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

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
61

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective: Wharton
SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II: did not submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 30%
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4) stats (4) Micro (4) Macro (4) English Lan (3) APWorld (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish, AP Psych, AP Physics, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Entrepreneurship club, NHS, varsity sport, math team
Job/Work Experience: worked 4 jobs last summer, awarded with employee of the year and such
Volunteer/Community service: Miscellaneous 75hours or so
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Commonapp essay: 9 Penn Writing supplement: 6
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Econ 10
Teacher Rec #2: Math 8
Counselor Rec: 6
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: 7----IDK interview seemed too laid back.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major: FINANCE
State (if domestic applicant): MN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 125k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None…White male lol

Reflection

Strengths: Course rigor, my plan at penn, driven
Weaknesses: Class rank/GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Wharton is the best and most selective business school in the world. You can’t be mad if you get rejected. They can only take so many.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Going to the marines. It was Penn or nothing.

62

Accepted Wharton/Denied M&T

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1970 took once 710 Math lvl 2/780 Spanish
Btw I retook/ was planning to retake them all but none in time for ED results
ACT (breakdown): 29 took once
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Schools DNC ~ high 3.9 ish unweighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): DNC top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 AP calc and AP Spanish
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: Calc 2, Comp Sci, Stats, Micro/Macro, Physics, Design & Engineering, English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist, National Hispanic Scholar (like National Merit but lower cutoff)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Prefect similar to an RA ( I go to boarding school), Wrestling, President for schools FBLA and SOCA (students of color association)
Job/Work Experience: At a science center and with family friends over the summer
Volunteer/Community service: not much
Summer Activities: JHU CTY at roger williams and Princeton. AP us history summer class, taught myself precalc
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app 7/10: going to school in a bad district vs private prep school with scholarship. A lot of grammar mistakes. overcoming adversity

penn supplement 9.5/10 I really liked this one, I visited penn and knew a lot about the school and was genuine about why I wanted penn and why it was the right fit for me
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 2 teachers that really helped me in the process and knew me very well. (math)
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 same (Spanish teacher)
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: none
Interview: went well 35 minutes told her a lot about penn, even things she did know and reasons why it was a great fit for me.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Finance, Businesses Econ
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Boarding School not in NJ though
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: low < 20k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM for sure

Reflection

Strengths: trilingual (spanish and Portuguese), math heavy courses with high grades, questbirdge essays helped
Weaknesses: scores scores scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: URM + strengths, took most of the harder classes at a good private school.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: No where else

General Comments : very low scores, very good grades, knew a lot about penn, got lucky.

63

DEFERRED

Objective: Huntsman (German), Wharton Secondary
SAT I (breakdown): 2090 (710M, 710R, 670W)
SAT II: 630 Math 2, 610 German, 700 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.72
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang (5), AP Gov (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Literature, Senior Thesis, Chemistry, APUSH, AP Calculus BC, Latin 4, Yearbook, German 5
Awards: Awarded full scholarship by State Department to Study Abroad in Germany in 10th Grade

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government President, Latin Club Consul, Auction Committee, Varsity Tennis (4 years), Civil Air Patrol Rank of 1st Lt.
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring, Internship at Commerzbank in Germany
Volunteer/Community service: Civil Air Patrol does disaster relief, laying wreaths at cemeteries
Summer Activities: Internship, teaching English in Germany, traveling
Essays (rating 1-10, details): General Penn (I thought it was good 8/10), Huntsman (I personally thought it was awesome, apparently Penn didn’t think so haha 10/10), Common App (9/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:Lit Teacher (8/10),
Teacher Rec #2: Gov Teacher (10/10),
Counselor Rec: I’m sure it was good (8/10)
Additional Rec:Civil Air Patrol (10/10)
Interview: It was about an hour, my person was sort of cold and not very friendly, but it was alright.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: German/Finance
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Small Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: I don’t need aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I speak German and Afrikaans…

Reflection

Strengths: ECs, Essays, Recs
Weaknesses: SAT and grades were lowish, but people got in at my score and lower. I’m a white male which also sucks.

General Comments : Eh, I think it’s worse to get deferred because now its dragged out for another 4 months. But, if I get accepted later it will all be worth it!

64

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 science, 34 math, 32 english, 31 reading, 10 essay)
SAT II: 800 (Math II)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/354
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Macro (5), Stat (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Latin, AP Physics C, Post-AP Multivar Calc (academic classes). Business Law & Financial Literacy, Gym/Health, ROTC x2 (electives)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, American Legion General Military Excellence Award (Junior ROTC national award), Air Commando Association Award (Junior ROTC national award), DECA ICDC 2015 Award of Excellence (top 30% score at international DECA conference), DECA state finalist in 2 categories (2nd place & 10th place), National Latin Exam summa cum laude (top 10% score in the nation, 10th & 11th), maxima cum laude (top 20% score in the nation, 9th)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Air Force Junior ROTC (variety of leadership roles for 10th, 11th, 12th grades - really important, made a serious impact on my unit, handled tasks worth multiple tens of thousands of dollars throughout the years). DECA (international qualifier, state finalist, chapter VP). Latin Club (chapter President for 11th & 12th). Certamen Quiz Bowl Team (Latin quiz bowl, team co-captain for 10th & 12th, 2nd place at regionals in 9th & 10th).
Job/Work Experience: Worked as a cashier at a local convenience store from November of my junior year to present.
Volunteer/Community service: Over 100 hours with my Air Force Junior ROTC unit
Summer Activities: Volunteered at local Food Pantry for summer between sophomore and junior years
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I thought my Common App and Supplemental essays were fairly good, about 7-8/10 for both, nothing absolutely amazing. I did write an Additional Info essay which specifically outlined my experience in Air Force Junior ROTC, including the details of how my ideas involved making the unit run as a more efficient business, how I handled $10000 worth of US government property, how the experience over the course of the 4 years shaped me as a stronger and more capable leader and better personal overall. I think my Additional Info essay helped a lot, because it really gave an insight into the type of person I am and my instructor and guidance counselor both nearly cried after reading it.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Latin teacher for the past 4 years and the Latin Club advisor (I’ve been President for 2 years now) so he knows me very well and thinks very highly of me. Guessing 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: My physics teacher (AP Physics 1 in 11th grade & Physics C in 12th) wrote my second rec, and we’re close/comfortable with each other, but she doesn’t know me as a person as deeply. I’m sure both recs were pretty good though. Guessing 7/10
Counselor Rec: Knows me very well and has seen me go through many struggles over the course of my high school career, definitely wrote me a good rec. guessing 9/10.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went really well, she seemed to love me and my stories, and it truly felt like a conversation, not an interview. She told me she thought I would be so perfect at Penn and I should try to sit in on classes to get the Penn experience ASAP instead of having to wait until next fall.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Finance & Management
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $90k-$100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (african american)

