<p>If you have really high ACT scores (I have a 36) and a high GPA (4.0) and your why Penn and Common App essay is good should I bother writing the optional p.217 essay? Or would that look as if I'm coming off cocky, because I'm trying not to, I just have a lot of other college essays to write.</p>
<p>yes, write it. Actually, if you are really busy, i would recommend just re-using some other essay.</p>
<p>But, if Penn is your first choice, write it.</p>
<p>if it doesnt add anything, then don't. That's what I did at least</p>
<p>I didn't write it, hope it doesn't hurt me.</p>
<p>If you think you're solid otherwise, and don't have some interesting thing to add that might make you stand out that doesn't fit elsewhere, then write it. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time. I didn't write it, anyway. My friend who got into Huntsman last year didn't write it. I don't know about my other friends at Penn, but it really is optional.</p>
<p>^@Scribbler</p>
<p>If you're solid and don't have anything interesting to add, why would you bother writing it? That doesn't make sense.. I am so confused :(</p>
<p>If a decision came down to 2 students and 1 wrote the essay and 1 did not .....who would you select ?</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry, I must have gotten distracted in the middle of writing that. It should be:</p>
<p>If you think you're solid otherwise, and don't have some interesting thing to add that might make you stand out that doesn't fit elsewhere, then don't write it. It would just be a waste of time. But if you think it would add something to make you standout in a good way, then do write it.
And I disagree with withat Moatherof2girls is implying...tons of people don't write it and get in, and perhaps they would choose the person who didn't write the essay, because something in the essay/way it was written/choice to write something that didn't add anything reflected badly on the candidate. Just saying that's possible.</p>
<p>Here are my stats; any further insight?</p>
<p>GPA: 4.00 UW</p>
<p>Class Rank: N/A, probably top 1%, school does not do it. I go to the Mississippi School for Math and Science, a state sponsored magnet school for 11th and 12th graders, with approximately 130 in each class.</p>
<p>ACT:
Composite 36
English 36
Math 35 (I got a 36 on a different test)
Reading 35
Science 36
Writing 10</p>
<p>SAT:
Composite 2120 (twice, sigh), superscore 2170
CR 610 (highest 660)
Math 800
Writing 710</p>
<p>SAT II's
Math II 800
Physics 790
Chemistry 760</p>
<p>AP Exams:
Calculus BC 5
Chemistry 4
Physics B 5
I will probably take Physics C, and maybe micro/macro economics.</p>
<p>Coursework: very high standard compared to other school across the state (considering it is Mississippi), and maybe across the nation as well. We are on the Mississippi University for Women (unknown school, good in nursing) campus so we can take college classes. I will have 12 hours of English when I graduate, 6 hours of calculus, some number of hours of physics, etc.</p>
<p>EC's:
Quiz Bowl 9, 10, 11, 12 (Captain 11 and 12)
Varsity Soccer 11, 12 (started both years; I played soccer for 10 years before but never tried out for varsity)
Mu Alpha Theta 10, 11, 12 (officer 12)
SGA Senator 12
Science Bowl 11, 12 (captain 12)
Young Republicans 11 12</p>
<p>Awards:
National Merit Semifinalist (applying for finalist)
State AMC 12 Winner
State Science Bowl Winner
Herbert Hoover Young Engineer Award
2nd place Quiz bowl tournament, teams from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama</p>
<p>Volunteer Work:
Franklin tutoring - Tutor children at local elementary school in Spanish for 30 min to an hour, but this requires around 1 hr prep per week, so the total is 2hr/week. I started doing this in twelfth grade (this year)
Website design/maintenance - I have designed and maintained various websites for people, including teachers and organizations, and the current MSMS website. I was hoping this would be a big help for me, but I could only include it in my CommonApp essay in one or two sentences.</p>
<p>I also interned at the Polymer Science Department of University of Southern Mississippi this summer for around seven weeks and came out with a 20something page paper. Would this be helpful?</p>
<p>I know my SAT isn't too high, but I concentrated on my ACT. But I've heard that both are equal, so I hope that is okay. For my CommonApp essay, I picked my own topic and used the National Merit topic. I am writing about my motivation, about how I used to be all for the grades but now it's more than that. My teacher recommendations should be pretty/really good, or atleast I hope so.</p>
<p>So based upon that, and hoping that my Why Penn essay comes out good, what do you guys think?</p>
<p>dude, i really don't think it can hurt to write it as long as you spend the time to write it well.</p>
<p>it will give you an advantage if you can write it well.</p>