***** University of Pennsylvania ED Class of 2020 Results Thread *****

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

In honor of having exactly one month until we receive our decisions, I created this thread :smiley:

Please use the following format while posting the results. Please discuss on the other ED thread, and use this one only for results. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

2

MODERATORā€™s NOTE:
This thread is only for results. Non-result posts will be deleted. Such discussion should be posted [url=<a href=ā€œhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/1780846-penn-class-of-2020-early-decision-discussion.html#latest%5Dhere%5B/urlā€>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/1780846-penn-class-of-2020-early-decision-discussion.html#latest]here[/url].

3

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2200 (680CR, 800M, 720W)
ACT (breakdown): didnā€™t take
SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 Chem, 730 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We donā€™t use a 4.0 scale. It was 99.15 weighted out of 100 with 5 extra points added for each honors/AP class
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5% (rank not available)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem(4), BC Calc(5), APUSH(4), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, AP Stats, AP Physics II, AP English lit.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nation Merit Commended Student, AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurricular (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST Robotics (10-12 Team Manager 12, Programming Team Lead 11-12), NHS 11-12 (Recording Secretary 12), Marching Band 9-12 (Field Manager 12), Academic Team 11-12
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Raised over $5,000 for American Cancer Society, other service for NHS
Summer Activities: not much other than Marching Band
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Both 8s I guess, one from APUSH teacher other from BC Calc teacher. Both liked me a lot.

Teacher Rec #1:Decent
Teacher Rec #2:Decent
Counselor Rec: Didnā€™t know me too well but she did pick me for a New Student Ambassador Program and she put that in
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Short (15 min), but I thought he liked me.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science (SEAS)
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths:GPA/Class Rank, decent essays (imo)
Weaknesses: SAT score (especially CR), no major awards, white male from NJ
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ECā€™s werenā€™t really too impressive, and I was unhooked. Also ED for SEAS is supposedly getting much more competitive.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None yet

General Comments :

4

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**

CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (CR: 750, M: 800, W: 740 Essay: 8) one sitting
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 for all, 26 essay) one sitting
SAT II: 800 french, 770 Math II, 760 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 for 394
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (4) Psych (5) US History (5) Stats (4) Calc AB (5) Macro (5) Micro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, AP Gov, Ap English Lit, AP Physics II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (captain), Academic Decathlon (co-president and founding member), Chess (three times state champ, most sought-after teacher in my area), Mayorā€™s Youth Advisory Council (President), Math Club (co-president and founding member)
Job/Work Experience: instructor at Mathnasium, private tutoring here and there
Volunteer/Community service: 300+ hours, mostly from chess
Summer Activities: Volunteer at the Idaho Youth Ranch for like 6ish hours a week
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Common App: a solid 10. I talked about my rather unique background (Chinese, but grew up in Montreal where my first language was French, then moved to Idaho of all placed)
-UPenn suppliment: 8ish I guess, talked about how I love math and econ, so UPenn offers a mathematical economics major
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher, I never read it so I honestly donā€™t know. Iā€™m one of the few students to take Calc BC so Iā€™m on his good side. Again, I never read it, but Iā€™d guesstimate a 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10. She loves me
Additional Rec: My employer at Mathnasium, 10/10.

Interview:
Oh boy. So I got interviewed by a wonderful lady from Seoul (over Skype). She got her Bachelorā€™s in like two years and had a Masterā€™s degree by the time it takes most people to get a Bachelorā€™s. The interview lasted about 25 minutes or so. So Iā€™m not quite sure how that went.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Mathematical Economics
State (if domestic applicant): Idaho
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really

Reflection

Strengths: Being from Idaho, my Common App essay. My objectives are actually very good for someone from Idaho. My Req. letters I assume were pretty good too
Weaknesses: that interview.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was probably the best applicant from Idaho
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