Reflection

Strengths: additional info essay, extracurriculars, awards
Weaknesses: grades (had 1 C from freshman year, really scared it would hurt me)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments : so happy to be accepted! Now as I type this and really recount my entire resume, I’m not shocked that I was accepted, but its really so hard to tell with the Ivies because their track record seems like a complete crapshoot sometimes.

65

Decision: Accepted - CAS

Objective: CAS
SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (700 CR, 760 M, 700 W E10) Superscored taken twice
ACT (breakdown): 30 (didnt send)
SAT II: 730 Math II, 680 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Weighted (out of ??): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 8 (out of 90)
AP (place score in parenthesis):AP AB Calc (4), AP Physics 1 (4), AP Stats (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): –
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Gov, AP BC Calc, AP Physics C, AP English Lang, AP Economics, Honors Spanish History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): School Scholar (4.0+ weighted) 6/8 Semesters, Cum Laude Junior Year Inductee (Highest Academic honors you can achieve at my school. Only 10% of the Junior Class receives given they were that good that year),

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (Student Council President), (Senior Leader (school position)), (Student Council Grade Representative), Head Editor of HS Literary Magazine, Preforming Arts Musical Lead Role for 8 years straight, Math Team Captain, School Magazine staff writer,
Job/Work Experience: Commercial Real Estate Internship, Golf Caddy in the summers ($$$)
Volunteer/Community service: Little to none, helped out with local low-income volunteer programs from time to time but nothing serious by any means whatsoever.
Summer Activities: Took Pre-Calc my summer going into junior year that way I could take AB Calc my junior year just to flex on everyone. Went on Spain immersion trip for 2 weeks – lived with a family in Spain.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App (9): I wrote about my love to create things and make use of things and create them anew. I personally called it the Jazz essay because I wrote first about my love for music production and how I was able to sample an old Jazz song and turn it into a modern rap beat. (Yes I have a soundcloud). But then I took those same principles and applied them to many other things – like redesigning my schools literary magazine – and like my senior project which is producing music with other students from my school. My unstated thesis was that I love creative innovation, and that I am at heart a creative innovator.

Why Penn (10): I wrote about the Urban Studies major Im applying for and why I liked it so much. At first I thought it would be like a random major I could apply for so I could get in off of it, however, I realized that its super cool and unique in its own way so I was able to write about many of the cool things the program offers. Its bascially studying the sociology of a city and what makes it function – which is something most people dont think of. I was able to apply what I learned from my real estate internship with what I could potentially learn about urban settings. I also threw in my love for music and how music can effect a city – but most importantly, I painted a picture in the intro and outro of what I would look like being a student at Penn etc etc, blah blah blah.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (10) My history teacher is the MAN, and he went to Penn so he definitely helped me out a little there, even if he didnt explicitly mention Penn in his essay, he made me look really good.
Teacher Rec #2: (8) My calc/stat teacher for junior year. Definitely saw me as a strong math student and saw that I was often a head of the game in his classes, (AB calc was too easy, but now BC calc is too hard haha).
Counselor Rec: (11, if it was possible) My councilor is also my homeroom teacher and I know hes one of my biggest supporters. Being class president and all, Ive worked with him through a lot of different things throughout the school and hes seen me not only as a strong academic student, but also as a general leader.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 10/10, I ended up just talking about life with my interviewer. His son went to Penn so we just talked a lot about his son and such. He really liked me and saw that I was a strong candidate – told me verbatim that he would write me a shinning recommendation.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Urban Studies
State (if domestic applicant): –
Country (if international applicant): –
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 1% (Not sure of exact number)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No legacy, no sports, no first gen

Reflection

Strengths: Leadership, being overall a well liked human being in my community. Also grades and high academic status. Doesnt hurt to be applying to a non-competitive major
Weaknesses: Maybe SATs, lack of sports (not that it matters), no legacy, im white, im male
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Leadership – no question. And strong support from my school.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I was accepted to Fordham but that is the only one I know of

General Comments – Only tips are – be an absolute baller in comparison to everyone around you. Find ways to stand out among the crowd.

