Penn - SAS

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>UPenn is my first choice, has been for years, and I plan to apply there Early Decision. What do you think my chances are?</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] PSAT: 99th Percentile: 214 Index (Semifinalist i hope...)
[</em>] SAT Verbal: 680
[<em>] SAT Math: 700
[</em>] SAT Writing: 680
[<em>] SAT Total: 2060
[</em>] SAT II: Not taken yet, will before deadline
[<em>] ACT: 30
[</em>] AP/IB taken/scores: English Language: 5; Bio/US History/European History: 4
[<em>] GPA weighted: ??
[</em>] GPA unweighted: 3.8
[<em>] Rank or % estimate: 10-15%
[</em>] Scholarship: $3500 yearly Headmaster scholarship in high school, awarded to top 15 or so incoming freshmen</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Not yet written
[</em>] Teacher Recs: I know one teacher will be extremely well, she thinks the world of me. The other will also be good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I can't imagine it'd be bad..but nothing outstanding. He'll talk about how much I love Penn.
[</em>] Additional Rec: I'll have another Rec from a Penn professor from the program I attended.</p>

<p>[/ul]Courses:</p>

<p>My courses for next year:
[ul]
[<em>] AP Chemistry
[</em>] AP Economics
[<em>] AP Calculus AB
[</em>] AP English Literature
[<em>] AP US Government and Politics
[</em>] Honors Physics*
[li] Mandatory religion course</p>[/li]
<p>(*I would have loved to take AP Physics as well as AP Art to continue my love of art...but my Principle denied me saying 5 APs were the cap in the school. Plus, the schedule would have been messed up.)</p>

<p>[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: PA, USA
[</em>] School Type: Private, Catholic
[<em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Legacy Yes/No: No parent, but an uncle
[</em>] Recruited Yes/No: No?
[li] Important ECs: State Finalist in forensics (public speaking) in Radio Announcing, City finalist in forensics - Prose interp, Attended a university-run program in forensics last summer; student government; national honors society executive board (appointed by the moderator, the one position that wasn't elected); large community service projects and involvement; JV tennis (I'll never be able to explain why not V); 7 years of piano; </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other Factors: I just completed a month-long program at Penn, a summer science academy. The program was selective, and rejected about 50% of its applicants. I absolutely loved my time there, and I hope to use some of my experiences in my essay. </p>

<p>I feel I should note some things about my school. It doesn't appear to have alot of luck with Ivy League schools. No one has gotten into Harvard (10 apps), Yale (7 apps), Princeton (14 apps), or Columbia (4 apps) in any of the past two years; one has been accepted into Cornell (1/5); one at Dartmouth (1/4); and one at Brown (1/7).</p>

<p>The statistics for Penn are somewhat more encouraging: 8 have been accepted out of 29 apps the last two years, with all 4 of the ED students the last two years have been accepted. Though, I know there will be alot of students applying ED to Penn from my year, by my estimate there will be 7 or 8 from this year compared to 4 from the last 2 years. I'm concerned about that competition--most will have better scores than mine, but none will have the level of interest in Penn that I've shown by spending a huge part of my summer there.</p>

2

<p>wow, it sounds like you really love penn. and penn loves ED students (really they just love students that show a lot of interest. i'm sure with you doing a month long program there you'll be able to write a great "Why Penn" essay too). looks like a match made in heaven to me. the only thing i think they could look down on is ur sat. 2080 is gonna be a little bit underaverage for Penn, but i don't think bad enough for you to get rejected - especially ED. like you, every person from my school that has applied to Penn ED has gotten accepted the last two years - some of them with worse stats than yours. good luck. chance me at penn too.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=368733%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=368733&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>You have great ECs, but your scores are slightly lacking .. have you considered studying really, really hard and retaking the SAT?</p>

<p>In the end, it depends how you rank against the other ED applicants from your school. </p>

<p>I'm not sure if your uncle will give you legacy status, but I'm curious. Does anyone know?</p>

4

<p>I don't think uncle counts as legacy. You're gonna have a tough time with the SAT score...and fyi, I'd think that pennsylvania has a national merit cutoff of well over 214 (I'd guess near 220), so hope for the best with that!!!</p>

