<p>you'd still be a great person even if penn rejects you. there are too many random factors involved. don't make assumptions like that, AKittka! maybe they're looking for a mean person to balance out too many nice people.</p>
<p>people take college admissions too seriously :p</p>
<p>Your essays mean much more than the people on this thread have given them credit for. I have a friend who applied ED to Columbia SEAS and was accepted who had a pretty low GPA, okay courseload, and decent ECs (but with little to no leadership). I'm sure she was accepted on account of her essays, which were spectacular. Definitely your GPA and SAT scores come first, then courseload, but after that, the essays are where you really demonstrate who you are, to an even greater extent than a mere listing of ECs. So, you can make up for mediocre GPA/SATs/courseload with essays. Bear in mind, however, that "mediocre" is a relative term in this case and I'm using it to refer to the stats expected of the average Ivy applicant.</p>
<p>There are many necessary but independently insufficient conditions (that differ in importance) for admission. Someone should make an equation.</p>
<p>yeah i was kidding haha</p>