66

Decision: Accepted- CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2400 superscore
ACT (breakdown):n/a
SAT II: 800 Physics, 770 Chem, 800 Math2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):22/555
AP (place score in parenthesis):bio4, lal5,calcab5, calcbc5, macro5, apush5
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load:hardest
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): honor roll, NMSF, AP Scholar with distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FBLA(Comitee head), SNHS(Comitee head), karate(black belt), guitar, soccer(varsity 3 years), Charity(president)
Job/Work Experience: Shadowing doctor, soccer ref
Volunteer/Community service: hospital, stem center
Summer Activities: research at UPENN with published paper
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec:7/10
Additional Rec: From UPenn professor- probably what got me in
Interview: decent

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large competeive
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: upper middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: research, SAT, rec from profesor
Weaknesses: grades, rank, hooks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: who knows and who cares!! I’m UPENN 2020!!!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Rutgers

67

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2150 (620 CR, 740 M, 790 W)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (35 R, 36 S, 36 E, 35 M, 34 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 97.38/100 (my school doesn’t weight gpas)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank but around top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (5), AP Lang (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Calc AB subscore (5), AP US (5), AP Chem (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable calc, AP Lit, AP Spanish, AP Bio, AP Psych, Econ, Wind Ensemble, Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National merit commended scholar, National Spanish Exam silver and bronze places (does it count? idk), school’s George Eastman Young Leaders Award, AP scholar w/ distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity tennis 3 years and JV 1 year, Flute solo festivals, private lessons 4 years, All-state band, Interact club (treasurer) raised $4,200 for Special Olympics through fundraiser, spreading the music club (put together pieces to play at hospitals and nursing homes), pep band, Tri-M (secretary)
Job/Work Experience: reading and writing tutor
Volunteer/Community service: lot through school’s interact club- special olympics, honor flight, serving food at salem nutrition center, bell ringing, halloween fest, candlelight night, blood drive. rmsc volunteering for 4 years. Over 220 hours in total
Summer Activities: Neurosurgery Internship, RMSC summer fun volunteering, congress of future med leaders
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CA essay (9 or 10, I was pretty proud of it, about my struggles with public speaking and how overcoming it helped me find more self-confidence)
Supplementary (8 or 9, I opened with my internship experience, how I fit at penn as I’d be motivated to pursue research opportunities, certain concentrations, talked about my visit and how I sat in on a class). spent a ton of time on it, revised over 10 times

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8, Lang teacher, liked me and knew me pretty well. he was happy to write me one
Teacher Rec #2:
6, Chem teacher, really liked me as I was one of her top students, were really close, however she’s rumored not to write very good recommendations (not sure how people know that). she was really happy to write me one too.
Counselor Rec:8, he likes me and knows me pretty well but he did say he had to write a ton of recs
Additional Rec:none
Interview: Went really well, she was originally from the same area as me. She really liked my answer to a diversity question she asked, said I had very good examples. I loved hearing about her experiences at Penn and she said she thought I’d do well at Penn.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant): ny
Country (if international applicant):usa
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~80,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none

Reflection

Strengths: act score, ap scores, gpa, community service activities, essays
Weaknesses: sat score, not enough aps senior year?, recs, ec’s, wasn’t president or founder of clubs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see above
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: applying to Columbia, cornell, harvard, northwestern, yale, boston college, some bs/md programs at u of r, brown, case western, gw

General Comments : I was pretty bummed at first but now I feel fortunate that I at least have a second chance in the RD round. I guess make sure your recommendations come from people who you’ve heard write rly good recs, spend a lot of time on your essays since they pay a ton of attention to those. my counselor advised me not to send my sat score but I decided to send it since it’d be against their policy where they require all testing history. I’d send all your scores because it’s wrong not to as they mandate it, and also if you get caught that’d be pretty bad :confused:

68

**Decision: Rejected - CAS **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (710 CR, 790W, 640M)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35R, 35E, 29M, 31S)
SAT II: 770 Lit, 620 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school does out of 100, 93.19/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (4), Chem (3) - didn’t submit the Chem
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, English Lit, French, Psych; Honors Physics; Introductory Drawing course
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Community Service Club (president), GLI (co-president), my school’s literary/art review magazine, play sport/do theater, In this selected leader program where I mentor Freshman, in my school’s tour guide club (just touring prospective/incoming students)
Job/Work Experience: day camp counselor (summer), receptionist (school year)
Volunteer/Community service: I’m president of CSC, I do a lot
Summer Activities: went on summer immersion program with my high school, worked as a day camp counselor
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA (could’ve been better. maybe 8); supplement (9)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: probably incredible (9-10)
Teacher Rec #2: probably sucked (6-7)
Counselor Rec: I’m pretty confident she likes me but we aren’t best friends or anything
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: went fairly well. we got along well enough and I made her laugh a couple of times! it wasn’t flawless but it felt pretty natural and not tense

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: english
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: boarding (but i’m a day student)
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: no clue but i don’t qualify for FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflection

Strengths: ACT/SAT/SAT subject test scores IN MY MAJOR (English), my supplement, my first teacher rec, legacy status
Weaknesses: ACT/SAT/SAT subject test scores OUTSIDE MY MAJOR (math/science!), my second teacher rec, my common app essay, my GPA, my only kind of rigorous course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: who knows!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: so far I have only been rejected from UPenn! no one else has gotten back to me yet

General Comments :

69

**Decision: Deferred **

CAS

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (770M 770R 800W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (didn’t submit)
SAT II: 800 Physics, 800 Math II, 760 World History

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90? not sure…
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): –
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Physics 1 (5), Calc BC (5), Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Georgia Tech Calculus II, AP French, AP Physics C, AP Literature, AP Stat
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none
Super Honor Roll, National French Contest (4th place), Junior Marshal, National Merit, AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Flute (multiple orchestras and wind symphonies, 3 time Allstate player),
Track and Field (manager one year, varsity in others),
Cross Country (2013 state championship)
Marching Band (section leader)
American Red Cross Club (co-founder and historian)
Student Council
French Club
Toastmasters Club (speech)

Job/Work Experience:

Volunteer/Community service:
-many Red Cross volunteer opportunities
-homeless shelters and city cleanups
-Volunteered in Taiwan overseas for 4 weeks teaching English
other things I didn’t get to list on Common App…

Summer Activities:
volunteering in Taiwan for a month

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8-9… i guess… idk my teacher said it was good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 5 - MEH.