5

ACCEPTED

6

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2050 (710 R, 720 M, 620 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (34 E, 35 M, 36 R, 30 S)
SAT II: 740 Math ll, 560 French
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8ish [School doesnā€™t really do GPA]; predicted 38/42 IB points
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, IB Economics HL, IB Biology HL, IB French SL, IB History, IB Math SL, Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): MUN, Varsity Swimming, Irish Dancing (TA), Scuba Diving (Rescue Diver)
Job/Work Experience: PAO Assistant at the US Embassy (11; Winter Break)
Volunteer/Community service: Gender Equality Service Club (Founder/Leader)
Summer Activities: Swim Training
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App was probably (8.5/10) - my momā€™s friend (who reviews books for literary prizes) really liked it. Huntsman (8/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Econ teacher, 7/10
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher, I have no idea but I know she loves me. My counselor said it was good?
Counselor Rec: No idea
Additional Rec: No
Interview: Average. It was over the phone, so it was less relaxed than I would have liked. Also, I totally forgot to talk about my ECs and other interesting stuff.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Huntsman Program, backup CAS - International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): Live overseas
Country (if international applicant): US citizen
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: 0.5 Asian, 0.5 White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No

Reflection:

Strengths: Definitely international experience/strong background story & interesting ECs.
Weaknesses: Grades, SAT Subject Tests, Lack of awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my grades were a major factor as I had a large drop in GPA in 10th grade; I also have a couple Cs. But to be honest, I have no idea how I was deferred instead of rejected, comparing my stats to everyone elseā€™s.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted - Temple. Applying - Georgetown, Wellesley, American, George Washington, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, UVA.

General Comments : Congratulations to everyone whoā€™s been accepted!

7

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2020
ACT (breakdown): 33 (Eng 30 Math 34 Reading 32 Science 34 Writing 27/ 2sittings)
SAT II:Math 2: 730 Physics: 710 Literature: 650
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 8%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human(5) AB Calc(5) WorldHistory(4) Government(3) ComputerScience(3) BC Calc(5) Physics C Mech(4) Physics C E/M (4) Music Theory(4) Lang(4) Statistics(3) USHistory(2)
IB (place score in parenthesis): ā€“
Senior Year Course Load: Band, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Lit, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scolar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band(9th-12th)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: solid 9. Talked about how I first began to love math and where it has taken me so far in life, starting with a friendly competition in elementary school.
UPenn App: solid 8-9. Talked more about math and how Penn would work well, touched on how my dad went there.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP BC Calc teacher, didnt read it. Love him and his class. I am now a TA for his class when I dont have to go to my college courses.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher, didnt read. Never enjoyed english classes before this teacher. He developed a love for analysis when reading.
Counselor Rec: Great counselor, however just got her this year

Interview: went great, lasted 30 min or so. Talked about how I have always had a love for math and why I wanted to go to penn.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: math
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ā€”

Reflection

Strengths: Ive taken a butt load of AP classes, along with taking Differential Equations and Linear Algebra at my local college first semester.
Weaknesses: Could have done better rank/GPA and on SAT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really dont know man. Maybe I didnt do enough ECā€™s (band takes a lot of time) or didnt grind my nose since freshman year for GPA.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: none yet

8

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [color][size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (800M, 690W, 640R) I only reported this score to Penn as it was required
ACT (breakdown): 35C (35M, 35S, 35R, 36W)
SAT II: 760 Math 2, 710 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.9 UW/ 4.5 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5) APUSH (5) AP Lang (4) Micro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Comp Sci, AP Physics C, AP Literature, AP Macroeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student, Presidential Service Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST FRC Robotics (4 years; caption senior year), Key Club (4 years; vp senior year), Asian-American Club (4 years; skit director senior year), Model UN (2 years), National Honor Society, FBLA (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: worked for Rutgers Football/ Athletics
Volunteer/Community service: About 500 hours through temple, robotics, summer enrichment, and foodbank/other key club service projects
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My CommonApp was about me as a person and thinker it was pretty solid (~9 out of 10) My Upenn was amazing (9.5 out of 10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I asked my calc and english teachers both love me very much and my calc teacher only writes recs for 2 ppl every year and I was one of them so I guess itā€™ll be good ; my counselor and I are very very close and she knows me very well also wrote about how I self studied 3 APs because the school didnā€™t offer them.
Waived my right to see them
Teacher Rec #1: 10 (calc)
Teacher Rec #2: 9.5 (english)
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Rec:
Interview: It went pretty good she was very very nice and asked deep questions we had a very colloquial conversation and I thought I answered everything perfectly (9 out of 10)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (500 student class size)
Ethnicity: Asian/Indian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 60-70k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.) None

