<p>My son got a 34 on the ACT's, has SAT2's of 800, 800, 760, and 730. His weighted GPA is 4.95 which is in the top 2 to 3% in his class. He is also a legacy at Penn. What are the chances of him getting in ED and Regular admissions?</p>
<p>We’ve been told that test scores, GPA, and class ranking constitutes only a portion of what Penn or other top school will evaulate. Even so, your son’s scores should give him a great chance of being accepted, assuming his other factors are as strong. Penn seems to appreciate ED applicants, especially legacies, so I’d think he’d have a very strong chance at getting in ED. RD is always more difficult to gauge. Several people with your son’s stats weren’t accepted RD this year, so I’d encourage ED if Penn is truly his first option.</p>
<p>Looks like he has great stats, so his chances are probably as good as anyone’s! In order for the legacy to be an effective factor, I think he’ll have to apply ED. Good luck!</p>
<p>But keep in mind for Penn, like for all highly selective colleges, that they turn away many more qualified people than they accept. Even if you apply ED, you can’t be guaranteed admission, and have to be looking at backup schools and keeping on top of applications. If you get deferred or rejected ED, you don’t want to have to be scrambling for what other schools to look at and what other essays to write during your disappointment.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I’d say a very good chance as a legacy, but he MUST apply ED.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Penn does not value legacy unless you apply ED.</p>
<p>Do you think he has a reasonable shot at HYS?</p>
<p>Based on those stats, yes.</p>
<p>His concern is that if he doesnt apply to Penn ED and applies to HYP and Penn RD he may be rejected from all. He prefers H and P slightly over Penn but is afraid of taking a gamble of not getting in to any of them. His legacy is somewhat comforting</p>
<p>No unconnected kid has much of a shot at HYS. Getting into any of them not being val, unless the school is Exeter or you live in Alaska, is highly unlikely. This is where Penn has you, he’ll get in ED but if he shoots higher he most probably gets into none. An age old story.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation pretty much. I ended up applying RD, got into Penn, but also got into Princeton!</p>
<p>Good chances, but (in my opinion) extracurriculars/essays/recs tend to be the determining factors in top-tier college admissions once applicants have crossed a certain SAT/GPA threshold (ie 2250+, 3.8ish+ UW GPA). What’s he involved in?
Bottom line: yes, your son is qualified based on pure statistics, but so are the thousands of other applicants who apply. Like the others have said, he’d probably have a better chance ED, especially considering the fact that he’s a legacy and that ED shows commitment to the college, which makes them more likely to accept the applicant.</p>
<p>He’s done some community service including a program in Australia/New Zealand, JV sports and is involved in science research. He will be spending this summer at BU doing research on Alzheimers disease and preparing for the Intel Science Competition. Not to many leadership roles.</p>
<p>Which school is he applying to at Penn?</p>
<p>Arts and Sciences. Wants to pursue medicine</p>
<p>If it’s not his first choice, I’d recommend not applying ED.</p>
<p>Since you or your spouse went to Penn, I’d have the honest discussion with them as opposed to listening to the high school kids without a clue posting here.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone</p>