5

<p>I would like to take the SAT again to get 700s in each section...I think that once you get 700s you wont get rejected from a school based on your SATs. But does anyone know if it's possible to retake the SAT and take my SAT IIs before the ED deadline?</p>

<p>I suppose the SAT IIs don't matter for my Penn application...I've done the ACT and thus have fulfilled each criteria for the application. The SAT IIs I'm taking are mainly to fulfill requirements for my backups.</p>

6

<p>A lot of places will take both the October and November SATs for ED, so you should look on the Penn site to see if that's the case.</p>

<p>Here, I looked for you, the website says:
"Early Decision candidates should take these examinations either during the junior year or in the summer before the senior year, but no later than November 2005. Early Decision candidates who opt for November examinations must rush their test scores to us."
<a href="http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/testing.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/testing.php&lt;/a>
Clearly, this hasn't been updated in a couple years (or the date is a typo), so it might be wise to call and make sure the policy hasn't changed.</p>

7

<p>UPenn: REJECT</p>

8

<p>Could you elaborate? Is this all just based on the SAT scores? I honestly don't think that SAT scores approaching 700 are enough to warrant rejection. I personally don't think there's a huge difference between 680 and 730. The difference could be as little as 2 questions.</p>

9

<p>Low SAT scores, OK GPA.</p>

<p>Did you have to pay for that month long program?
If you did, it only shows you have money.</p>

10

<p>Yes, I did have to pay for it. It was also selective, about 400 kids applied and 200 got in. I think that shows something.</p>

11

<p>Does anyone know if his uncle will give him legacy status??</p>

12

<p>You only have a legacy at Penn if a parent or grandparent attended the school.</p>

13

<p>An uncle does not make you a legacy.</p>

<p>Sorry, but I see no chance at Penn without a major SAT point boost, and that's assuming you're ranked at the top of your class. I know, I know, my shool doesn't rank! Colleges rank everyone in the context of their school. They will have a rank for you.</p>

<p>You're from the mid atlantic with makes it hard to begin with, have no hook and below average SATs. </p>

<p>A costly summer program is no points. If you went on scholarship it's small points. RSI yes, Penn science no.</p>

14

<p>I'm just going to have to flat out disagree with what you're saying. I honestly don't think that the SAT is life-or-death in the decisions for Penn. The difference between a 680 and a 730 is so negligible that I don't think it will change admission decisions. I do plan to take the SAT again, but I believe that where I'm at now I won't be rejected from Penn based solely on my SAT scores.</p>

<p>Furthermore, I sat and watched a presentation by UPenn admission directors about how going to the program I attended could boost one's chances for admission into the school. Sorry, but I'm going to take their word on that instead of yours.</p>

<p>(Also, what do you mean by "hook"?)</p>

15

<p>does it really matter what a bunch of kids who think they're admissions professionals say about your chances of acceptance to penn? If penn has been you're number one dream school for the past 4 years...GO FOR IT!! you've got a gazillion e/cs, a great GPA (with some tough classes, to boot) and top of the line SAT scores. If you can write an honest and compassionate essay, than I don't think there's any way they'll be able to deny you.</p>

<p>according to collegeboard.com, these are the "very important admissions factors:" (For Penn)</p>

<pre><code>* Character/Personal Qualities
* Recommendations
* Rigor of secondary school record
</code></pre>

<p>nowhere does it say "SAT scores" if that's what you're worried about.</p>

<p>Oh and by the way I have absolutely no expertise in the area of college admissions.</p>

16

<p>Thanks laura...I try not to take the opinions here too harshly (I read the "Actual Results" thread, I know these chancings are far from infallible), and until your post I was getting just the slightest bit discouraged. I know Penn is the school for me, and I know I can get in if I'm as passionate in my essays as I am about the school.</p>

17

<p>bump, anyone else have input?</p>

18

<p>Other schools I'm applying to:</p>

<p>Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Georgetown
Boston College
Tufts
Fordham</p>

<p>how about some more brutal honesty, Gaffe?</p>

<p>(also, I've decided that I plan to retake the ACT/SAT in september/october respectively)</p>

19

<p>Cornell: Unlikely/ REJECT
Johns Hopkins: Unlikely/ REJECT
Georgetown: Maybe
Boston College: In
Tufts: Likely
Fordham: In</p>