Teacher Rec #1: My teacher for three years… did well in his class but didn’t develop a “personal” relationship
Teacher Rec #2: Teacher in junior year, same issue as above
Counselor Rec: barely knows me lol
Additional Rec: -
Interview: Average, not spectacular. Lady kept talking about how she thinks people should go to state schools where there isn’t as much stress/cutthroat competition, so i wasn’t sure if i should tell her i love penn because I was too scared to disagree with her LOL.

Other - submitted a music supplement

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Physics (wanted pre-med)
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >180k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection - bruh if you’re reading this in 2015 and you have time please point out the weakness in my application so i can figure it out before i submit to my other schools -.-

Strengths: SAT scores, volunteer?, clubs? grades…
Weaknesses: Recommendations and Interview??
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: To be honest, I thought i had a fair shot at getting into CAS, so i have no idea ahahah. I guess my interview and recommendations were not stellar.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Georgia (haven’t heard back from anywhere else)

General Comments : i am peeved.

70

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 Eng, 35 Math, 31 Reading, 33 Science, 9 Writing)
SAT II: Math IIC (800), Bio M (790), Phys (770), Chem (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Bio (5), Psychology (5), Phys 1 (5), Phys C Mech (5), Phys 2 (4), Lang (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Microecon, AP Gov, AP CompSci, AP Lit, Sports Medicine ROP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 5th Place at Science Olympiad State, AP Scholar with Distinction, Presidential Service Award (Gold: 12, Silver: 11, Bronze: 9)

Subjective

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Premed Society at high school (Founder, President), science club at high school (Vice President), speech club at high school (Founder, President), Science Olympiad (Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: HIV lab intern
Volunteer/Community service: >200 hours, non-profit organization (treasurer), created science program for elementary school kids
Summer Activities: SSEP at Smith College, SAAST at U. Penn (did some cancer research here), M&TSI at U. Penn, HIV research, volunteer work, backpacking
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9 (received lots of praise from counselors, they said my personal statement and “why penn” were some of the best essays they’ve ever read)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8

Teacher Rec #1: (9/10) from AP Physics teacher who is also my Science Olympiad advisor, loved me, didn’t read but probably great rec
Teacher Rec #2: (8/10) from AP Lit teacher who is also my speech club advisor, didn’t read but was probably not amazing but definitely decent rec
Counselor Rec: (10/10) didn’t read but she told me it was amazing. she emphasized my extracurriculars and summer programs
Additional Rec: (7/10) from elementary school principal that I created a science program for
Interview: (7/10) over-the-phone, 30 min, talked about my extracurriculars and about my past summers at penn, couldn’t read her vibe but she seemed interested and impressed by my resume

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Healthcare Management (Wharton)
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: programs at Penn, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA, activities and classes/test scores were very science-heavy so maybe i should have applied to seas
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred from U.Chicago and MIT, accepted to Case Western (with half tuition scholarship)

General Comments: i am sad.

71

**Decision: Rejected **

School: SEAS- Electrical Engineering

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2280 in one sitting (730 R, 790 M, 760 W)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II: 780 Math 2, 790 Bio E, 790 Chinese, 740 Physics, 790 Chinese
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t do unweighted GPA, but maybe around 3.7~3.8?
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Biology(4), AP Macroeconomics self-studied(5) AP Physics 1(4), AP Language and Composition(5), AP Chinese(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C Electromagnetism, AP Computer Science A, AP US Government and Politics, AP Literature and Composition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Central Taiwan National Debate Championships 1st Place, WSC Taiwan Round debate champion, WSC Global Round debate champion

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Debate Club Captain- On the national WSDC debate team + Represented Taiwan at the NSDA National Round in Texas. Central Taiwan National Debate Championships- 1st Place, NIFTY Impromptu speaking-1st place, and some other debate awards not worth mentioning.
Swimming Team Captain- 200 meters Butterfly Hsinchu City-1st Place; Broke two Hsinchu County records for 50 meters and 100 meters Butterfly in November 2014, and a lot of other swimming awards not worth mentioning.
WSC Club Founder and President- WSC National Debate Champion; Global Round Final Debate (Represented Taiwan’s top debater at Dubai); Global Round (Dubai) Debate Champion…etc
Robotics Team Co-founder and Captain- International Student Software Competition (ISSC) 2015; TAIROS Industrial Robotics Convention… no major awards
World Cultures Club- Founder and President- Helped out at lantern festival, volunteering at migrant worker centers…etc
Every Child Counts Club- Vice President- Fundraisers, community service at orphanages…etc
Piano- Had a lot of regional awards, nothing major
MUN- Had around 6 best delegate awards and some chairing experience

Job/Work Experience: Had a biorobotics internship at NCTU in the summer of 2015 and wrote a research abstract on the matter.
Volunteer/Community service: Had around 70~100 total community service hours volunteering at the Hope Center for migrant workers, teaching children English/Chinese at the Honghua Orphanage…etc
Summer Activities:

