Rejected from Wharton...........kl2k3jlk2j3l4k2l34kj2l34`

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
41

<p>As I have always said before, and I cannot stress this enough... it is probably one of the largest factors in the admissions process that goes overlooked: presentation. The application was presented poorly and it seemed hastily tossed together at first glance (which is usually the only glance an admissions officer will probably take given the volume of applications). Parikhs had some great advice you should follow.</p>

<p>If you want to present yourself well, think of your strong suits and how you can reveal them through the subject you write about in your essay. You can also reveal these strong attributes through ECs you list. A lot of people here have agreed that there was a certain degree of sloppiness and misguidedness in your application -- but this doesn't mean you were not necessarily an adequate candidate. It is amazing how much better an applicant sounds on paper when they clean things up, keep it simple, list relevant ECs and write clear, focused essays. When everything seems to be "in order" it makes the applicant appear strong in the officers' eyes. In your case it seemed like too many mess-factors piled on top of each other and just added to a negative aura that led to the rejection.</p>

<p>As for personality issues, there were a few things questionable about your motives in the essays -- such points have already been addressed in earlier posts. I already remember you posting a while back about EC-lying... just the fact that you brought it up is a redflag to me. It makes me wonder what your true intentions are with ECs and that sort of thing.</p>

<p>Also yes, most people that get into Wharton (from what I see) mention both Wharton and the rest of the school. Because, as you must realize, the One University policy is pretty huge there and therefore it applies to all schools. </p>

<p>Improving scores, grades, and whatnot in your case might give a slight edge but they are by no means what caused your rejection, in my opinion, although 10 B's does seem like quite a bit. I mean usually an adcom may think "Bad essays... but great grades and scores!" but in your case I don't see a "saving tipping factor." A lot of Wharton applicants have very clean records with very few B's and C's.</p>

42

<p>chanman, I didn't think your essay was as bad as other posters have made it out to be. It's quite amusing and entertaining. Apart from some grammatical errors, some stuffs that can be cut out(the kicking out tenant part), and some unnecessary commentary, it's a intelligently-written and funny essay. As for your resume, I agreed with whoever said that you have too much details and underlines. Take some activities out and make it crisp. Mine was almost like yours, but I made it less "messy." Your suspension letter could've been more crisp and tighter, take out all those unnecessary commentaries, especially the descriptions of how you were a disturbing student. Just simply say you got out of your assigned computer would suffice. Anyways, the bottom line, I didn't think your essay was bad (it was funnier than mine), your resume should look cleaner, and your letter tighter. What really hurt you though is your grades actually, not test scores, maybe essay (but it's not that bad), and maybe EC (but you did a lot). So you need to concentrate on grades, that should be your focus.</p>

43

<p>thanks.
i emailed my reg. director about taking a gap year and what to improve
i hope she replies back!</p>

44

<p>chanman, don't take the gap year - it's not worth it. Go to another school. Chances are you'll love it there, but if aftre time goes by, you still find yourself looking to Penn then apply for transfer. </p>

<p>If you wre rejected rather than deferred, chances are they were really missing something in your application. Take the time in college to build this up, and apply for transfer. That's the best way to do it, IMO</p>

45

<p>I agree with mr. sanguine. There should be another college that you love, besides Penn. Don't hang your hope and dreams on one college. There are tons of colleges out there who would treat applicants like you like royalty, and I'm sure you'll love your college life in another destination besides wharton. If you still want to be a whartonite, like mr. sanguine said, apply for transfer. Don't expect too much, and it'll happen.</p>

46

<p>an excellent school for your tastes would be ....indiana or michigan state or even ohio state. If you do very well at these colleges (3.9+), you can very likely transfer into Wharton/ Stern/Ross/Haas/Cornell AEM. </p>

<p>In this process, you will have proven yourself to Wharton instead of having to plead with them and butter them up about how special you are.</p>

47

<p>ok i emailed my regional admission officer 3 days ago, and she still hasn't replied back!!</p>

<p>do u htink she's ignoring me</p>

48

<p>perhaps she's on winter break? students aren't the only ones who get breaks...she'll respond sonner or later</p>

49

<p>it's break time...dont you think adcoms need breaks?</p>

50

<p>Penn Admissions is on holiday until after the 2 Jan.</p>

51

<p>chanman...u dont have to agree with me for i am totally unqualified to give you good advise...but as i read over your "why wharton" essay, it occured to me that all you did was praise wharton rather than saying that you would be the perfect wharton student. i think what they are looking for in having applicants write this exact essay to see if their goals match what the school has to offer, and to see if they would perform and fit well with the school. all you did was say what clubs you would join and how your family loves wharton, among other praises. if i were you, i certainly wouldnt have taken that route. this could have hurt you. clearly thats just my perspective and i could be wrong, but next time around...id strongly consider tuning that up or starting from scratch. its written beautifully though.</p>

52

<p>I emailed her and this is ALL SHE SAID TO ME!!!!</p>

<p>Hello Felix,</p>

<pre><code>Thank you for your email and your continued interest in Penn. Unfortunately, all of our early decisions are final at this point in time. The only advice I can give you is to start looking seriously elsewhere because even if you apply again next year, the outcome may be the same so it is best to have some other options. Good luck in the New Year!
</code></pre>