9

**Decision: Deferred **

UK Applicant

CAS

Objective:
SAT I: 2050 (CR:630, M:730 W:690 essay:9) 1920 on first sitting :-S
SAT II: Math I:770, Math II:760
Unweighted GPA: NA
Rank : 1st (of a class of 36)
AP: NA
IB :NA
Senior Year Course Load: Iā€™m from England, so 3 A-levels: Math (predicted A), Further Math (predicted A), Art & Design (predicted A)
Major Awards: NA

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Math Captain and Art Captain (ranked 1st in my school in these subjects) - peer-mentor math session and weekly art club, Mathlete (captain), Young Enterprise (Finance Director)
Job/Work Experience: Worked in retail for about a year
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Brownies, monthly fundraiser for Maryā€™s Meals
Summer Activities: Work experience at Foster+Partnerā€™s architecture firm (2 weeks), work experience at Sega (2 weeks), paid internship as a financial analyst at Microsoft (2 months)
Essays:
Common app essay (9/10) - Wrote about being born in America, moving to Australia and then the UK using an extended metaphor. The idea was pretty solid but my writing has never been amazing.
Penn Supplement (7/10) - Alright, but I didnā€™t get super creative with it. I wrote about how I love to challenge my own perspective and integrate knowledge.

Recommendations:

Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher (havenā€™t read it) - overall Iā€™m very close with the math department at my school, but it just so happened that the teacher who wrote this rec is the one who is very strict and critical.
Teacher Rec #2: Chemistry teacher (havenā€™t read it) - I imagine this one couldnā€™t have been better than 7/10. Because of the way school system in the UK works, he was one of the only teachers who could write this for me, which he was very displeased and impatient about.
Counselor Rec: (10/10) Love love LOVE my counselor. Itā€™s mutual.
Additional Rec: (10/10) From my headteacher/principle. Heā€™s always really liked me. He once called my primary school teacher and said heā€™s never seen a student like me.

Interview:
(10/10) I had an AMAZING lady interview me! She was quite young, graduated in 2012, and we ended up talking in a coffee shop for 2.5+ hours. We just got so into our discussion about feminism we lost track of time.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Mathematics (surprise)
Country: UK
School Type: Private Catholic Girls only.
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $200,00+
Hooks: NA

Reflection

Strengths: My interview, some of my recs and my background (living in 3 continents)
Weaknesses: Definitely my SAT Scores, Penn supplement, ECā€™s, no major awards, no normal awards, white
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Donā€™t know why I was deferred instead of rejected - possibly where Iā€™ve lived

10

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (800 CR / 770 M / 800 W 1 sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Lit, 790 USH, 700 Bio-E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.7/4.13 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A but around 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (4), Lit (5), USH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Environmental, AP Psych, AP Statistics, AP Economics, AP Lit, Orch/Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, some national writing and forensics awards, school book award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Editor-in-Chief of School Literary Magazine, Principal Violist of School Orchestra, All-State Orchestra, Vice President of Volunteer Chamber Orchestra Group, Speech/Debate (Forensics), NHS
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring in English/History
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer Chamber Orchestra Group
Summer Activities: Internship at NJSO, music therapy volunteering at an NYC hospital, CTY, prestigious writing camp
Essays: 9/10 (my Why Penn was pretty good I think!)
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 English Teacher (loves me), 9/10 History Teacher
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (she loves me but itā€™s probably generic)
Additional Rec: 9/10 Orchestra Teacher, 10/10 additional Penn letters from alumnus and current student who is at KWH
Interview: 9/10 Went smoothly, think she liked me and we had a really nice conversation! I think we had a lot in common.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
Intended Major: Undecided in CAS (Social Sciences/Humanities)
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Not sure but high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): KWH and alumni letters, but otherwise none

Reflection
Strengths: Writing ECs, Essays, Test Scores, interest in Penn (visited twice and sat in on a class)
Weaknesses: GPA!!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA :frowning: Gotta try hard for midyear report I guess!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied UChicago EA and Rutgers; will apply to NYU and other northeast schools
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Wish I couldā€™ve made more As or sent in my first quarter grades (one of my grades was too bad to send in, unfortunately)! But other than that, I think Iā€™ve tried my best and I guess Iā€™ll take my chances in the regular admissions pool. Best of luck to all deferred/rejected and congrats to those who made it!

