Please review my application for UPenn ED!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

Hi there, I’m a rising senior looking to see what aspects of my application I can improve upon.

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

Major - chemical engineering

Scores:
GPA - 4.00 UW, 4.49 W
SAT - 1560 (790M, 770R)
SAT II - MATH 2 (800), Chem (800), Spanish (760)
PSAT - 1500 (hopefully national merit semifinalist)
Class rank: school doesn’t rank

Transcript:

  • Freshman year no APS (not allowed)
  • sophomore year: AP Spanish language (4)
  • junior year: APUSH, AP Chem, AP Stats (all scores pending)
  • senior year: AP English language, AP physics C, AP macro, AP biology, AP Calc BC

EC’S and awards:

  • piano for over 10 years, finished certificate of merit test level 10 (highest level, passed with honors)
  • tennis grades 6-10, 2 years on school junior varsity team
  • FRC robotics all 4 years of high school ( build captain grades 11-12)
  • internship at a local peptide synthesis company during summer after 10th grade
  • internship at a biochemistry research startup firm during summer after 11th grade
  • several school clubs
  • departmental awards in science classes
  • hopefully patent pending for a simple utility patent

I hope I provided enough information. If not, I am happy to provide more.

Thank you in advance!!

2

Pick up some more leadership roles if possible. Otherwise, not much more you can improve between now and the ED deadline.

3

My son with almost similar credentials and ethnic background go tin last year for computer science. Make sure you list some of your volunteering experience and have a very good essay.

But I repent sending him to Penn

  • Not many APs get credits- My son did 15 APs, but only 2/3 got credits
  • He had a very bad first semester to the extend that we had to decide took him out for spring semster
  • They don’t promote group home work whereas many Ivy colleges do
4

@thresia covered her specific issues in another thread with her son. And her saying that her son receiving a 2.5 GPA was very bad might be a bit of a panic, especially for a CS major. I would not sour someone that knows they want to apply to Penn. I would assume that the OP has looked at reasons they want to apply and go to Penn. Most selective schools do not give credit for APs - they only allow you to take upper level classes and bypass the intro classes.

@rstorm agree that maybe showing leadership (whether by title or not) might be key. Good Luck!

5

@aoeuidhtns @Thresia @LvMyKids2 Thank you all for the feedback!