  • Had a biorobotics internship at NCTU. (Created a prototype for a rehabilitative robotic exoskeleton- I worked on the electromyography of the exoskeleton)
  • Represented Taiwan’s national debate team at the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC)
  • Was the champion qualifier team in Taiwan so we attended the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Round in Dallas, Texas.
    Essays (rating 1-10, details):
    Commonapp- Rushed it for the ED deadline (7/10)
    Penn Supplement- Spent time on it, but nothing outstanding or special (8/10)
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    Counselor- Doesn’t really know me (6/10)
    AP Physics teacher- (8/10)
    AP Lit teacher- (7/10)

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Electrical Engineering
Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Taiwanese (Asian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 80,000~100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nopeeee

Reflection:
Strengths: Extracurricular activities and awards
Weaknesses: GPA, essays, race/gender
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Weak GPA
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted Purdue EE

General Comments :
I didn’t really expect myself to be accepted I guess, but I was still a little disappointed tbh…

72

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2360 single sitting (760 CR, 800 M, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Biology E, 770 Chemistry, 740 U.S. History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 unweighted/4.6 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/117
AP (place score in parenthesis): Statistics (5), U.S. History (5), Chemistry (4), Literature and Composition (5), Calculus BC (5), AB Subscore (5), Biology (5), Psychology, Computer Science A, Language and Composition, Music Theory
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science A, AP Language and Composition, AP Psychology, Health (first semester), Introduction to Medical Neuroscience (Harvard Online, second semester), Orchestra, Law and Justice I (first semester), Sociology (second semester), Independent Study for Violin, AP Music Theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Moody’s Mega Math Challenge Honorable Mention ($1000), National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Student Government (Vice President)
-Select Orchestra (First Chair Violin), Quartet Member
-Youth Orchestra of Bucks Country (Assistant Concertmaster) -
-Future Business Leaders of America (President)
-Speech and Debate (Co-President), in 11th grade, I placed 3rd in Southeastern PA
-National Honor Society (Cabinet)
-Mock Trial (Lead Attorney), best advocate award
-Varsity Volleyball (2 Varsity Letters)
-Club Volleyball at Central Jersey Volleyball Academy
-Key Club
-Mathletes
-Science Olympiad
-PMEA District Orchestra
-BCMEA County Orchestra
-EMT, Ambulance Rescue Squad

Job/Work Experience:
-Violin Teacher
-Physics Tutor
-Apple Specialty Store

Volunteer/Community service:
-Certified EMT, about 200 hours devoted to this in 2015 alone
-Costa Rica Service Trip
-Started Tutoring Program in China at a University for a summer
-Neighborhood Notes

Summer Activities:
-JHU CTY (once in middle school, then again before sophomore year)
-Y2 Academy (previously known as Yale Academy)
-Costa Rica Service Trip
-European Tours of France, Spain, and Italy (twice) - toured on violin at different concert venues

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Common App: 9 - I spent so long on this… It was about my passion for science but it followed my journey from when I got lice in the first grade (LOL) and I got so excited in my dad’s lab when he let me look at it under the microscope at my lice and how at 6, I was so excited and non-stop researched lice and marked up my lice diagrams…then I continued to talk about where it led me (very specifically) from my fascination with angiogenesis inhibitors and Judah Folkman to becoming an EMT…
-Penn Supplement: 7.5 - I think it was really good but idk
-LSM Supplment: 8 - I didn’t get into LSM (epic fail) but nbd, they take like a handful of kids. Anyways, I started this one off with an anecdote too. It was pretty personal but very lighthearted and a tad comical??

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7 - AP Chemistry Teacher from 10th grade. He liked me and gave me awards and stuff but we never really knew each other on a personal level…I was hesitant to get this rec, but I needed a science teacher bc i’m pre-med…
Teacher Rec #2: 9 - AP Literature Teacher. This guy’s an amazing writer (published and everything) and I did well in his class. He definitely really appreciated my writing style, and we talked a lot about politics and life and stuff
Counselor Rec: 7 - she really likes me and we talk a bunch but that’s it
Additional Rec: 9 - Orchestra Teacher. This guy has known me since I was 6 I think??? Anyways, we’re great buds and he always gives me the best solos which is nice lol
Interview: 8 - it was super casual and fun and we got along really well. It lasted around an hour and a half, and there wasn’t really a structure… it was just like a pretty normal conversation of us bonding about music, italy, and the school system

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: health and societies (pre-med track)
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none?

Reflection:
I think that I got in because of my essays (???). If I were to give any advice on the essays it would be this (but do I have the place to give advice?? idk like how did I get in???): be as specific as possible and personal and as real as possible. don’t try to over-dramatize things…unless your personality is melodramatic in the first place…then preserve some of that…i’m (apparently) melodramatic, esp. in my first drafts??? epic fail. but let a lot of people read it. not necessarily peers and parents, but find some really smart ppl that you respect intellectually, you know!! harass everyone!! I got this graduate student who went undergrad at Yale and is now in CA and this former admissions lady at CMU. My first draft was completely different from my last because if I learned anything from them, it’s to be super specific. Also, I started my 650 word common app at 1200 words if that’s any indication of how much I fit into the essay.
Also, I guess I had a bunch of smaller awards that I didn’t list. Like those grade ones (like best math student, science student!!, etc. not that those matter at all) but also like top AMC score in school, and best soloist awards at local orchestra or solo competitions. And also like 3rd in southeaster pa for debate and i’ve played with some super famous musicians?? like stuff that isn’t huge like Intel but I had a lot of that crap so I guess it added up.
And now I’m REALLY rambling…(sorry!!..just not tryna do my homework) but for my service trip, I didn’t talk about it outside of “additional comments” and instead of taking the traditional, “I learned so much I am so much more appreciative” which is great and true but overdone, I explained how it connected to my passion in global and public health and what I learned and saw.
I guess nice teachers and ECs help too. actually, ECs really help!! And although it may look like I had a bunch of junk on there I added just bc, I made it clear I did all those things bc I really love all (jk…most) of them.