11

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (800M, 690W, 640R) I only reported this score to Penn as it was required
ACT (breakdown): 35C (35M, 35S, 35R, 36W)
SAT II: 760 Math 2, 710 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.9 UW/ 4.5 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5) APUSH (5) AP Lang (4) Micro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Comp Sci, AP Physics C, AP Literature, AP Macroeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student, Presidential Service Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST FRC Robotics (4 years; caption senior year), Key Club (4 years; vp senior year), Asian-American Club (4 years; skit director senior year), Model UN (2 years), National Honor Society, FBLA (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: worked for Rutgers Football/ Athletics
Volunteer/Community service: About 500 hours through temple, robotics, summer enrichment, and foodbank/other key club service projects
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My CommonApp was about me as a person and thinker it was pretty solid (~9 out of 10) My Upenn was amazing (9.5 out of 10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I asked my calc and english teachers both love me very much and my calc teacher only writes recs for 2 ppl every year and I was one of them so I guess itā€™ll be good ; my counselor and I are very very close and she knows me very well also wrote about how I self studied 3 APs because the school didnā€™t offer them.
Waived my right to see them
Teacher Rec #1: 10 (calc)
Teacher Rec #2: 9.5 (english)
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Rec:
Interview: It went pretty good she was very very nice and asked deep questions we had a very colloquial conversation and I thought I answered everything perfectly (9 out of 10)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (500 student class size)
Ethnicity: Asian/Indian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 60-70k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.) None

12

Decision: Accepted SEAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (both attempts)
SAT I (superscore): 2360 (760CR, 800M, 800W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/ ~500
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (4), BC Calc (5), CS (5), Physics 2 (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Physics C, AP Stat, AP Lang, AP French, H ADV CS
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Track, Science Club, SciOly, Math Club, Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout), Orchestra ~6 years, many more insignificant ones.
Job/Work Experience: programming AT PENN
Volunteer/Community service: Nothing major (generic stuff)
Summer Activities: Summer camp at Penn, job
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Common App was awesome IMO. Connected CS to parts in my life (9.5/10)
-Supplement was bad. Saw some grammar mistakes and didnā€™t flow (6/10)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: CS teacher. Was very enthusiastic about my rec.
Teacher Rec #2: BC and math club teacher. Probably a good rec.
Counselor Rec: Very close. Likely very good!
Additional Rec: From boss. Assuming it was great!
Interview: It was okay. Kind of awkward and stumbled a few times.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: CS
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Korean)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling legacy?

Reflection

Strengths: Test Scores, Job, Number of Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Literally no leadership and somewhat bad class rank.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Luck
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments : Scary Process. Glad to be done!

13

Decision: Accepted - ED

CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33 C (36 E, 28 M, 35 R, 33 S, 32 Essay) and 35 C (36 E, 31 M, 36 R, 36 S, 29 Essay)
SAT II: US History 770, Literature 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH 5, APLANG 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): will be taking my tests in May 2016
Senior Year Course Load: IB HL English, IB HL History, IB HL Econ, IB SL Math, IB SL ESS, IB SL Spanish, TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): no big ones, but: NHS (10, 11, 12), Spanish NHS (11, 12), All-A Honor Roll for Semester 1 and Semester 2 (9, 10, 11), National Merit Commended (12)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Girls varsity golf (team captain) (9, 10, 11), Piano (9, 10, 11, 12), Spanish club (president and founder) (10, 11, 12), School-wide website to keep track of homework (9, 10), Yearbook (manager), (11, 12), Philosophy Club (vice president) (11, 12), UNICEF (10, 11, 12), StuCo (representative) (9), prom committee (11)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Teen Court (12), Public library (9, 10, 11)
Summer Activities: Comedy camp (9), Columbia HS summer program (11, 12)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): probably 8/10, about feminism
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 from IB HL English teacher, we text all the time
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 IB HL History, she said it was her best ever
Counselor Rec: 8/10 he really likes me but doesnā€™t know me that well
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: lasted for an hour, was a little weird but he told me at the end I was a strong candidate and he was gonna write a strong recommendation