<p>Best,
Molly Clark</p>

<p>Molly M. Clark, M.Ed
Admissions Officer
Undergraduate Admissions Office
University of Pennsylvania
1 College Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6376
<a href="mailto:mollyc@admissions.upenn.edu">mollyc@admissions.upenn.edu</a>
215-898-7126</p>

<hr>

<p>From: Felix Chan [mailto:<a href="mailto:smartychan@hotmail.com">smartychan@hotmail.com</a>]
Sent: Sun 12/25/2005 7:06 PM
To: Molly Clark
Subject: Felix Chan ED</p>

<p>Dear Ms. Clark,</p>

<p>My name is Felix Chan, and I was rejected at Penn's Wharton School ED. I
understand that Penn is an extremely selective University, and I also
understand that I did not have what it takes for an acceptance letter.</p>

<p>Penn has been my dream school for many years, and it will always be. After
many days of serious thinking, I realize my love for Penn cannot simply
disappear. Therefore, I have made a decision to re-apply next year as a
freshman.</p>

<p>I am confident that I can improve my grades and standardized tests. I am
also positive that I will mature during this time, and by next November, I
will be able to show you and the rest of the admissions committee what a
greater applicant I can be. However, I know that these are only the surface
factors of the competitive application process. The process goes
deeper--maybe into something that I can't even control. Nevertheless,
acceptance to Penn has now turned into my life's goal. I am determined to
do whatever it takes during these eleven months to become the best I can be.</p>

<p>Could you please kindly guide me on the first step I should take?</p>

<p>Thank you,
Felix Chan</p>

<p>I Really wanted to know why I was rejected/not accepted/wahtever, so I'm going to EMail her AGAIN!! arghhhhh</p>

53

<p>Her e-mail was a slap in the face. She discourages you from applying next year? What? Admissions Officers are supposed to persuade you to apply. heh. Well, good luck with that.</p>

54

<p>Bothering your admissions counselor is always a good idea.</p>

55

<p>If you still believe that not going to Wharton is the end of the world, then you really don't have the level of maturity to attend a school like Penn anyway. </p>

<p>Many of us have given you great advice. Move on. There are so many options out there, it'd be an insult to those schools if you don't even consider them worthy of applying.</p>

56

<p>dude, it's a horrible life goal to attend Penn; a life goal could be to be a successful business man like Micheal Dell (dropped out of UT) or Bill Gates (dropped out of...who cares where...doesn't even matter!) Anyway, I have to say that I agree with her; she's only being truthful; what if you don't get into Penn next year? You said that you'll go to another college; why not GO to college this year and then try to transfer into Penn? I think that shows maturity and positive reaction to downfall; I think the stupidest decision you could make at this point is to NOT go to college this year---you're lingering over one school WAY too long. People who got rejected from Yale early are successful sophomores and freshman at Harvard; point being that everything happens for a reason; dude, go to college!!!! The wost and most immature thing you can do is to NOT go to college.</p>

57

<p>"start looking seriously elsewhere." Hmmm... that a LITTLE discouragement.</p>

58

<p>Admissions officers aren't there just to round up apps from students. They are there, most fundamentally, to help you. She is indeed discouraging you from applying again next year, because she realizes that taking a year off just to apply to Wharton again for the freshman class isn't a good idea. She won't be up front about it, but the fact that (a) she told you that you still may not be accepted again next year and that (b) she did not answer your main question in your email as to what you can do in the coming year should give you a hint. </p>

<p>Felix, you're obviously passionate. Go to some other school. Chances are you will love it there. But if you don't, apply to Wharton for transfer. You'll actually have a better shot this way because hopefully your application will be more deveoped in the process.</p>

<p>Lastly, Anonymous made a great point when he brought up that people who are rejected early at one school (like Yale) can go on to other great places (Harvard, Columbia etc). Why would you preclude yourself from the opportunity?</p>

59

<p>...because those other great schools dont want to accept toolbags either</p>

60

<p>Yikes... yeah, your life goal should not be getting into Penn... I mean, deferral from Wharton for me was a big struggle... i'm dying here, cuz I just wanted this whole college process to be over. Make it your goal to have a positive outlook and keep finding opportunities for you to reach your business aspirations. It's not all about Wharton. There are other schools.</p>

<p>Take a breather. Relax. My admissions person is out till next week apparently, so give the lady some time. It's not like they can reverse things now. Apply elsewhere ( you should really apply UW-Madison...). Here's how i'm dealing with my disappointment. I've gone overboard with applying to other places: 12 other colleges total. It's crazy, but I've enjoyed learning about the programs at other colleges. </p>

<p>Um... yeah... If I'm rejected this next round, maybe we'll both be apply again. Don't waste a year of your life by taking a break year. Go to another university, (maybe a cheap one) at which you can succeed and make a name for yourself. Then transfer in with one year of experience elsewhere --> this all adds together to make Penn a more diverse place.</p>

<p>I have Wharton sickness, and most mornings I wake up with that as the first thing on my mind. Clearly, I am working on reevaluating my priorities, since.. what use is it for me to be spending my time thinking about this?</p>

<p>Aight.. idk.. i felt like typing...</p>