Strengths: essays, ECs

Weaknesses: not that many major awards. didn’t cure cancer. not founder of billion dollar startup. is not president of world.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: in addition to all the crap i just wrote, I guess it was pretty evident, esp. in interview, that I have strong opinions and I love learning about the world (?? if that makes sense). but I guess it was a plus that I have actual interests and passions in current events and life in general…and I know people say “dont be political!!!” but I wasn’t really…I think the key is to not be too ostentatious or at all offensive. just present like, oh I have ideas and opinions, and I care about the world. there are things I want to change and this is how bc I am a legitimate human being and not a robot that tests well

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: before this, I only heard back from psu main (acceptance) and three schools in the UK which I got accepted to — Imperial College London, Edinburgh, and Durham

General Comments : i think i did that already. best of luck to any RD applicants or those applying in later years!! i hope all of your life dreams come true.

73

Decision: Accepted Wharton

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite, 33 English, 32 mathematics, 34 Reading, 29 Science
SAT II: 760 Math Level II, 610 Spanish, 610 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st out of 337
IB (place score in parenthesis): 5 on SL Environmental Systems and Societies
Senior Year Course Load: 6 IB and 1 AP (IB HL English IV, IB HL Math II, IB, HL History of Americas, IB SL Psychology, IB SL Spanish, IB Theory of Knowledge II, AP Computer Science)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 8th in Nation in FBLA Principles and Procedures, 5-times FBLA Nationals Qualifier, Brown University’s Pre-College Dean Scholarship (full scholarship to summer program at Brown), National Merit Commended, won National Officer Nomination for FBLA, FBLA full level of Business Achievement Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Future Business Leaders of America (National Officer Candidate, State Intern, District Vice President, Local two-term president, see awards above)
Student Council (President, Secretary)
Speech and Debate: 97% win ratio, policy debater
Young Investors Club: Co-Founder, Vice President
Church: Vietnamese Teacher, Pianist, Treasurer’s Assistant

Job/Work Experience:
Jessica’s Nails, 15 hrs/week, 52 weeks/yr, manager, interpreter, public relations, 970 hours total in high school
Internship with Chamber of Commerce and local start-ups incubator: 4hrs/week
Job shadowing opportunities with various utilities and environmental consulting companies

Volunteer/Community service: nearly 600 hours total in high school
Local Bakery (co-founder, financial manager): my friend and I opened a bakery and donated the proceeds to local charities (raised $2,000)
Library: youth volunteer, cashier, website management, inventory

Summer Activities:
Rigorously pursued work, volunteering, and extra curricular activities, but nothing different

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9? It was very personal. As shown through my activities, I’m heavily passionate about business (without using the word ‘passionate’). My family was influenced by Hurricane Katrina. Since my parents don’t speak English fluently, I had a first-hand experience in applying for disaster relief. I talked about how the inefficient process influenced my interests in economics. Then I went on to talk about how opening my family’s business and my experience in FBLA has increased my love for business. Penn Supp: 7? Talked about what I wanted to do and why (open an environmental technologies company, was significantly disturbed about people’s carelessness towards climate change after taking IB Environmental Systems and Societies), talk about very specific extra curricular activities I wanted to do at Penn.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: IB HL Math Teacher (teacher I’ve had for 2 years)
Teacher Rec #2: IB History Teacher (teacher I’ve had for 3 years)
Counselor Rec: ??? I hate rating these.
Additional Rec: State Director of FBLA
Interview: ??? hmm idk, i thought it went well? Must’ve…

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics at Wharton with concentration in Environmental Policy and Management
State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public, 1737 students
Ethnicity: Vietnamese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Below $25,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely essays and extra curricular activities. Although I do more activities (ballet, theatre), I didn’t mention anything that wasn’t specific to my passion (business). I’m a very lopsided candidate. Of course, doing IB and AP at the same time definitely doesn’t hurt (if you can get good grades in both)
Weaknesses: Test scores (I don’t care about those too much though)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: LOLOL Even I still don’t know the secret formula to college admissions

General Comments : My piece of advice to future applicants: Do what you love and it’ll definitely show. If you’re trying to be someone else, they’ll see right through that.

74

MODERATOR’S NOTE: This is a RESULTS thread. No discussion is allowed.

75

Decision: Rejected - Wharton

Objective:
SAT (breakdown): CR 760; M 800; WR 760
SAT II: 800 Math Level II, 800 English Literature, 800 Chemistry, 730 United States History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 92.333
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Literature (5), APUSH (5), Calc BC (5), Physics 1 (4), Euro (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics, AP Biology, AP Comp Sci, Multivariable Calc, Business Management, Post AP English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar, AP Distinction Scholar, National Latin Exam Silver Medalist (x2), Thoreau Recital Finalist (x2)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research sole author published at the International Journal, President of Finance Club (Actual $ trading), Diversity Officer, Crew Varsity, JV Soccer (captain) Undefeated season, MXCommerce (Founder), Rankit (CFO), Doctor’s Crisis (CMO), went to Hackathon at MIT (x2)

Job/Work Experience:
Internship at Newracom Inc., Regional Investment Bank - Head’s Assistant analyst

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours at D.C. VA Medical Center (scrubbed several surgeries), Raised $11,000 through Youth in Philanthropy program

Summer Activities:
Introduction to Law at Georgetown University (Mock trial in front of a Supreme Court Justice clerk and won the criminal case as a defendant attorney), UCI summer Intro to POL SCI, VA medical center (did an interview there for a certain rehab center -> commercially published)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: APUSH teacher 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Latin Teacher 10/10 -> told me that there was nothing to worry about
Counselor Rec: He’s my advisor so 10/10
Additional Rec: Intern and also a close neighbor 10/10
Interview: 10/10 Couldn’t have been better (it was my school friend’s dad)