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $500,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: Scores, GPA, Curriculum
Weaknesses: Awards, Essays
Why you think you were accepted: Applying Early Decision, strengths
Where else were you accepted: UARK Honors College

General Comments: I really thought I was going to get rejected. I keep crying!!! Go Quakers!!!

14

Decision: Accepted - ED

CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1780 (620R,570M,590W) Iā€™m sure this didnā€™t get me in.
ACT (breakdown): 30C (32 Eng, 28 Math, 30 Reading, 28 Science, 26 Writing)/ 3 sittings but #2 was best
SAT II: 660 Math 1, 690 US History, 700 Biology E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), US History (4), Language/Composition (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Business Math, Genetics, College English (H), AP Calc BC, World Religions, Organic Chemistry, Accounting, Christianity and the Arts, Holocaust Studies, AP Macroeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band, DECA, Key Club, The Do Something Club, Football Manager, Basketball Statistician
Job/Work Experience: Sonic Carhop
Volunteer/Community service: Medical Center, Sacred Heart School, Holy Cross Church, Do Something Club, Splash Camp, The Key Club, Ronald McDonald House, Volunteer Clinic, American Red Cross
Summer Activities: NIH STEP-UP Research Assistant,STEM Camp at US Naval Academy
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I have no ideaā€¦about a 7 or 8ā€¦maybe
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8 or 9. I asked a a teacher who loves me and sees me both in and outside of the classroom. I asked a science teacher who likes me a lot. The one that probably held the most weight was the one I got from the professor with whom I did a summer internship.

Teacher Rec #1: 9 ( US History)
Teacher Rec #2: 9 (Chemistry)
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec: 10 (UNCC Professor)
Interview: It went pretty well. The man was an older gentleman and only asked me one question; the rest of the time, we talked about his experience at Penn. In the end, he told he would put in a good word for me. While there were no negative moments, I couldnā€™t read his vibe. (6-8 out of 10)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Georgia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic
Ethnicity: American Native / African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $90,000 - $110,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: Class rank, # of APs, Test scoresā€¦all of them
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: URM, Personal essay, Research experience
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted- Colorado School of Mines; Applying- Georgetown, Brown, U of Connecticut, U of Michigan ā€“ Ann Arbor, Northeastern, Northwestern

General Comments : I still feel like this isnā€™t trueā€¦

15

Decision: Accepted CAS hope to meet some of you at Penn next year
GO QUAKERS!!

16

Decision: Deferred M&T

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2340, 2360 single sitting, 2400 superscored
ACT (breakdown): 36
SAT II: 800 on Math, Physics, Literature, 780 in Biology-M and Chemistry, 770 on US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.15
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/123
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC, Chem, Bio, Physics Mech, Physics E&M, Lang, US, Euro, Stats, Compsci, all 5
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Econ (self study for both APā€™s), research, music, AP Lang, DiffEq (JHU-CTY)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USNCO qualifier, 2x AIME qualifier (highest score 7), National merit semifinalist, National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Research-Entered Intel STS, planning to publish soon.
Violin-Two time qualifier for All States, first chair in my district this year. I also lead my schoolā€™s chamber music group.
Quiz Bowl-Captain of my school team. I revived the club at my school after the faculty member in charge of it had to leave the school. I got a new faculty advisor and recruited 4-6 new students and got us participating in NAQT tournaments.
Sports-Varsity cross country in 11th grade and varsity tennis since 9th grade.

