<p>Hi everyone! I love UPenn and it's my first choice college. I'm applying their early decision but I have reallly low test scores... I think I get too nervous taking those tests since those 4-5 hour tests can determine the rest of your life...anyway I was wondering what my chances are like and if you know of anyone else who has gotten in with low test scores n how low they were. i'm retaking both the act in oct n sats in nov n rushing those scores but i doubt i can do any better...</p>
<p>here are my stats</p>
<p>College/Major Applied To: CAS</p>
<ul>
<li>SAT I or ACT: 1870 590 CR, 670 M, 610 W, 27 ACT</li>
<li>SAT IIs: not taking any...</li>
<li>GPA: 101.513 I dono what it converts to on a 4.0 scale</li>
<li>Rank: 1/825</li>
<li><p>APs: Taken all of 5 AP's offered (yea my school's not very competitive..)
AP U.S History 5,
AP Calculus 5
Senior Courses:
AP English
AP Chemistry
AP Biology
Office Assistant
Spanish 3</p></li>
<li><p>Other stats (Awards, etc.): Nothing huge academically..lots of regional recognition for FBLA, Science Olympiad, and Ecology. Some state recognition for FBLA and Science Olympiad
*I did attend Pennsylvania Governor School for Health Care =)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>ECs:
Varsity Tennis Player (2 years)
JV Cheerleading Squad (1 year) we were state champions
President of FBLA (4 years)
Chairman of Professional Development Committee
President of Ecology (4 years)
Vice President of Student Council (4 years)
Secretary of Science Club (3 years)
Key Club (4 years)
Spirit Club (4 years)
Executive Council (4 years)
Homecoming Court? if tat helps?
Science Olympiad (3 Years)
Hazleteens (2 Years)
Junior Leadership of Hazleton (1 Year)
Cann-Do Student Action Subcommittee (2 Years)
Cochair for Operation Cann-Do
Cochair for CannDo Community Christmas</p></li>
<li><p>Job/Work Experience: My parents own a restaurant and I help out all the time without getting paid too...</p></li>
<li><p>Essays: I dono if they're gonna any good...right now they suck</p></li>
<li><p>Recs: Didn't get hem back yet </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Location/Person:</p>
<ul>
<li>State or Country: Pennsylvania</li>
<li>School Type: Public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)</li>
<li>Gender: Female</li>
<li>Hooks: first generation college...nothing else..</li>
<li>Strengths/Weaknesses: Ton's of EC's , grades.. Weaknesses: SAT's ACT's</li>
</ul>
<p>If I don't get into UPenn I really dono what I'm going to do with myself...</p>
<p>well obviously on here people are going to say you have no chance because your test scores. I don't think that matters, you obviously worked hard in high school and it shows with your GPA and ranking. You also applied yourself more than a lot of people can handle, so that also is a plus. If Penn is really your first choice, make sure your essays really convey that to the admission staff. I think that people definitely know when Penn is their first choice, and it sounds like it's yours. Good luck and don't be be afraid to apply; have confidence in the work you've done!</p>
<p>im in the sameeee boat as you my friend. i am number 1 in my class and have straight A's but im not the best standardized test taker. from the advice ive been given, penn has a hollistic admissions view and i dont think ur scores will flat out ruin ur shots. good luckk!!</p>
<p>I'm also in the same boat as you; but don't fret.
I know people with similar scores as you who were accepted.
GPA and your essay matter a lot.
However, avoid the laundry list when applying, and only put down your top involvement things (stuff like homecoming court isn't important)</p>
<p>thx guys tat makes me feel a lil better
i'm gonna try to improve my scores but i'm not sure wut to write my essays on...i feel like i don't have any hooks</p>
<p>btw i come from a huge public school but not very competive. We usually have about 2 kids go to ivies n only about 2 tat have a resume like mine even tho mines not even tat great....</p>
<p>You are first in your class which really helps offset your standardized test scores, however you are going to need to make up for your low test scores with impressive EC's, impressive essays and very impressive recommendations.</p>
<p>Speaking as a UPenn student, I seriously disagree with the other posters. Your low scores and high GPA/rank tell me (and AdComs) that your school is uncompetitive and relatively easy. Your ECs are fine, but you stand little chance of being admitted with such low scores. You should, of course, still apply.</p>
<p>there are so many other good schools out there, so don't say "If I don't get into UPenn I really dono what I'm going to do with myself..."</p>
<p>being ranked 1 in a non-competitive setting is not that impressive, and your scores are not good by penn standards. it's all about you as a person though, so flaunt that. you certainly have a chance. you just have to be patient and let penn see you. good luck. maybe our paths will cross next year.</p>
<p>I disagree. So the guy is not good (standardized) test taker, big deal. SAT scores are not that important when it comes to admission as we tend to think. It's just a test; there are plenty of students with bad grades who ace SAT. Should Penn accept them? Grades are way more important.</p>
<p>Typically, I would agree that an ACT score of 27 coupled with a SAT I CR of 590 is not competitive enough for Penn's CAS, however your class rank & AP scores present an entirely different applicant than do your SAT & ACT scores. You deserve to be admitted to Penn's CAS, in my opinion--which counts for nothing unfortunately. Consider two SAT optional academic powerhouses of Bowdoin College & Wake Forest University, although I think that you look good for Penn.
Class rank of 1/825 & AP scores of 5 on US History & Calculus cleary demonstrate enough intelligence, hardwork & drive to be rewarded with an Ivy League education. Also, since you are involved in several ECs it shows that you are not just spending all of your time studying. You have earned the "right" to be admitted.</p>
<p>superdrive - people with bad grades but great SAT show that their school is competitive and its hard to get good grades there. Especially if those bad grades equal a relatively high class rank (top 10%). People with very low SAT scores with a very high rank or GPA show their school is probably fairly easy. The point is that someone who is first out of like a thousand should be very good at math, reading, and writing and if they aren't it shows their school is not competitive.</p>
<p>Aren't you supposed to take SAT IIs? You haven't. If you do well on those then it shows you actually learned something in school, and it could somewhat offset your subpar SATs.</p>
<p>Alex - people with bad grades and good SAT shows they had more access to resources, that's all. No one day test can substitute for 4 years of hard work. Admission offices know that.</p>
<p>i'll admit that my school may not be the most competitive high school in the world but i disagree with the whole thing bout doing bad on the sats n my high gpa.</p>
<p>im a girl btw..neway tere are kids who score better than me on the sats in fact this one kid has around a 2300 but he's no where near my rank. i say bout 60ish? so what is tat supposta mean? y can't he better if my school is so ez? i don't think tat shows anything...</p>
<p>You can disagree all you want or even offer excuses for poor test scores as some of the previous posters have, but reality exists irrespective of your experience of it. Schools, especially Ivies, want to see your work ethic (reflected in your GPA/transcript) as well as your reasoning capacity and ability to execute (reflected by SATs). If you want in at UPenn, your score should at least be 2100 if not higher to be a reasonable contender.</p>
<p>Penn's last reported 25th percentile SAT I scores were 1330/1600 or, essentially, 665 per section or an 1995. Although these stats are for the Penn class of 2011, they include the higher SATs for the Wharton School. I know several students who were admitted with SAT scores well below 2000. If you apply ED to Penn's CAS, you have a strong chance of being admitted. Apply--and you'll see.</p>