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Finance/Economics at Wharton
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Private Boarding
Ethnicity: Korean (Asian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Aha…ha… you’re funny

Reflection
Strengths: Scores, Boarding School gave me a leg up, Extracurricular, supplemental essays, interview
Weaknesses: Awards, barely attended any competitions
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No hooks, Asian, no awards, probably not unique

General Comments : I guess the college admission is very random and nobody knows who will get in where, so keep your hopes up until the end! :slight_smile:

Accepted: UMich
Deferred: MIT (rejected in RD)
Rejected: UPenn (Wharton), Northwestern

76

Decision: Deferred

Objective: CAS
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (800M, 790R, 680W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math 1, 790 Math 2, 770 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.91 weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): probably top 1% of of 534
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB (5), AP US History(4), AP NSL/US Gov. (5), AP Biology (4), AP Calc BC (5), AP Chemistry (5), AP Lang (4), AP World History (5), and MV Calc (not an AP but post-AB/BC)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP Psych, AP Physics Mechanics, AP Lit, Linear Algebra/Complex Analysis, Designing Tech Solutions, Journalism 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, Verbal Commendation at Model UN Convention, 2X AIME Qualifier, Member of National Honor Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (4 years, president), Math Team (4 years, captain), School Newspaper (4 years, News Editor), International Student Alliance (3 years, VP), Cross Country/Track (3 years, varsity for both), Math Honor Society (2 years, VP), Member of English/Science/History Honor Societies (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: Intern at Food and Drug Administration (1 summer)
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at local library (1 summer)
Summer Activities: Two things covered above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA 9/10 (really liked it), Penn Supp 6.5/10 (in hindsight could’ve been miles better)

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 (chem teacher really liked my improvement in work ethic)
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 (lang teacher thought very highly of me and often praised me in and out of class)
Counselor Rec: 9/10 (knows me better than most students)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 10/10 (we discussed a lot regarding the city and our shared love for its locations, people, sports teams, etc. could not have gone better)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: GPA/School Courses, Subject Tests, Extracurricular clubs/leadership positions
Weaknesses: Job/Work/Summer experience, SAT Writing, Penn Supplement
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’d like to believe it was the quality of my Penn essay, as well as the relative lack of volunteering and summer work.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments: I’ve wanted to attend Penn since I was young enough to know what college is, so deferral was very disappointing. My fingers will remain crossed for RD, however.

77

Decision: Accepted

CAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (Single Seating); 2310 (Super Score)
ACT (breakdown): N.A.
SAT II: US History-710, World History-770, Math -750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N.A.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N.A.
AP (place score in parenthesis): N.A.
IB (place score in parenthesis): 42/45
Senior Year Course Load:English L&L HL 6, Physics HL 6, History HL 7, Economics SL 7, Mathematics SL 7, Spanish SL ab.initio 6, TOK/EE(History) 3.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top in Subject IB History HL (11th, 12th Grade), Top in Subject IB English Language and Literature A HL - (11th, 12th Grade), Top in subject in World History K12 (10th Grade), Top in subject in Honors English 10 K12 (10th Grade), Top in subject in Developmental Psychology K12 (10th Grade), Top in subject in Digital Media Production K12 (10th Grade), Top in Subject in Geometry K12 (9th Grade), Top in subject in Computer Media Production K12 (9th Grade).

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Midshipman Education Officer (Singapore Navy Officer Cadet School; internal government “prefect equivalent”)
-NS Men Crossroads Founder (Employment Search and Further Studies Help website for Singaporean equivalent of “Veterans”)
-History Bee Organization (helped promulgate competition throughout Singapore for a time)
-NZ Youth Leadership Summit Singapore Coordinator (acted as regional coordinator)
-Short Term Exchange Program Manager (Liaised with Auckland International College to create a short term exchange
program between Singaporean students and AIC)
-Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Promoter (Helped promote award throughout Singaporean schools)
-American Capitalism (edX) / Homer at Troy (edX) (Online academic courses)
-Auckland International College School Prefect
-Peer Mentoring Program Leader (Duties included planning and running weekly support and acclimatization
workshops for Year 11s new to the school and country)
-Swim, Swimming and Shotokan Karate (Senior Varsity Swim Team member. Completed Auckland Harbor Crossing.
Practiced karate since 9 years old and obtained black belt (1st Dan) in 2014.)

Job/Work Experience: Tutoring English.
Volunteer/Community service: Not a volunteering/service sort of guy…
Summer Activities: Just…having fun in general?
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10 for all.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 (Physics Teacher)
Teacher Rec #2: 9-10/10 (History Teacher)
Counselor Rec: 7/10
Additional Rec: N.A.
Interview: 9-10/10 (Went very well)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: History and International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): N.A.
Country (if international applicant): Singapore
School Type: American K12, IB
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: M
Income Bracket (Parents retired, my own personal income): 20k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Naval Officer (Second Lieutenant) from the Singapore Navy despite living most of my life overseas.

Reflection

Strengths: SAT 1 score, decent IB scores, consistent academic standards throughout highschool, essays, interview, coming of age from nervous conscript to outstanding Naval Officer.
Weaknesses: SAT 2 scores, IB could’ve been better.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Academically consistent and competent, Lifelong emphasis on sports and physical training, and Accomplishments in leadership development - Prefect, Peer Leader, outstanding Naval Officer.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted into UChicago.

