<p>People often say that to get into a school like Penn, any of the Ivies, or most Tier 1 schools, you need to have done something incredibly unique - often the chat room motto for any of those 'What are my chances at Harvard' threads is that 'you need to have done something as unique, and exceptional, as curing cancer'.</p>
<p>So, from kids who've actually gotten in, what are the sort of things that you, and your class mates, did that might just have made you that little bit more special?</p>
<p>I'd love to know, so I have an idea of where my potential 'unique factor' lies - mine being that, age 16, I've produced (eg. run casting, budgeting, logistics, marketing & proposals) two music videos for EMI Records (one of the big four; home to Coldplay etc.).</p>
<p>Any of your own stories would be a great help - particularly for the fact that I'm from Australia and don't really know what the standard is like over there.
Thanks :)</p>
<p>for me, I didn’t really do anything exceptionally unique. I was, however, heavily involved (President of two clubs, VP or another), and I basically spilled my heart out to Penn in my essays and my app. You don’t necessarily have to DO something incredibly unique, but you have to present yourself to the committee in a way that will make them remember you.</p>
<p>^^ yup. no need to cure cancer, just have to be personable, interesting, dedicated, passionate… and convey all of this in your essays and application.</p>
<p>i did a research internship at drexel med during the summer after my junior year - worked on a protein-based treatment for leukemia (which also works as an antibiotic and anticoagulant)</p>
<p>successfully demonstrated binding to human serum in vitro</p>
<p>and it’s in phase whatever trials in germany now?</p>