<p>Ok, here’s the deal. I live in Alabama. Much more, I live in a town that’s not even on the Alabama map-- let alone the U.S. map. I applied to Penn for ED and I got deferred, and I can barely sleep at night, because I don’t know what else to do to increase my chances. I already have taken the tests I need to take and made good scores, and I am pretty sure I got killer recommendations. I have plenty of hooks, but I don’t know why I got deferred. I notice that most of you come from northern states, and obviously it’s going to be a lot different for an applicant coming from one of the states known for its lack of quality education. So, if you have any suggestions, I would be much obliged to take them into consideration. Thanks.</p>
<p>Depending on your test scores, you may want to retake some of them. Post your stats.</p>
<p>Hey, we texans ain't stupid (:</p>
<p>ACT:32, and even if i wanted to retake tests, it's too late
SAT: no good.</p>
<p>word on the street says that if you're from podunk nowhere and aren't valedictorian with most rigorous courseload it's pretty much a longshot.</p>
<p>I do take the most rigorous course load, and I maintain a 4.0. Considering I do receive "education" from a "podunk nowhere," I would find it extremely unfair for them to discount the fact that I do the best in my area. I would totally be willing to make up for the deficit when/if I get into Penn. It's just all so frustrating.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel better, I come from a South Dallas high school that is somewhat impoverished and we don't have much money at all. I am the first Ivy League student in about 10 years, and the majority of our kids don't even really go to college. Yet, I was accepted ED at Wharton. Don't lose faith yet, you still have a chance; and I wish more people like you made it into Penn. It would serve well to diffuse all the ignorant prep school "bunnies" who have no conception of what the real world is.</p>
<p>NeoStrife, unless you work for Admissions I have no idea what you are basing that information on. I hope you make a false generalization like that in one of your Penn papers and get a big fat "rewrite". Don't make this person worried about their school when you have no idea as to what you are claiming.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, that makes me feel a lot better. Not to give myself a pity party, but it is terribly difficult to get support from the stubborn, conservative, blue-collared society I was born into. So, any hope I can get is very much appreciated. Maybe I care about this too much, and I won't care any less, but the basic feedback I get is that "naivety doesn't look good on anyone." Who cares? I'll do what I want.</p>
<p>lol. sorry to offend. It was mostly a joke. Before you want to go "bunny hunting", I'm not really the elitest white collar you make me out to be.
I'm also from no where... 0 money, half a million budget cut last year, no APs and honors being removed, barely making the cut for a 3A school. In the last 20 years, 1 kid got waitlisted at Princeton and there were practically parties in the streets. Everyone thought that meant that she just had to "wait" to get in. So, she didn't apply anywhere else and currently isn't in college.
What I said may be a generalization.. but many generalizations are based on truth. A student at a small school has to do MUCH less work than a kid at a competitive school. If you aren't valedictorian in a school where you can sleep through your classes to get a 4.0, how can you handle competitive ivy league? </p>
<p>But, this is mute point. Just before the heart-touching Ben rant, Kor pointed out that he's valedictorian anyways. Most likely, I have suspicions that you are a very qualified applicant- there isn't much better you can do than being the best in your area with the highest test scores. My <em>assumption</em> (duly note the possibillity of fallacy.. i may get a fat red "rewrite" mark for this) is that your guidance counselor really had no idea what to do with Penn's secondary school report. Worse yet, he/she may have simply filled it out and not seen the request for a crapload of school records along with the reccomendation. Schools that have a record with penn apparently don't need to do this, but first time applicants do. I was one such first time applicant. My GC called Penn and they gave her a list of stuff she needed to send them. My school didn't have most of this stuff even in existance, so she spent like 20+ hours preparing a stellar report. I was pretty impressed, we have a pretty elite counselor for being from no where. She even put it on cd. shiny.</p>
<p>Anyways, my thought is that they may have deferred you because they were wary of your school. I'd bug your GC to call penn for the details and send in a jumbo pimped out secondary school report. Then, if you can, try to meet your regional director, and write the I-still-love-you-,-you're-still-my-first-choice letter. Also, did you get an interview? They're more important than they say.. I just learned that my regional rep called my alum to ask her a few questions (she didn't say any specifics, but my suspicion is that she was asked if her impression was that i could handle a large workload). You'll have to drive for it.. but that shows dedication and dedication is only a good thing. I drove 4 hrs with my dad to meet the regional and 1 hr for the interview.</p>
<p>From what's been said: You have EC hooks, good essays and recs, valedictorian, high test scores, and geographical preference for being from an area where no one else is from. that's the description of a perfect candidate...- so it's gotta be that secondary school report. </p>
<p>good luck.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, it should be the other way around, a top student from the middle of nowhere (no offense, I'm from Tuscaloosa--not that much higher on the hierarchy, i know--and I don't know where Elberta is) who REALLY wants to go to Penn should have an advantage.</p>
<p>Where else did you apply?</p>
<p>yeah, location is pretty darn important sometimes... some less qualified kid just might get in over a very qualified candidate due to location... they want more kids from states where people hardly apply or barely know what an ivy is
according to the <a href="http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/profile.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/profile.php</a>
only 13 kids from AL went.. you probably have an advantage in that respect
(<em>coughsoooooooomanykidsinNJweredeferred</em>)</p>
<p>diverty your energy worrying to energy showing penn you really want to go to that school.. if you want, write an updated "why penn (and why me at penn)" and send that in... make sure you go past the superficial reasons of wanting to attend penn (ie being an ivy) if you haven't already... you can still keep your grades up and retake any SATs/ACTs that weren't too good</p>
<p>well, basically just show you can "handle the workload" and are challenging yourself and really really want to go to penn. mostly, just don't let senioritis get to you, and take it upon yourself to do all that GC stuff (meaning talk to her/him about it and making sure he/she goes through with everything)</p>
<p>Yeah, but it's kind of hard considering my GC knows little about the Ivy schools. She mostly deals with students wanting to go to small Alabama liberal arts schools. I've basically been on my own in all of this. But yes, I will definitely keep sending in stuff I've written-- maybe even a satire or two, eh? Thanks for the advice guys; this really does help a lot. In response to feenotype, I also applied to Penn State, NYU, and University of Alabama (but only because my dad wanted me to due to money issues. I really try to block the idea of having to go to UA from my mind...is that bad?)</p>
<p>hahah i think a lot of us are like that... most of my friends will only go to our state u. as a last i-didn't-get-in-anywhere-else resort.. it's not a bad school, just.. idk, we want to leave. and go to "better," further away schools ^^ don't worry, it's what you make of your education ^^</p>
<p>I was actually probably going to go to my state school if I didn't get into Penn</p>
<p>which state school? mine'd be rutgers</p>
<p>PennState... but thats mainly cause I'm lazy and their Honors College is pretty good and from what I can tell I could have partied all four years and gotten A's from this one slacker dude I know form last year who was really smart but no drive and goes there now</p>
<p>lol yeah penn state isn't bad, neither is rutgers (honors programs)
but u know... it's just the idea of it</p>