General Comments : Applying for uni as a conscript and while in Officer Cadet School wasn’t easy (Spent 5 days out of 7 in camp), but in the end my greatest obstacle became my one defining hook.

78

**Decision: Deferred then Accepted **

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): Don’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 district’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
Penn Supplement essays: 9, throughly edited by my counselor and AP lit teacher
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t read, she likes me a lot, 9
Teacher Rec #2: didn’t read, she’s fond of me though, 8
Counselor Rec: didn’t read, don’t know her well but she likes me, 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

Reflection

Strengths: standardized test scores, essays, recommendations
Weaknesses: AP scores, no EC’s were done for all 4 years
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea

Accepted to: Penn, USC (presidential scholarship finalist), Northeastern (Honors Program), Ohio State University, Boston College, Johns Hopkins, GWU,
Rejected: Brown
Waitlisted: Tufts, American

General Comments :
Please don’t spend too much time on this website comparing yourself to other students. Not a single person here will be able to determine your acceptance, deferral, or rejection from a school, and the process truly is holistic. Unfortunately all you can do is submit your best application and wait until decisions come out, doing anything else will only stress you, and I know this from being a student who used to panic over reading the stats of other applicants.

I am so shocked and still cannot believe this! Going from being deferred to being accepted as been a rollercoaster. This is so surreal for me. I never would have expected this turn around.

79

Decision: Accepted (M&T)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (CR: 780, Math: 800, Writing: 720)
ACT (breakdown): Not Taken.
SAT II: Math II && Physics && Chemistry: 800
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 117/120
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.30
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not Ranked.
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Composition (4), Physics C: Mechanics (5), Physics C: E&M (5), Microeconomics (5), Macroeconomics (5), US History (5), Calculus BC (5).
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not Taken.
Senior Year Course Load: Rigorous.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME (Score of 10, cannot participate in USAMO due to Chinese citizenship), several championships in major English speech competitions in China, several national awards in math and chemistry in China.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chairman at 3 clubs and vice-president at another 2; focused on environmental protection and genetic engineering.
Job/Work Experience: Internship at a consulting company.
Volunteer/Community service: Started a sea rescue volunteer program; co-founded a water protection program.
Summer Activities: Participation in said clubs and internship; M&TSI.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Probably nice; it’s as personal as it gets.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: History Teacher (US History and World History); probably very good.
Teacher Rec #2: Physics Teacher; knows me well and probably very good.
Counselor Rec: The counselor likes me; probably very good.
Additional Rec: One from my internship employer; quite good I guess.
Interview: At Wharton China Center; lasted for about 45 mins. It was quite customary and went quite well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
Intended Major: Not sure. Leaning towards on the bio side of engineering and probably finance/management.
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): China, People’s Republic of.
School Type: Public; national key school; target school of US universities.
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Typical Chinese middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection

Strengths:

First, I am strong academically. In 10th grade, I was not sure if going abroad is a proper option. Thus, I stayed in the Chinese Gaokao track for a year and entered the “Competition Class”, where students dedicate themselves to math, physics or chemistry competitions, both national and international. In retrospect, it was the experience in the competition class that fostered my strong science background.
Second, my activities have a clear focus since I have a clear future plan, yet I displayed a wide interest in areas including literature, music and more. . Combining biological experiments with business ventures and my passion for the environment, I knew I was fit for the M&T program that I applied.
Third, participating in Penn M&TSI and interning for a Wharton graduate certainly helps–not in a sense that they could somewhat give you an edge in the application, but in that you can know Penn from a much more personal and tangible level.

Weaknesses:
First, I filled just hours before the deadline. This procrastination is not something beneficial in business.
Second, I’m an Asian middle class male applying from China with a Chinese citizenship. 'Nuff said.
Third, limited major awards that are recognized in the states.
Fourth, SAT Reasoning score not outstanding enough.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, I tried my best and could not have done anything better.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted ED, withdrawn all other applications.

General Comments:

One thing I pride myself upon is my ability to assess myself. I was able to subjectively evaluate my strength and weaknesses and make corrections. I was able to set my goals appropriately so that by some reasonable stretch and effort I could attain that goal. Such ability is the true reason why I am accepted.

Yet that ability comes at a huge cost. From nine or ten my life was filled with goals and the process of achieving goals. Step by step, I came from a poor little county from Hubei province to a community primary school in Beijing to the very best high school in Beijing/China and to this world-renowned institution. Between each and every one of these transitions are endless hours studying, reciting, practicing, and competing. Never did I have time to appreciate other possibilities, to let things work themselves out.

Now as I got into M&T, a clear career lay before me. I could see myself, in five years, sitting in front of the desk in some financial institution, burying down my head. I planned that future, a possibly successful one, and I know I’d probably achieve. I mastermind my entire life fastidiously; yet is that what life’s supposed to be? What have I missed, as I have been blinded by the glory of endlessly achieving goals?

College is defined by the numerous options it provides, and UPenn is no exception. Committing myself to M&T means a whole lot of opportunities eliminated, due to various constraints. Will it lay foundations for my later planned career, or will it open an entirely new door for me? Who knowns. And who knows which outcome would be more preferable!

Yet more puzzlingly, is my planned and structured life another form of just getting along, this time with the popular opinion of success? Am I actually just controlling my life by name and letting it slide with the public opinion in essence? I do not know.

I may or may not be able to control my life; I cannot possibly tell whether it is better to control my life or not to; and I cannot even tell if what now appears to be me controlling my fate is actually me controlling my fate. Yet life just goes on. It occurred to me that almost no one is living his or her life entirely sober. Sometimes we just have to go along and settle with that confusion and dizziness, and move along.

Enough of my nonsense. Wish you have a fantastic admission result, and a fantastic life.