Volunteer/Community service: At libraries, soup kitchens, senior citizen centers, hospital, at least 200 hours total

Summer Activities: HCSSim, Iowa SSTP, M&TSI, also worked on my research last summerā€¦kind of an internship without pay

Essays (rating 1-10, details): who knows
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): probably really good

Interview: lasted for about half an hour. She said I was a good fit but it was a Friday morning and she probably worked on Wall Street so Iā€™m guessing she did not have any more time than that.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Systems Engineering or Computer Science and Entrepreneurship or Finance.
State (if domestic applicant): VT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Boarding
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: XY
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

17

Decision: Accepted - CAS

**Note to future posters: take out the "a"s in front of [ B ], [ size ] and [ color ] to make the heading work!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 E, 36 R, 33 M, 33 S, 35 W) <ā€” old-style writing section
SAT II: 770 Math 2, 680 Lit., 590 Spanish (I KNOW)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (5), Calc BC (5), English Lit (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL2, IB Stats HL2, IB Spanish SL, AP Physics C: Mech, APUSH, Student Government, AP Gov, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (12); Volunteer work (12, 11); Graphic design stuff (10, 11, 12), writing stuff (published an article)
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting, freelance graphic design work
Volunteer/Community service: 120ish hours at the Natural History Museum of Utah
Summer Activities: Took a math class, did volunteer work, nothing major.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): This is where my application really shined I think. I worked really hard on both my common app essay and my supplement. I was really specific in my supplement about exactly what I would do on campus, how I would contribute to the community, etc.

Teacher Rec #1: Spanish teacher. She let me read it after I submitted and it was really amazing. She talked about how I was one of the best students sheā€™d ever had.
Teacher Rec #2: Euro teacher. He and I are buds, I ate lunch in his room almost every day last year and sometimes this year. Probably amazing too.
Counselor Rec: Generic probably.
Additional Rec: Got one from a coworker/boss at the Natural History Museum.
Interview: Went super well, the guy seemed to love me

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: English
State (if domestic applicant): Utah
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, medium-sized, decently ranked but not super great
Ethnicity: Hispanic / White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Kelly Writers House recruitment

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, essays, recs, URM, KWH
Weaknesses: ECs, amount of APs taken, the fact that I moved schools 3 times.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I HAVE NO IDEA BUT Iā€™M HAPPY AF
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: nowhere

General Comments : ?!$??? WHATTTTTT I GOT INNNN

18

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (800 CR, 680 MATH, 750 WR)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 760 Literature, 660 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): no GPA in my school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Comp (5), Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: (Canadian courses) AP Human Geo, AP English Lit, AP Economics, Politics, Law, Creative Writing, and Math

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
-Many debate awards at various levels
-DECA Provincials

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (president), DECA (trainer/exec), FBLA (president), Key Club (president and founder)

Job/Work Experience: tutored kids

Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered for a local politician, got her elected, she wrote a supplementary recommendation for me

Summer Activities: Went to Hong Kong to train local debaters

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why Penn: 8? talked about how my political views changed over time and how Iā€™m super involved in politics, but didnā€™t really explain why Penn was necessarily great
Common App: 7-8 talked about debate but it was pretty bland

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9s for teachers (I assume): AP English and AP Psych teachers
Also got a local politician to write something, but I saw it and it was very basic.

Teacher Rec #1: 9, AP English teacher who supposedly saw me grow over 3 years of teaching me
Teacher Rec #2: 8, AP Psych teacher (nothing special)
Counselor Rec: 9? I read it and it seemed very detailed
Additional Rec: 7, local politician wrote some basic stuff but I just wanted it for the name recognition and relation to politics
Interview: was very long and probably the best part of the app. Sucks that it didn;t mean much.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yep, but itā€™s supposedly need-blind for Canada
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 108,000 (Canadian)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a

Reflection

Strengths: interview, recs, maybe even essays
Weaknesses: grades in 9-10, SAT scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: crap SAT II score, awful math grades in 9-10
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: nowhere yet - waiting on UChic EA

General Comments : trying to keep my head up and apply RD!

