<p>hi everyone,
so how much does penn stress on legacy? my dad went to wharton undergrad, and i'm applying to the college ED. i know there are some universities that don't really see legacy very significantly (if you know what i mean), and i was wondering about what the case was with penn. i go to an intensive prep school (whoopdeedoo..) and i would hope that i am in the top.. quarter, at least. there are a LOT of crazy-smart kids in my school.. bleh. but yup, i was wondering about that.</p>
<p>ALSO, does the college have anything against "undecided" students? my application is very much focused on fine arts (which i'm interested in taking classes, but not majoring in) and biology/chemistry (which i am considering majoring in) .... but my 2 teacher recs are from my humanities and spanish teachers (because they know me the most personally). i saw on the penn website that it's "beneficial" to the student applying if he/she has the teacher recs be from subjects that the student is planning on studying in college... which isn't the case for me..
i was originally going to say that my intended major is biology or chemistry (or biochemistry), but looking at my app, i'm probably going to be saying "undecided." seeing that penn seems to be more towards a pre-professional education (but actually liberal arts as well...), would there be any disadvantages against "undecided" students?</p>
<p>Penn does consider legacy status, but only if you ED</p>
<p>wow, is that right? i thought i heard that somewhere, but my mom insisted it wasn’t true… well, i’m applying ED there so i guess that conversation with her doesn’t matter now:)
but my question is: how much importance does penn put into legacy status? <_<</p>
<p>the way that I understand it, if you have TOP scores and are legacy applying ED, it is basically a guaranteed acceptance, but otherwise not so much, but a little help.</p>
<p>^ Your transcript is still the most important part of the application. Penn bends the top 10% rule for just about no one. And even coming from a school that doesn’t rank, a pretty high level of rigor and success is expected.</p>
<p>I have been told (via email) from the “alumni council on admissions” that the only advantage legacy status provides is the ability to articulate one’s interest and fit for Penn. The admission officers are not only looking for qualified applicants, but individuals who seem to be a perfect match for Penn. Being a legacy means that you have a better understanding of the school and will be able to express this knowledge clearly in your essays. I myself am a triple legacy. I don’t think for a minute that the admission officers will look at my supplement and automatically accept me. No, they are going to see if I utilized my recourses through my essays and application.</p>
<p>“the way that I understand it, if you have TOP scores and are legacy applying ED, it is basically a guaranteed acceptance, but otherwise not so much, but a little help.”</p>
<p>-That statement seems overly simplistic. I highly doubt that it is so easy as: “high scores + legacy =admission.” As i mentioned above, there is a lot more that goes into the review process.</p>
<p>People with Penn legacy admissions questions should thoroughly review the Alumni Council on Admissions’ portion of Penn’s web site:</p>
<p>[Penn</a> Alumni: Alumni Council on Admissions](<a href=“http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/]Penn”>http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/)</p>
<p>For example, here’s a discussion of the ED versus RD question:</p>
<p>[Early</a> Decision And Regular Decision For Legacies](<a href=“http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/earlyregdec.html]Early”>http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/aca/earlyregdec.html)</p>
<p>thanks everyone:) and yeah, my high school doesn’t rank… and doesn’t do GPA’s either which is weird. i’m taking the most intensive classes i can, and so far i’m doing very well (knock on wood)… it’s just hard to tell how you compare to other seniors here, since pretty much everyone works so hard and has excellent grades as well.</p>
<p>what do you all think about my second question, about being an undecided student??</p>