<p>I know we're always fretting about the word count, but for "why Penn?" why do they give you 500 words or 1 page?</p>
<p>Do they want us to tie in some experience into Penn and not really talk about Penn itself? I don't know... I want to go to Penn, but I don't want to sound like a brochure and to me giving me a page to write about only Penn is a brochure. What did you guys do in the past?</p>
<p>Well, there’s your problem. Don’t write about Penn - write about your dreams and goals and tie it in to how Penn can help you get there.</p>
<p>Talk about what you’ll do at Penn academically, extracurricularly, and socially. Make it clear that you fit at Penn.</p>
<p>Instead of saying,“Penn is great because…,which is why I want to go there,” say “I am a great fit for Penn because…”</p>
<p>If you read through your essay and it gives 101 reasons why Penn is awesome, but it doesn’t say much about yourself, start over.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you what I did. I love it, and I guess Penn loved it too, because I got in. </p>
<p>I wrote mine as a timeline. I spoke in present tense, went to different dates in the future, and wrote as though I am participating in what Penn has to offer at that future date. I included multiple clubs, study abroad, internships, and even graduation. I talked about how that participation helped me connect with Penn, which then helped achieve my goals. </p>
<p>I think I got lucky hitting the nail on the head with what Penn wanted. I still actually have my essay if you want me to send it to you.</p>
<p>I wrote about where I wanted to get, career-wise, and how Penn made sense for me. I also mentioned how at first I had been ignoring things like extracurriculars and location in my college search, but I realized how important some things were for me, and how Penn fit into those.</p>
<p>I wrote mine on a currency markets research idea and a TV show idea that I’d do at Penn/Wharton–they want to see how you’d make them look good by being a fascinating person, essentially.</p>
<p>This is an interesting topic… usually I steer clear of “what if” or “get me in” threads, but I like this one.</p>
<p>My essay was about how everyone in my life had this grand idea of what I should do with said life, but they never stopped to ask about what <em>I</em> wanted to do. I talked about how I really didn’t know what to do with my life, and that the general atmosphere of Penn was perfect for exploring possibilities I never before imagined. It was far from professional – more of a letter to the admissions officers (I mentioned a couple of times, “I would talk about how great Penn is, but since you do this for a living, you probably already know”). I tied in that my favorite experience have also been my most challenging ones, and that Penn offered the chance to learn in an environment that would encourage intense thinking but not losing the idea of enjoying an education.</p>
<p>It didn’t have ANYTHING in there about how great I am or why Penn should pick me. Instead, it was a candid statement that showed I knew and understood what it was to be a 17-year-old, that my future was uncertain, and that Penn was the perfect fit for me.</p>
<p>As an aside… what I wrote in that essay really came to fruition… I entered Penn wanting to do a lot of math, but then I wanted to do political science with a focus on international affairs. I wound up doing a political theory concentration, and now I work for a consulting firm that emphasizes quantitative data analysis. My job is relatively fast paced and has a steep learning curve, and Penn prepared me for those aspects of a career in addition to (more importantly) the ability to work extremely hard but smile the whole way through.</p>
<p>That should give you 500 words to write.
Oh, and btw, I wrote 706 words in my essay. If it’s interesting, you can go over.</p>
<p>I am planning to apply this year and I’m thinking of doing a type of “day in the life” essay. This would essentially just be a description of an average day in my life as a penn student, i.e. what I would do, where I’d hang out, etc. Do you think this would be a good idea?</p>
<p>@radco85 I’d love to see your essay. Could you PM it to me? Thanks.</p>