19

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Fisher M&T, Secondary: Wharton

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (first sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math 2 - 800, Physics - 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95/4.0 (2 Bs in 6th grade french)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): US Govā€™t (5), Stat (5), US Hist (4), English Lit (5), BC Calc (5). Physics: Mechanics (5), Euro Hist (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): SL French (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Global Politics, IB HL Math, IB SL Chemistry, IB Psychology, IB HL Physics, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB HL English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME qualifier, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Year-round club swimmer (22hrs/week, since 4th grade), Clarinetist (since 4th grade), Orchestras/Bands, Debate Team member (all of HS), Writer for the school newspaper (all of HS)
Job/Work Experience: Assistant Coach for local summer swim team (30 hrs/week), Technical Intern at a small IT company the summer prior (30 hrs/week)
Volunteer/Community service: ~150 hours, National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, etc.
Summer Activities: swimming, coaching, giving private swim lessons, working as a technical intern the summer prior
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9-10, spent months on them, couldnā€™t find anything to improve upon. Really told my story and why I thought UPenn was a perfect match. Had my great English teacher review it and it seemed goodā€¦

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9-10 (history teacher), really loved her class and we had a really nice relationship. We still always say hi when we pass each other in the halls.
Teacher Rec #2: 9-10 (physics teacher), really liked him and did excellent in his class. Our class was rather huge but I am quite sure that I stood out in his eyes.
Counselor Rec: 7+, Didnā€™t have that many interactions with my counselor, but all of my interactions were positive and I was really respectful.
Additional Rec: (Club Swim Coach) 7+ Been swimming with my club swim coach throughout high school and we have a very positive relationship. He mentioned that he was a bit crunched for time though (I officially requested 2 weeks prior to the deadline), so I dunno about the quality of the rec.
Interview: 10. The interview was amazing. I learned an incredible amount from the interviewer and gave an honest rendition of myself, my interests and activites, etc. I thought I made a great impression.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Comp Engineering in SEAS and Finance, Managing Electronic Commerce in Wharton
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: County Magnet Program (IB)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation born in America

Reflection

Strengths: Great, dedicated swimmer, Accomplished student, Talented Musician, Caring Swim Coach, Enthusiastic Intern
Weaknesses: 3.95 GPA? Maybe teachers actually didnā€™t like me that much? No especially significant math/science awards. No business background.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe recs were worse than expected? Maybe 3.95 GPA is unacceptable? Maybe math/sci awards or a background in business are must-haves for Wharton/Fisher.

General Comments :
I was surprised (and devastated).

20

Decision: Deferred CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1890 (570 CR, 720 M, 600 W)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 R, 31 M, 34 S, 32 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Donā€™t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 3 AP European History, 3 AP Language, 4 AP Chemistry
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Government, Politics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
AP scholar, National Honors Society, Spanish National Honors Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
High School Volleyball Team (9 Freshman, 10 JV, 11 varsity)
Club Volleyball (9, 10)
Piano (11 years)
Freshman Mentoring (11, 12)
Social Media coordinator for a nonprofit organization (11, 12)
Selected as a member of the school districtā€™s student and board of education relations committee (12)
Feminist Club Vice President and initiating member (11, 12)
Chemistry Club Member (12)

Job/Work Experience: Work at American Eagle
Volunteer/Community service: over 400 hours through freshman mentoring
Summer Activities: attended Brown University summer program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, discussed my childhood as a Kenyan-American and how that impacted me
Why Upenn essay: 10, really passionate
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Didnā€™t read, she likes me a lot, 9
Teacher Rec #2: didnā€™t read, sheā€™s fond of me though, 8
Counselor Rec: didnā€™t read, donā€™t know her well but she likes me, 9
Additional Rec: Read it, she loves me to death, 10
Interview: went well, laughed a lot, casual conversation, 9

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Black, East African
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $75,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Black, female, legacy

Reflection

Strengths: standardized test scores, essays, recommendations
Weaknesses: AP scores, no ECā€™s were done for all 4 years
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I honestly donā€™t know, kind of upset at the moment

General Comments :
Hoping to be either accepted at Penn or to be accepted to an equivalent or better school