Should I bother to apply to Wharton?

<p>I have very weak ecs and SATs, especially for Wharton. If you can, try to put me down gently...
Chinese male<br>
Early Decision
rank: 23/468
SATs: should be 1420 (M/V) Math - 710 Verbal - 710
Subject tests Hist: 700 Chem : 670
ECs: They are pretty bad... just membership in the standard NHS, Key Club, Student Council, Health Club, and etc. In terms of volunteering, pretty pathetic as well... maybe 25 hours. I have working experience in a computer shop and a cleaners but yeah.. weak I know.
I have taken 3 AP classes and will take 4 more in my senior year.
I also withdrew from school in my sophomore year because one of my very close relatives in China was facing a very serious illness and I went over there to be with him.
Oh yeah, I completely f'ed up in the beginning of my junior year.. I dropped my Span 3 Honors class.. I really don't know what came over me. I am taking it next year but I know dropping a class looks extremely bad for top schools... Would it be a good idea to talk about this mistake, in my essay, and say how I completely regretted the decision and etc.? I don't know.
The only things that I have that might be to my advantage is that my family is pretty poor, my sister is a student at UPenn, and my school doesn't send any students to top schools.... I am thinking I should just save my application money.. but the fact that the admissions process can be so unpredictable sometimes is causing me to consider applying...</p>

<p>You will most likely get deferred, then you have about a 15% chance of acceptance RD</p>

<p>Try PENN College, then transfer after freshman year</p>

<p>I don't know if I should include, somewhere in my application, the fact that my dad works in China and I have to work 6 days a week in order to bring in some extra income. Also, I have to occasionally babysit my nephew and niece, that live at my house, because my sister works 6 days a week as well and her husband (my brother-in-law) passed away from colon cancer. Is there anywhere on an application that I can explain my situation?</p>

<p>Of course you need to include that. On the common app, there is a section for Additional Information. Write a detailed explanation of all those things you just mentioned.</p>

<p>don't try to transfer from the college. that used to be the "easy way" into wharton, but now they see through it and make it very difficult to transfer sophmore year (it basically becomes a swap, so the only spots available are from people who transfer out of wharton, which isn't very many) you would have to have a very very high gpa and be taking most of your classes at wharton to be considered. Also, don't write about you dropping spanish in your essay, it needs to be something personal that really shows who you are. Perhaps you could write about going over to china. If I were you, I would do some hardcore community service over the summer (to distinguish yourself), and see if you can get a leadership role in your different clubs, preferably in one that relates to business. Your SATs, btw, are not very weak, you might want to take the ACTs though to avoid having to send the subject tests.</p>

<p>If I volunteer to help tutor some Chinese students, at a elementary school, with their English, would this be an acceptable form of community service? (I am going to China in the summer.) The only thing is that it would be pretty tough to verify since the mentioned school really doesn't have many teachers that know much English...</p>

<p>I think that in most cases (at least in mine) wharton, and other schools (i assume, but i didn't end up applying anywhere else) don't require much in terms of outside verification for cummunity service. Take some pictures, maybe have one of the kids write a letter using their newfound english skills (which i think would be adorable). I think that it is a very acceptable form of community service, espeically if it is something you have started up yourself (but even if you are joining someone else's program it would still be a good thing to do) It shows leadership and initiative and an appreciation for other cultures, which colleges like to see.</p>