p>PSAT: 230 (05), 240 (06).
SAT: my first SAT scores come out Thursday!
SAT II: 790 Chinese
AP: 6 this year, plan on testing in all 6; 4-5 next year. In total only 15ish are offered at my school.
GPA: 4.0 unweighted
RANK: 11/699. (technically, I am third. We have eight valedictorians, two salutorians, and each of us are separated by ONE point)</p>

<p>Various ECs: Speech and Debate (9th-11th) Speech Captain. Constant Semi-finalist at local tournaments, recently placed 6th in one of them. Founded a club (but it’s way laid-back, not that exciting). Clubs: NHS, Gifted Students’ Club</p>

<p>Violin since age 5, quit school orchestra last year, still in a volunteer community orchestra. During my two years in the school orchestra, I was Secretary, earned 2 Varsity Letters, 2-time Regional Violinist, won a Solo and Ensemble competition with a perfect score.</p>

<p>Volunteer at the library reading to little kids. Spanish tutor.</p>

<p>Sales Associate at OfficeMax.</p>

<p>SUMMER: CONGRESSIONAL INTERN (best experience of my LIFE, and pretty much the only gold star on my resume…)</p>

<p>also attended NSLC Law & Advocacy.</p>

<p>Your opinion on my chances for Penn would be greatly appreciated, along with any pointers you can offer. How much can having a job weigh in the decision? Thanks!!</p>

2

<p>Juuuust noticed an actual "Chances" thread. Sorry. :-) Accept my apology for being in the wrong place. I'm going to go repost there. If you'd like to send along your opinion, that'd be fabulous still!</p>

3

<p>2400 (240 PSAT) = great chance.</p>

<p>good ranking. If congressional intern is a really good thing, then u are almost guaranteed in. I don't know much about that program, so I dont know how much of a weight it will hold. but if its like those summer programs u pay $3,000 for and go to, it might not help much.</p>

<p>good luck :)</p>

4

<p>No thanks, we have enough paranoids here.
<a href="http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/02/14/News/Law-Student.Left.Nyu.Cause.Unknown-2718663.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/02/14/News/Law-Student.Left.Nyu.Cause.Unknown-2718663.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>
[quote]
2400 (240 PSAT) = great chance.

[/quote]

I disagree. Take a look at the ED decisions thread.</p>

6

<p>Thanks! :-) And, yes, I am aware that the PSAT won't help me that much. But I guess an accomplishment is an accomplishment?</p>

7

<p>honest opinion- middle of the pack, there are lots of people just like you</p>

8

<p>Advantages:
[ul]
[<em>] Nothing wrong quantitatively: great stats.
[</em>] Part-time job: demonstrates initiative and responsibility.
[<em>] Congressional internship: impressive.
[</em>] Geographic location: there aren't that many applicants from AZ.
[/ul]</p>

<p>Disadvantages:
[ul]
[<em>] TAA (Typical Asian Applicant): classical musician, rigorous curriculum, good grades and SAT scores. Nothing in particular stands out.
[</em>] No national recognition: this isn't a requirement, but next year is going to be intense in terms of college admissions.
[li] Overall academic aura: again, not a total detriment. But Wharton has a practical curriculum; the school is looking for potential leaders who want to make an impact on society, rather than all-academic intellectuals.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Initiatives you can take to improve your chances:
[ul]
[<em>] Work on winning more debate awards at the state/national level.
[</em>] Dedicate more time and attention to the club that you've started.
[<em>] If possible, visit Penn overnight. The Huntsman office coordinates these visits in October of your senior year.
[</em>] Write a stellar "Why Penn" essay; this factor is critical to admission.
[<em>] Pursue something impressive this summer--an internship or selective program (e.g. TASP, RSI, etc.) is always a good option.
[</em>] Got writing skills? Enter national essay contests for recognition and scholarship money. Plus, you learn a lot in the research process.
[/ul]</p>

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<p>well maybe I was speaking from personal experience, b/c the SAT was my weakest aspect. but I still think u have a good chance regardless because u have some notable e/c's</p>

<p>yes u are asian...but Penn does accept asians :P</p>

10

<p>Yes, Penn accepts some Asians (I being one of them), but certainly not all. Thus, it's critical that she stands out in the pool.</p>

11

<p>Thanks! :-) especially Chaotic for being so detailed. SAT scores just came out for me today: 780 CR/M, 690 W. 2250 composite... not what I had hoped for but not a big disappointment. Do you know what Penn's policy is on the SAT? And do you think I should retake it in attempts to be closer to my PSAT score (for National Merit)?</p>

12

<p>Retake if you think you can bring up that writing score. What did you get on the essay because that is probably the easiest to bring up? I can PM you some hints to help you get atleast a 10 (assuming you did poorly on the essay because you aced the grammar on the PSAT). Penn takes your best subscores, so if you get slightly lower in CR and/or Math, it wont hurt you.</p>

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<p>I think I could bring it up. But I plan on applying to different colleges, all of which have different policies... Anyway, I got a 10 on the essay, which actually improved my 66 writing subscore! I still can't figure out what happened.</p>

14

<p>Chaotic gave a good analysis. Your scores are fine - just work on bring up the writing score slightly - it will go up the next time you take it. Consider trying the ACT too.</p>

<p>You need to find something that will make you stand out as not being just another stereotypical "Asian female". Instead of entering another violin competition, start a rap group or play Mariachi music. Or out Asian the Asians - study the erhu instead of the violin. Something that will make you seem "cool" and slightly rebellious (just slightly) and not "nerdy". Someone the adcoms would want to have for a friend and not view up on a pedestal (concert stage, debate stage, etc.) Think of what would excite other kids and not your parents.</p>

<p>Wharton and esp. Huntsman likes things that show "leadership" - the congressional internship was good. Try to get more stuff like that. Do something more that shows community involvement in a creative way - teach the violin to the children of illegal immigrants, something that shows you are outward looking and not just directed to self perfection .</p>

15

<p>Hmm... I'll ponder it. Do you think getting a business-oriented internship during the school year could help? Idk what I could do for community involvement.</p>

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<p>If you really want to go, then you should apply early. You have VERY good chances of getting in if you apply early.</p>

<p>I don't see a lot of personality on this profile you've posted. Show your personality in the application. That will give you a real advantage.</p>

17

<p>Hey, awesome stats! I think you'd have a great chance in Huntsman. I am an asian junior trying to get into wharton too. If it helps, I am going to get an internship at a bank next year. THat would REALLY fit you because you're going to be a finance major... so there you go!</p>

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<p>Thanks! (I'm just going to bump this in case anyone new wants to chance me.)</p>

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<p>Phat Albert - No thanks, we have enough paranoids here.
<a href="http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian....-2718663.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian....-2718663.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Geez - is there something about being named Cho ? Given what happened this week it's chilling to read about Penn's Cho. In retrospect, Penn was very lucky that this guy just shot into a door and did not go on a full blown rampage.</p>

20

<p>I'd say you have a good chance @ Penn.
I do not normally post on these threads, but fairly similar stats.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=318524&page=5%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=318524&page=5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Bottom of the page</p>

<p>Got me into Penn/Cornell (Penn with Benjamin Franklin Scholar status and a likely from Cornell) and on Harvard/Stanford waitlists (though they seem to put everyone on those).</p>

<p>Like many have said, try to strengthen your application through more leadership activities and seperate yourself from the crowd in some way. Just had to ensure that you know you do have a chance, and a good one!</p>