Penn App. - Q & A!

<p>There's a supplemental rec??</p>

<p>fatcookie: I just asked about this today. They told me that for a summplemental rec, the person (boss, teacher, coach) picks the format they use. They can type, write, or do it online. There's no form or guidelines they have to follow. Basically, they just write it up and send it. You don't have to fill out an extra form or anything. Just give them an addressed envelope.</p>

<p>26e: I can hear the worry in your voice, lol. You don't have to have a supplemental rec. But if there's a person that can say really nice things about you, and they are not one of your 2 subject teachers, a supp. rec might be a good idea. </p>

<p>looking: I guess try to squeeze it in, still writing neatly of course. Or get another e-mail?</p>

<p>Actually, it was excitement. I was thinking like the superintendant of my old school district, who can explain why my profile is a little weaker than it could be, b/c they didn't have advanced middle school classes. Or is that to whiny?</p>

<p>I think if you ask your guidance counselor to include that in his/her recommendation, adcoms will understand. Recs from others should focus on how awesome of a person, student, colleague, etc. you are!</p>

<p>Q: Would it be bad to say something about Napoleon Dynamite in my application or essays? Lol.. seriously..</p>

<p>celebrian, that's sweet:) Virtual group hug......</p>

<p>26e, I agree with KRabble on this one. Your counselor can explain the situation, and your supp. rec should just scream: Accept this kid! He's awsome!</p>

<p>Krabble: Napoleon Dynamite, Hmmmmmmm......I guess depends on the context. Adcoms love anecdotes, so if you can make it work, go for it</p>

<p>I've only been at my current school since january, so i don't really think he can speak to how my old school (grades 1-7) forbade me from working ahead.</p>

<p>26e: I'm starting to think we're the same person, lol. I'm also at a new school, moved here junior year, and I have a lot of extenuating circumstances that have prevented me from getting stellar grades as opposed to just very good ones. I'm trying to make my counselor understand, and she's planning on writing a detailed explanation regarding this. Still, I feel as is my counselor and teachers just don't know me well enough. It's making teacher recs a pain.....</p>

<p>I suggest you just try to make your counselor understand the situation. I"m sure they'll be willing to help. If that doesn't work, you can always grovel at their feet. Or, better yet, threaten to sue them........ it's never too early to start practicing... :)</p>

<p>Yeah same here, i'm really worried about getting a rec from someone who has taught me for 8 weeks, especially when i got off to a really bad start to the year. Luckily my english teacher is about the best public school english teacher in the state, and i've seen him write killer recs for BAD students...thats a good thing, I think.
When i give my counselour the secondary school report, I'm just going to give him a short cover letter, explaining some things he wouldnt know.</p>

<p>Please someone help! </p>

<p>Does Penn NOT LIKE extra stuff? Form the application the feeling I'm getting is that they do not like superfluous information as opposed to some of the other applications I have seen.</p>

<p>This kind of goes with the other question, but is it alright to submit another essay? And is anyone else submitting Visual Supplementary material? How does that really work???</p>

<p>THANKS</p>

<p>redazalea, the feeling I got just by going to an info session is that Penn wants to get to the heart of who an applicant is in the simplest way possible. By this I mean really use the space they give you to let them know who you are. However, Penn has nothing against supplemental information. Just make sure that the supp. info will add to who you are rather than just state something over and over again. I myself am sending a supp. rec and an audio tape, which I feel will really put me a notch above another applicant with the same stats as me. </p>

<p>Make sure whatever extra stuff you send is really worth the adcom's time. As for where to send the extra stuff, you send it along with you application, with a note explaining what this tape or portfolio (whatever you're sending) means and how it has contributed to your life. The adcoms will then give the writing, artwork, or music to the respective departments, and they in turn will give their comments to the adcoms. </p>

<p>Hope this helps</p>

<p>Boy.. I'm applying to an Ivy League and I can't even fill out a stupid application. Sorry for some more stupid questions (and thanks for answering my other question!).. but here we go.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>For the current course information, it says to list the AP/IB course info / scores in the next section. Should I go ahead and list AP courses for the current course information? Also, for the bottom part, should I follow the example of the SAT score section and list when I will take the AP exam of the subjects listed in the current course information?</p></li>
<li><p>For activities, I listed piano grades 2-12. For hours / wk, do I list how many hours I actually commit (practice time?) or just how long the lesson is (which doesn't seem logical..)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks.. </p>

<p>wow I'm all AP's and no common sense.. lol ^^</p>

<p>OK, called undergrad admissions again, and they said the SS number is not necessary whether you are writing the essay or doing it online. You should, however, specify which essay prompt you are answering.</p>

<p>dw51688: It happens to the best of us. We just want to get in so badly that we want everything to be perfect on our app. </p>

<p>I don't know exactly which pages you are referring to in your 1st question, but I can answer your second question. You should write how many hours you commit to it, meaning practice, travel to and from lessons, etc, not just the length of the lesson. If you practice an hour every day, and have a lesson once a week that's one hour long, then write 8 hours. I've also played piano from grades 2-12, so I should know:)</p>

<p>thanks that really helps.</p>

<p>i called the admissions office and asked them about it. they said to send in whatever extras you want, but there is no guarantee that the readers will get to it or if it will be beneficial at all.</p>

<p>thanks again!</p>

<p>just out of curiosity, what kind of audio are you sending in. Stuff from your band or violin? </p>

<p>i'm sending in art and photography samples</p>

<p>cheers</p>

<p>redazalea: I'm actually sending in a professional piano tape, with three songs, all of varying styles. My teacher has managed to get us a recording studio, and she encourages all of her advanced students to make tapes for college admissions. I've been playing for 11 years now, so hopefully this'll be just one tiny thig that makes me somewhat "unique: from other applicants with the same stats. as me. I'm really hoping they'll get to hear the tape, and understand how much effort I put into piano, but, like you said, there's no guarantee. Fingers crossed......</p>

<p>Good luck with putting your portfolio together;)</p>

<p>Question - for ? 2 on FORM 1B, does it include national honor society?</p>

<p>^ yes, it does.</p>

<p>26e: The extra rec is suppose to reveal you in another light that your teachers are not able present if you feel that your overall applications cannot enforce that idea. if you feel that your new teacher cannot write you a good rec, you can always get your previous teachers write that rec for you, but submitting a 4th rec to talk about academic abilities is not the best idea, unless perhaps the teacher is your club adviser or something like that. The academic part should be explained by your guidance counselor.</p>