Things Wrong with Penn (to help with ED Rejections)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>Well those people probably didn't get in because they probably wrote poor essays or had poor recs.</p>

<p>Listen, I talked with John Katsambach (even though he's not my regional adcom officer, nor am I legacy), and he looked at me straight in the eye and said, "We read everything. We read everything you give us."</p>

<p>So, yeah, if you have stellar grades & SAT scores & EC's like your friend, except he gets in but you don't, then it's probably because he wrote better essays.</p>

<p>All these threads about "What are my chances?!" or "Are my SAT scores bad?! ZOMG!!"... I think people truly have downplayed the significance of the essays... That's why Penn makes you write 2-3 LONG essays in the first place.</p>

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<p>2... and 2 shorts... meh, i still say it's a lottery, some days i write better than others</p>

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<p>on a nationwide survey, the admission officers have said that 2% of total essays have helped the applicant's chances 2% have hurt their chances, and 96% did nothing at all. essays are as overrated or underrated as you want them to be, i guess...</p>

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<p>and yea, ivy league admission is a crapshoot</p>

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<p>it really is. </p>

<p><em>WARNING</em></p>

<p><em>WARNING</em></p>

<p><em>THREAD OVERLOAD</em></p>

<p>getting contentious here, peeps. bad vibes...</p>

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<p>::sigh:: ...</p>

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<p>"Flaming Penn is not proactive." - Yukos</p>

<p>I bet Yukos read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens"</p>

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<p>Indeed I have. lol. I actually had an entire semester of the class in middle school (instead of a study hall the teacher elected to teach Covey). Nevertheless, as rediculous and simplistic that book is, it has many truths. While 'being proactive' may sound cliche, the reality is what do you gain by patronizing penn?</p>

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<p>Tru'</p>

<p>And Yup, it is a good book. "The risk of risklessness is the greatest risk of all" is like my life motto now.</p>

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<p>wow....</p>

<p>first, i also think the admissions process is kinda like a crapshoot. "You should call life a crapshoot because that's what it is." so...life's a crapshoot...college is a part of life...so isn't college admissions like a crapshoot? and if i were to get in, i wouldn't be all "omg! i'm the greatest" or some crap like that. i'd actually be humble. and, no, i'm not just saying this, cuz i think this situation is similar to when i first got into the orchestra i'm in now. every year when i audition and get accepted, i'm surprised, happy, and humble, b/c i kno there r so many others, including the other violas in the orchestra, who are better than me. i honestly sometimes think it's more luck than any skill on my part (which is always a surprise cuz lady luck doesn't usually like me >_<) plus, i think people say it's like a crapshoot not just to make themselves feel better, but also because there really is no way to predict the admisison process. and i agree with cujoe - there are some days i write better than others, so essays r really kinda iffy</p>

<p>second, i don't think people on this thread mean any real malice towards penn. obviously everyone loves it, or else, wth are they all doing here? it's something called "denial," as the OP mentioned. it may not be the healthiest thing, but hell, it does help you feel better on occasion. and someone else mentioned something about being "lighthearted," and i agree - don't take it all so seriously. again, i don't think people will hate penn if they don't get in. this is just another bracing-for-rejection technique, and i don't think ppl should gang up on others about it. </p>

<p>third, thedude, i don't really get that quote...or if it means what i think it means, i don't think i'd follow it... ><em>< iono, thats just me ^</em>^</p>

<p>finally, "getting contentious here, peeps. bad vibes..." 26e likes to spread the love ;) and i agree with him ^_^</p>

<p>whew...sorry for all that. if u guys don't agree with whatever i wrote, o well. sux for me, then, huh? lol</p>

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<p>well said, chibby, that's like the longest post you ever posted.
I don't think it's good to blast against Penn, but I guess if it helps you deal with rejection, then go for it, as long as you don't try to TP the school with toilet paper.
Writing is about getting into the rhythm, and sometimes I write better than other times. I don't know, but I just get creative and confident, and everything starts to flow. I think essays are worth a lot in the process because it's your chance to talk to the adcoms, and even though I don't think my essays are all that good, I think they do convey a different message about me that other things in my app don't, so because of that, I think my essays will serve a purpose. I just wish that I could've gotten more creative with them, but it's too late to regret anyway, and hopefully, the adcoms will get a new impression from them.</p>

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<p>thank you, spazallan ^_^ and yea, when i have something to say, i really say it, huh? lol</p>

<p>about essays: i think they also depend for what/whom you're writing. for example, on my lj or xanga, i can write and write, everything flowing smoothly and descriptively (when i'm talking about an event) and you can feel whatever emotion i'm feeling at that moment, whether it be anger or happiness. but for college essays, or even some essays for school, i don't always get ME across >_< make sense?? lol</p>

<p>o yea, and spazallan - you always come on so late!! ><em>< everyone should be asleep! (note use of the word "should" lol) ^</em>^</p>

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<p>sorry, chibby, but it's only 10 o'clock over here in Hawaii. Sometimes, when I come on CC at night, I felt like I'm talking to myself. I kept refreshing and refreshing, and nobody else is saying anything. I felt so lonely....</p>

<p>I'm really careful about what to say and what not to say when I write essays. I'm too conscientious sometimes, and because of that, I don't really get the full effect into my writing. For my college essays, I got really conservative and left out a lot of juicy stuffs. I agree though that it's so much easier to let it flow when writing in journal.</p>

<p>Go to sleep, chibby, it should be 12 over there, and let me talk to myself on CC.</p>

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<p>0_0 10 o clock?? i didn't know there was such a time difference btwn cali and hawaii...hmm, learn something new everyday. </p>

<p>lol, nah, i'll keep u company for a while ^_^ though talking to urself can be fun, i'm sure it's nice to have someone to talk to every now and then lol. and i'm talking to my friend in michigan, who really SHOULD be sleeping - but she never seems to lol. she claims she's a night owl haha</p>

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<p>I'm a night owl too. I usually go to sleep at 1 or 2, and when I was doing my Penn app, I went to sleep at 4 for two consecutive nights. I used to sleep in class, but not now though. I've trained myself to live on 5 or 6 hours of sleep a day.
Hawaii is about 2000 miles away from cali, so there should be a time difference. It's 3 hours during daylight saving time, which ended a couple of weeks ago.
I'm writing a speech for the Voice of Democracy contest. Have you heard of that? Well, I'm having a hard time with it....</p>

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<p>i usually go to sleep at 1 or 2 also, but usually cuz i'm reading/watching something or talking w/ friends lol. every now and then i'll be doing work. (ahh, i'm such a bad ap student ><em>< i'm like at the bottom of the group lol) i used to be able to run on like 4 hours of sleep a day, during freshman - junior year. this year, though, i can't do that. i guess all the sleep i've lost has finally caught up to me lol. IM me sometime if you're bored - chances are i'll be up lol
i don't know of Voice of Democracy. i know of Presidential Classroom...i dont really pay attention to anything politically associated...(i'm still wondering why i'm in ap government...lol) i always have a hard time with essays like that, though ></em><</p>

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<p>I actually like writing speeches, but most of the time when I'm writing speeches, I incorporate a certain amount of humor in them, but I can't be funny in this one, so that's why I'm having a tough time. I'm gonna go concentrate on it for about half an hour. Hopefully, I'll write a gem :)</p>

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<p>haha, ok, ganbatte ne!! (try your best~~) i'm off to bed to read ^_^ ja ne~</p>

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<p>who said you can't be funny in your essay?</p>

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<p>usually ur up watching anime chi.</p>