Please chance me! M&T/SEAS Early Decision!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

Hi there, I submitted my ED application to the M&T program and SEAS as a backup. I’d like to get a sense of what my chances are like please :slight_smile:

Demographics:
Asian Indian male, California, competitive public school, high income

Major - chemical engineering in SEAS and finance concentration in Wharton (chemical engineering is a backup)

Scores:
GPA - 4.00 UW, 4.56 W
SAT - 1560 (790M, 770R)
SAT II - MATH 2 (800), Chem (800), Spanish (760)
PSAT - 1500
Class rank: school doesn’t rank, but I’m definitely in the top 10 out of approx. 500.

Transcript:

  • Freshman year no AP’S (not allowed)
    - I took Spanish 3 Honors since I skipped Spanish 2
  • sophomore year: AP Spanish language (4) (Only 2 AP’s are available to sophomores)
  • junior year: APUSH, AP Chem, AP Stats (all scores pending)
    - My schedule was 3 AP classes and 3 Honors classes
  • senior year: AP English language, AP physics C, AP Macroeconomics, AP Biology, AP Calc BC
    - I’m also taking a class called Advanced Authentic Research (AAR), where I’m working with a professor from a local
    community college on a research project about nanotechnology (4D printing/smart materials and how they can be
    used in space)

**In general, I’ve taken the highest level course offered for basically all subjects (honors lane for math, accelerated/AP english courses, all AP sciences available at my school except APES, and the 2 main history AP’s).

EC’S:

  • piano for over 10 years
  • tennis grades 6-10, 2 years on school junior varsity team
  • FRC robotics all 4 years of high school ( build captain grades 11-12)
  • unpaid internship at a local peptide synthesis company during summer after 10th grade
  • paid internship at a biochemistry research startup firm during summer after 11th grade
  • several school clubs
  • mentored a middle school robotics team for one year
  • over 125 volunteer hours at local science camps
  • self studying a lot of higher-level chemistry through my dad’s old textbooks and MIT Opencourseware
    - I’ve completed Organic Chemistry I and II through MIT Opencourseware

Awards:

  • California Certificate of Merit Examinations (piano) - passed level 10 (the highest level) with honors
  • Departmental award in AP Chemistry for Outstanding performance
  • National Merit Semifinalist

Letters of Recommendation and Essays:

  • Essays = 8.5/10
  • Letters of Rec = 8.5-9/10

I know that my extracurriculars and awards sections are lacking, and in my opinion, I’m pretty strong, but I feel very average compared to other M&T applicants. Additionally, UPenn accepts around 4-5 people from my school per year, and I know of at least 6/7 other people who are ED’ing to Penn (but not necessarily M&T or SEAS).

Also, I’m ED’ing to M&T but RD’ing to SEAS as my backup. Will this affect my admissions decision in any way for M&T?

Thanks in advance! Hopefully I covered all my bases. Please let me know if there’s any other information you need.

2

What’s your m&t story?

3

[QUOTE=""]

Also, I’m ED’ing to M&T but RD’ing to SEAS as my backup. Will this affect my admissions decision in any way for M&T?

[/QUOTE]

That should not impact M&T chances. Last year my son did similar thing (he did not get into penn), however another person from his school did similar thing and got into M&T.

While M&T is extremely competitive, I suspect situational leadership & passion is a key factor in addition to near perfect stats and recos.

Are you considering Berkeley M.E.T (in state tuition) ?

4

@aoeuidhtns Why “m&t story” do you mean why I want to do m&t in particular?

If so, I’m interested in m&t because I’ve discovered interest in both chemical engineering and economics from doing a lot of stem-related activities and reading my dad’s college chemistry/biochemistry/economics/finance textbooks. I didn’t want to give up either one of these passions, and I’d rather pursue coordinated dual degrees rather than do a double major or craft my own uncoordinated dual degree program because it’ll be less work than an uncoordinated dual degree system and I’ll come out with a BS in Engineering and a BS in Economics, rather than just 2 majors.

Also, in the future, I’m looking to found a nanotechnology startup, so I believe that having experience in both finance and the technical side (chemical engineering) degree will help the company be both innovative and profitable.

I talked about all this in the main “Why Penn?” essay.

@california32146 I’m looking into the Berkeley MET program, specifically the Bioengineering track. However, the only coordinated programs of this nature that I’ve found are these two, and I slightly value Penn’s m&t program over Berkeley’s because:

      1) I'll actually be able to pursue a chemical engineering major at Penn, which I'm somewhat fixated on, rather                     
      than a bioengineering major (which is admittedly similar to ChemE.) I do know, however, that in the end, whether           
      I choose ChemE or BioE isn't super important because in the end, I want to end up in the nanotechnology 
      industry. The main difference is that my favorite subject is chemistry, by far, and as a ChemE major I'll be taking 
      many more chemistry courses while I'd be taking a lot of bio courses as a BioE major.

      2) While UCB engineering may be stronger, Wharton is too good to pass up.

I hope I answered both of your guys’ questions!

5

Penn CBEs in a dual degree program tend to be Viper students.

Dig deeper into core CBE curriculum. Courses are more physics and math based. Chemistry comes in third. So love physics!

CBE nanotechnology minor courses are bio based and suggest you coordinate with MSE department. You will have time to declare/change SEAS major. Keep in mind that CBE is a difficult track, is broad and best with a concentration. Reasons why M&T students tend to choose other majors.

If SEAS only, look into Enginneering Entrepreneurship minor. Great professors and courses.

6

I think you are not supposed to talk about interest in dual degree program in your Why Penn essay? There is notes under the prompts says: “if you apply to dual degree program please use this prompt to explain your single degree choice, and address your interest for the dual degree program in the program specific essay”.

7

^ that is what I thought

8

OP is asking about chances and already submitted dual degree application. My comments are for SEAS intended major or their plan B, SEAS only.